HELP - it's disappearing! String Of Beads/Pearls

Hello 

This is my second time buying this plant (since the first one shrivelled away ). Did some reading on the net, and found out that the plant likes to be watered fully then the soil should let to dry about an inch/inch & half deep. I've roughly followed that. However the beads are drying out. In some places the the stems from the base are drying out. The soil is very moist at the moment. The window approximatly south-facing & on the right of the plant about a meter away,

(sorry about the distorted image)

 It makes me very sad to see this happening & not being able to do anything  

I really like this plant. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong? is it too late to help it? 

Thanks!

Hello Saraswati,

I am wondering whether your string-of-beads has actually been over-watered. This could also explain the demise of your previous plant. As a succulent, it has organs for storing water within its leaves, enabling it to survive without water in periods of drought. Your plant will cope with being under-watered better than being overwatered.

When plants are over-watered, they can look very similar to under-watered plants. This is because over-watering damages the roots, so that plants do not have a good root system with which to take up water, and look as though they need more water.

I would suggest that you let the compost dry out and then water far less frequently. House plants need much less water in winter anyway as they tend to be growing less than in the summer. You may not see much improvement until this summer, as it will take time for the roots to regrow, but hopefully by then you'll have signs of new growth.

This plant does also attract some pests but you do not say that you've seen any signs of those.

I hope you'll be able to send us some good news about you string-of-beads next year.

Emma.

gardenersworld.com team

Hello,

Yes I think thats the reason - over watering. Since the beads looked dry thought to water them. I'll let the compost dry out. No there have been no pests. Thankyou very much for the information.

When you say new signs of growth in the summer, does that still apply if all the beads have dryed out?

Hello Saraswati,

Don't give up on watering altogether, just let the compost dry in between waterings, and don't panic about keeping it watered, because your plant has its own special reserves! Let's hope you see signs of recovery and new growth soon, but be prepared to wait for a few months to see a real improvement. Winter is not the best time for house plants to look their best.

Emma

gardenersworld.com team