Two weeks and counting seems like a long time to go without water. I water my C. woodii about every 3 days (but it's in a fairly small pot with very porous soil). It seems to dry out faster than any of my other succulents. I just lift the pot each day and water whenever it feels light, which is pretty often for my plant. If the soil in your pot has dried out a couple inches down, I'd water it now. If not, I would consider repotting into a more porous soil because the current soil is probably holding too much water and could lead to root rot.

As for how to water, just water them like any other plant. I leave water on the leaves all the time and it's never hurt them. Be sure to water thoroughly when you do water so that the draining water can wash out any accumulating salts from tap water and/or fertilizer.

Just realized that string of pearls usually refers to Senecio and I was talking about Ceropegia, or string of hearts. This is why I don't like common names. Anyways, same advice should apply.

Excuse me pls. while I disagree.

Penfold, I see you registered a couple of days ago, so I can't know what you do & don't know.

Hi Nae & Welcome (I'm also a regular at Hoyas).

May I pls. caution that Senecio rowleyans (String of Beads)& Ceropegia woodii (String of Hearts) are rather different plants w/ quite different watering requirements.

I'd grow the Senecio in clay & water it carefully, trying to avoid wetting the beads, try to water straight into the soil instead.

I DO grow Ceropegia woodii in plastic pots & water it pretty frequently (far more often that I would Senecio rowleayans which I no longer grow).

One of the reasons we use botanical names is that they're universally understood, w/out regional confusion (for instance, Ice Plant, means different plants in different parts of the USA).

Thanks so much PG for your feed back. I have read some of your postings at the hoya forums. I agree with you about the watering difference and apologize for not using the botanical name. I will water just the soil since the other plant I had died because I thought it was dry when it apperantely it was not. Thanks again...

Nae =)

Hi Nae,

You're wlecome. No apology needed, it takes time to learn botanical names, we're not all born knowing them (at least I wasn't). But as you can see, it can really help nail down proper care.

Pls. remember that as a succulent, those beads hold water, so when in doubt abt watering them, don't, as they can recover better from underwatering than overwatering.

PG,

I watered my senecios today. I am going to admit that I was so scared while I was doing it . I hope I did it right, I made a little whole in the soil and watered it. I have another question for you, if you don't mind. What do you think about an aqua globe? Do you think its a good idea to put one of those in the pot? I only ask, because I keep thinking that the roots are only in the top part of the soil and not on the bottom.

Thanks,
Nae

P.S. I will post pics tomorrow for you to see them =)

I wouldn't make the hole to water in again Nae, I doubt it's necessary. I'm just guessing that the beads are best kept dry, but if they get wet, as long as they get some light to dry them (but not direct sun if they're visibly wet); I'm guessing it'd be OK. (Pix not necessary at least to make this point).

I've never grown your plant, so I'm working off speculation & what I've read & seen other folks do.

I'm sorry if I scared you in this, I didn't mean to. Pls. take a deep breath & try not to be scared. They ARE only plants & part of learning to grow plants means one loses one from time to time. It happens to the most of us once in a while & tho' I know it's sad & rather a bummer, sometimes it happens.

Unless you unpotted it, how would you know the roots are only in the top? That may or may not be true. Is it in an unglazed clay pot? That'd probably be best for it. If you remain scared (which I hope you don't), you COULD try watering it from the bottom, say into a saucer, let it drink up water for 15 minutes, then dump the excess out.

I'm not in favor of aqua globes, I hear they don't work well. Also, these are not plants that want steady moisture or a moist mix, they need to dry out btwn waterings.

PG,

thanks for your feed back, I really appreciate it. Thanks for the info on the aqua globes and I will try to water them like you have suggested. When I bought them, they came in a plastic pot. I don't know if they would be better off in a clay pot.

Thanks again,
Nae

Here are the pictures of the senecios...

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but I need help identifying these other cacti..I don't know what species they are since the tag they came with did not say anything about them.

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and last but not least my jades, which I have been reading here and seen pictures of how they get pruned and get thicker trunks. I would love for my jade to get a thick trunk, but I think I have too many in the same pot.

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Hi, Nae! Good morning!
(Hello to Karen, too!)

Nae, I would definitely isolate the Jade that you plan to develop. Group-plantings certainly
have their appeal, but I think the 'tree' look is best achieved with a single plant in the
pot. Many people grow Jades in tiny pots, yet I think they need a bit more room. Here are
some other suggestions:

1. Gritty, fast-draining medium. No peat-moss, no bagged potting soil! This is so important,
especially if you plan to use a larger container.

2. Terracotta pot to help control excess moisture.

3. A slightly larger pot (not huge) to allow free root movement. Truly, the best way to size
up a Jade would be to grow it in-ground during the summer - but a larger pot will yield good results,
too (just not as quickly).

4. Provide as much light as possible, and constantly turn the plant so that it receives light on
all sides.

5. Pruning will encourage the Jade to thicken, as well.

Josh

Greenman,

thanks for the feedback. I am a little confused on something ( i am a slow learner lol), but should I mix the soil? you said no bagged potting soil..didn't know what you meant by that (sorry!)=(..

nae

Yes, I think you should mix your own potting medium!

I use perlite, grit (pumice, gravel, charcoal), and small pieces of bark (for the organic component). I start with 30-50% perlite, then add my gritty ingredients, then add my bark. Avoiding peat-moss is very important, which is why bagged "potting soils" are generally no good.

The particles in your soil should be, on average, 1/8 of an inch. The more uniform the particles, the better the drainage. Realistically, your particles will range from 1/16 to 1/4 of an inch. Smaller particles, less drainage. Larger particles, more drainage. Fine particles will clog the large particles, so it is important to rinse your ingredients well before incorporating them into your mix.

With a gritty mix, you can water with confidence, fully wetting the medium without fear of root-rot.

Josh

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Josh,

If I may call you by your name, thank you so much. I love the way you explain the steps, because I am a visual and writen learner, so I have to read but also see what I am about to do. I will do my own soil from now on. I will admit that my jades are in succelent and cacti soil and the soil does not look as appealing as yours do. Can I find all of these ingredients ( I make it sound like Im going to cook dinner) in HD? and can I use it the same thing on my senecios if I ever repot them?

Thanks
nae

Josh,

I found some leaves on my jade (2 leaves) that don't look too good. The leaves are kind of dry on the tip all the way to about the middle of the leave and some of them have black bumpy dots on the leaves. They came like that from the place I bought them. Is something going on with the jade that I might not know about?

Nae

Nae, I'd have to say don't worry about getting the leaves of your Senecio rowleyans wet -- water will not harm them. Afterall, what happens to them in the wild? The only reason getting the leaves wet might be an issue would be if you were to get them wet and then have them sitting in bright/hot sun. Under those conditions the water droplets might act like magnifying lenses and damage the leaves.

This is a pic of mine from a couple of years ago -- and I always just dump the water on top without regard to keeping the leaves dry.

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Hi all!

Josh, I love your idea about mixing on your own. I prefer doing that myself, but peat has always been part of that (b/c all the books & even my Hort. professors recommend). However, I like the sound of leaving the peat out for the very reasons you have pointed out. Thanks!

Nae, one thing I'd like to add is to let you know that perlite, while VERY helpful, is proven to cause cancer (the dust) so please mist it before you begin working with it so you don't breath the dust in. Plastic pots retain water longer than clay & that's why they're used commercially so they can survive transportation to and fro. I prefer to repot all my new plants ASAP once they get home. I use unglazed clay pots myself. I learned in HORT101 that it's best for all plants to plant them in a medium and pot that allow the roots to breath and yet retain the amount of moisture necessary for the plant.

I too just bought Senecio rowleyanus. I transplanted it today and misted it until water came out the bottom of the pot. I didn't worry about the "pearls" getting wet as they don't have "hairs" and the water will either bead right off or evaporate away quickly enough so as not to cause rot. They also have air roots so they don't mind a little spray. Anything "hairy" like an African Violet (I know it's not the bot. name) or an Adromschus cristatus should not be misted due to water retention on the "hairs." Just soil watering. Don't freak out if you accidentally splash on something like those though.

Great thread!

I agree that watering senecios is not that big of a problem. Just don't overdo it. Interestingly, while I usually have them in a hanging pot with some other plant that drinks up the water quickly, (and I tend to throw them into pots of other things, just on top with occasionally a little soil), I have one tiny little pot that has almost no soil and it is hard to imagine anything can grow in it but the senecios are gowing very well though only occasionally do they get watered. They are hanging directly in a south window and get sun whenever the sun shines.

As for Ceropegia woodii (String of Hearts), I have lost them due to overwatering. They will set many bulblets along the stems on older plants, often in the soil. Many, many years ago, I stopped by a neighborhood house where there was a sign that said "plants for sale." The lady there had only one plant to sell and it was the string of hearts. She said, "It is the only plant that grows for me so that is all I grow." She had them all planted in small hanging pots so I suppose that is why they grew well for here.

I grow both in good potting soil without any problems as long as I don't over water. I put both outside in hanging pots in the summer on a shaded north porch and both grow vigorously and bloom profusely.

Paul and hort,

Thanks for the feed back on the senecios. I also thought it was a great thread since this is the second time I buy them. The first ones I think I over watered them and I was in fear of killing the other I got now.

I also wanted to say thanks about the perlite info, I didn't know that and it is the first time I work with it. By the way paul thank you so very much for the pic I love it. Where can I find a similar hanging planter like that one. It makes the senecios look so elegant.

Nae

Yes Paul, that was a lovely shot of the Senecio w/ the Orchid, quite pretty.

I wanted to clarify abt the danger of wetting the Senecio beads themselves; it's not just abt them getting wet as long as they get to dry off. The particular danger is if they're wet & then they get cold as well. For succulents the combination of wet & cold is often the kiss of death.

A good "rule of thumb" I like to use when wanting so anxiously to water my succulents (remember, I use terracotta pots) is to feel the bottom 1/4 of the pot. If it feels cool and moist no watering is necessary. If it's room temp and dry you may water! However, I would not do this when the sun is directly on the pot b/c it'll feel warm and you may not be able to tell if it's moist or dry and...the "kiss of death" of overwatering may arise. I'd wait at least an hour, if not more, to check. OR you may put a NEW (not ever used for anything) popsicle stick down the side of the pot and pull it out to check for moisture until you figure out your own gauging system. Be sure that when you do rewater to replace it with a new one so you don't bring in a nasty disease. I hope you're more at ease! Hey, if you feel a little crazy sometime (like me much of the time) name them and talk to them. My plants seem to flourish when I do this.... I nurture them and they nurture me back. Ahhhhhhhhh. I know - it sounds silly. ;-)

Lol you know what's funny hort I do talk to my plants!! =) another thing that you mentioned is the popsicle, I did do that as well but with a chinese chopstick. It felt dry so I watered them. The senecios r. Are in a plastic pot, this is where they came when I got them from HD. I am however a little nervous about propagating them, since this plant is very new to me (pretty much I am new at the whole indoor gardening), but I always had love for nature and plants and my mother always haas me do her planting, because she says I have a green thumb for it.

Here is a pic of what my jade looks like right now after I changed the soil to what josh suggested. This what it looks like after pruning it yesterday.

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Nae

It looks happy. It'll soon be on the mend! I think Josh's "recipe" is pretty awesome.

JOSH, speaking of an awesome recipe, do you use just any perlite or do you buy the large-particle perlite? About what is the "lifespan" of your soil once in use? Why bark? I only ask because I've read it breaks down fairly quickly.

I took some pictures of my new little mini gardens lol... They are so cute. One of them is all succulent and some are cacti and succulents. I am very happy with them, I kinda made it my new hobby.. Anyways I hope you guys like it..

nae =)

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and I am not making a list of the succulents or cacti in the gardens, because I don't know their botanical names the tag did not bring it (it only said rainbow pack).

Well, this one is most commonly known as Crassula falcata (which is no longer an appropriate name) it's proper name is now Crassula perfoliata var. minor:

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As for many of the others you can search on Google Images for Echeveria and be able to photo ID them.

More helpful sites are www.smgrowers.com and www.desert-tropicals.com

Happy hunting!

BTW Those are awesome!

I am registered at www.photobucket.com and have pictured each of my plants individually. I named them by their botanical names so I always know what I have then I refer to my note cards (yes, old-fashioned yet handy).

Lol I'm old fashioned too when it comes to things like that. I think we have the same plant it is lovely. Thanks for the picture!! I will try to go to those website and see if I can ID the rest of them. Thanks so much for the feed back.

Nae

Just a quick add on note to Josh's mix; I always use at lease 10-20% cactus/succulent soil to my custom mix, just to be sure the nutrients that most plants need are still present...I use a similar mix, but my ratio's are about 70% grit, 10% Perlite, and around 20% cactus/succulent soil..That way I get great drainage, and feel that the plants have some "soil nutrients" that I think all growing things appreciate.
I use this mix for most of my cactus and succulents, and have over 100 plants thriving on it..

Hi, Wase!
I used to start with C&S soil, too....until I noticed that it contained peat-moss.
If you do find a bagged succulent soil that has no peat-moss, then you can
definitely use it as a starting base.

Nae, sorry my reply took so long. I've been having internet connection
issues...telephone/wire-work in the area. Anyhow, yes, I only use the large
particle Perlite. The small Perlite is way too fine! As another poster mentioned,
rinse the Perlite to avoid the fine dust (in your container and in your lungs!).

I expect to get about two years out of my container mix. The bark is quite a bit
more durable than peat-moss. It doesn't break down and
collapse nearly as fast.

Josh

Hey Hort lover,

Can I ask pls. according to whom is Crassula falcata no longer a valid name? Also, is that really that plant, where's its stem?

PG,

Yes, this is my plant. I just got it off eBay for $3.00. Ummm...let's see if...oh! According to www.smgrowers.com Crassula falcata is no longer the valid name. Hope this helps! I'm honestly not sure as to why they make that claim, but they grow it. San Marcos Growers.

Well, I'd be skeptical of both. Pls. be reminded (since I believe you're new at this) one has to take a lot of this w/ a grain of salt, sometimes a LARGE one.

Norma, have you heard anything about this please?

Hort,

I wanted to say thank you for the link to the SMG. It was very helpful, I was able to identify alot of my cacti and succulents and I am also thinking of buying some succulents from them. Are they reliable? Have you bought anything from them and if so, how did it make it to your house( in terms of how did it look when it arrived)?

Thanks,
Noemi

I have never actually bought anything from them so I don't really know how reliable they are. I have seen reviews of online nurseries on www.davesgarden.com. Maybe that would help. It actually helped me decide to purchase some exotic plants from www.nsextotics.com.

PG, I just reread my reply post back to you from yesterday. While writing and proofing I didn't think anything of it, but I've realized it could be taken as rude and utterly disrespectful. "Ummm...let's see if...oh! According to...." I apologize; I was writing while I was thinking. Obviously, I *wasn't* thinking about the fact that you have not met me nor have had time to get to know me. The last thing I want is to put up some sort of communication barrier. I haven't gotten the impression I have offended anyone, but I do truely apologize if I have. This is not my intention.

I too felt it odd and maybe "falcata" (pun, haha) to see a change in a botanical name and it being listed only on one site, but yes, I am new at Cacti & Succulents.

Hi Josh!

So, your mix has NO SOIL at all??
I cant imagine all cacti and succulents doing well without ANY soil in the mix...Like I said, I never use more than 20%, and usually its less..I would just feel weird not putting any soil in all in most plants; although, I will say, I have bought alot of cacti/succulents that, when I repotted them, the existing mix did't appear to have any soil..
Where do you get the bark chips from, and how small should they be if you substitute them for soil?

thanks!

I'm not Josh, but I grow in a soil similar to his.

Are you talking about adding bagged potting soil to your mix? Because most of them are primarily peat moss which isn't soil either. And when you think about it, peat moss is just as strange a thing to grow plants in as pine bark and grit. The only plants I can think of that naturally grow in peat moss are carnivorous plants (and their soil is not helping them much as can be seen by their obvious nutritional adaptation) ;)

The composition of the soil particles really doesn't matter as long as they are capable of holding water, air, and nutrients in the proper amounts, and they aren't toxic in any way. In nature soil is a living organism that feeds the plants, but in containers it's just a substrate to hold the water and nutrients that WE feed the plants.

As for bark chips, I try to find bags at Home Depot or Lowes that are of a smaller size (most mulch is too big). The bags I've found so far are not well screened, so I sift them to get particles around 1/8-1/4". You can also buy fir bark for orchids in a small size and that typically is well screened (but costs more).

Exactly what Penfold wrote!

I use no soil, only bark. Given enough time, the bark would break down and become
the "brown" compost component in the mix. As Penfold mentioned, the goal for particle
size is between 1/8-1/4 inch. In reality, my particles are often larger, which require
thorough watering to maintain moisture; however, I think this is preferable to particles
that are too small (less than 1/16 of an inch) and impede drainage.

Some plants, of course, need more moisture than others - ferns, for example. When I re-potted
my Chainfern, I started with the same gritty base of bark and perlite, but included less pumice.
To this gritty mix, I also added "screened pine/fir bark fines" to increase the moisture.

Here are a few pics of my materials, which I purchase
at my local nursery, Eisley's, here in northern California.

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Josh

This is an old thread but I'm wondering if some of these people are still around. I'm about to kill my 2nd Senecio rowleyans and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Well after this thread I think I know now... over watering. I was watering it about once a week. Everything seems fine for a month or so and then one day I notice that all the balls are shrivelling up.

Would that be caused by over watering?

How can I save what is left of the plant?

I don't have the soil mixtures that you are talking about and it's late Sunday night so no going out and picking some up. I just made a new pot using rocks at the bottom and soil cacti & succulent mix.

Thanks for your help if you can provide!