It may alarm you that the crown of your pearl necklace is thin or bare. But don’t worry, it’s an easy fix. I’m going to share with you some tips on how to switch things up and make your pearl necklace fuller and more vibrant.
To make your pearl necklace more complete, cut a few trailers and put them on the ground in empty places. Use stakes to hold them down and add more soil to encourage aerial root growth. Provide good water, light and fertilizer for a nice full pot.
Your pearl necklace is known to grow more slowly and is more difficult to maintain than other Senecio plants. You need to make sure your plant gets enough nutrients, light, and moisture to thrive throughout the year.
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Why is my pearl necklace thin?
Solar cream
If the top of your pearl necklace is thin and thin, your plant is more susceptible to sunburn. You may be exposing your succulent to intense direct sunlight.
This is especially true if you park your plant where it will receive the scorching midday sun. East and south facing windows can cause afternoon sunburn on your pearl necklace, especially in the summer.
Too much direct sunlight not only burns the beads, but also damages the stems that remain. This means that the pearls on the sunburnt stems receive no nutrition or water.
Think of a city with only one bridge. If this bridge disappears, the whole town will run out of resources to get what it needs from outside. The same goes for your sunburnt pearl necklace.
The result is stunted growth and some pearls will die, making them sparse or thin.
Submarine
As you may have noticed, your pearl necklace isn’t too picky about its water needs. Just keep your plant’s soil slightly moist (but never soggy) during peak growing seasons, i.e. summer and spring.
However, if the soil dries out for a long time, your pearl necklace will react by losing foliage. Some leaves wither, dry up and eventually fall off.
The first sign of dip is usually when the pea-shaped, almost bulbous leaves begin to flatten out. If the dry period is prolonged, the leaves wither, dry up and turn brown.
If the beads and stems have turned brown or purple, you may have waited too long. The entire plant will eventually wilt and die. Slowly water your pearl necklace under water and it may start sprouting again after a few days.
For good measure, wait for the top two to three inches of soil to completely dry out before watering again. Don’t wait for beads and stems to turn brown or sunburn.
give too much water
As an arid climate plant, pearl necklace prefers to be dry when it comes to water. In fact, it will probably kill your pearl necklace if you water it too much rather than too little.
Excess water is the number 1 reason a pearl necklace dies. And you don’t want that. It all starts with the foliage thinning, then wilting, and finally the whole plant dies.
You need to wait for the top layer of soil (2-3″) to completely dry out. Only then should you water well until the liquid comes out of the lower drainage holes. Give your plant about 10 minutes to absorb more H2O, then pour off the excess water.
If you water too much, the soil will become soggy and soggy. Inevitably, soggy soil attracts pests, disease and root rot. Your plant will look weak and limp at the crown, causing loss of stems and foliage.
Other symptoms of a pearl string with too much water include brown pearl tips, yellowing, and leaf loss.
How to make a fuller pearl necklace?
Properly cut the trailers of your pearl necklace.
You know nothing brightens up your room better than a full, lavish pearl necklace. The stems run gracefully over your hanging basket or planter, making them a sight to behold.
This is why it can be disheartening to see bald spots or thin areas on the crown of your pearl necklace. Your mission is to fill these holes in the crown with more rods and beads. How is it?
Simply take a few hanging stems and place them in the ground. You want the stems to cover or wrap around bare spots in the ground.
Alternatively, you can cut a few strands from your pearls and place these stem cuttings in the thin areas of the crown. It is a more efficient way because it is very similar to breeding. You will need a good set of pruners, a trowel and pins.
Use stakes to pin the stems to the ground. You can use wooden stakes or horticultural stakes. This ensures that the cut or placed pearl strands touch the ground so they can sprout new roots and absorb water and nutrients.
Add more soil to promote aerial root growth
After tying or placing the sprigs in the wreath, consider adding more soil. This should slightly cover the trailer rod cutouts. Make sure the ground level is raised up to the beads.
The added terrain will do two things. First of all, the newly laid sprigs will easily sink into the ground and grow new roots faster. Second, the presence of a light ground cover will promote the growth of aerial roots, so that they receive water and nutrients as soon as possible.
What type of flooring is suitable for the job? You can get away with the most fertile, well-drained soil. However, I have found that a mix of potting soil with perlite (2:1 ratio) works best.
You can also use a cactus mix. Be sure to add some perlite in the same ratio of 2 parts cactus mix to 1 part perlite. Also, make sure the soil is slightly moist and not too wet or soggy to avoid unwanted guests in the form of fungal infections.
You can also bypass the trailers to release the apical domain. When you cut off the top area (the ends of your strands), your pearl necklace will go into survival mode. This way you will tell the strings to grow more branches and more beads on the stems, thus a fuller look.
Fertilize your pearl necklace
Your pearl necklace will grow quite vigorously in the spring and summer if you fertilize it enough (and in good light). Pump your fertilizer for more robust growth.
During times of rapid growth, you should ideally feed your plant once every two weeks. This is what you want to be more complete. For best results, use a standard water-soluble or liquid houseplant fertilizer.
Make sure the proportions of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are well balanced. Dilute your fertilizer to half and apply it while you water. However, don’t over-fertilize your pearl necklace; it will scorch the leaves, scorch the stems, and kill your plant.
During dormancy (also called winter), you only need to fertilize your pearl necklace once every 6 weeks or so.
Provide plenty of bright, indirect sunlight.
Unfortunately, you would expect your pearl necklace to do just fine in direct sunlight; after all, it is a dry climate. But that’s not a good idea. Your pearl necklace will be happiest in a combination of partial sun (in the balmy morning hours) and partial shade.
In practice, however, you should give your plant 6-8 hours of direct and indirect sunlight each day. You should park your pearl necklace near an east-facing window during the hottest morning hours for indoor growing.
Later, when the midday sun is strong, make sure it is in an area with indirect light, diffused light, or partial shade. Your pearl necklace needs a lot of this bright, indirect light to photosynthesise and fill out.
keep them well watered
Watering is perhaps the biggest dilemma you will face when caring for your pearl necklace. How much do you need to thrive? And what is too much water?
There are two proven ways to know when to baste your pearl necklace:
[i] Water when the pearl just begins to flatten. Don’t wait for them to crease, crease or worse, brown.
[ii] Check the top 2-3 inches of soil. When the soil is completely dry, it’s time to hit the watering can. If not, wait a few days and check again.
Generally, you should water the pearl necklace until the liquid runs out of the bottom of the pot. You must leave it like this for ten minutes and then empty the saucer.
Make sure it’s the right temperature
A pearl necklace grows best in warmer temperatures in the 70-80°F (21-26°C) range from early spring to late summer. During the coldest winter months, be sure to keep the temperature between 55 and 60°F (13 and 16°C).
They will get sunburned if you expose them to too much direct sunlight or heat. Above all, keep in mind that a pearl necklace is a very cold-sensitive plant, so avoid cold drafts.