I have string of pearls (round), string of bananas (thin and pointy), and string of Figs (kind of round, kind of pointy).

Mellisa Just a bit of confusion: ..."Like Rina mentioned, if there are no roots the plant will not survive in the gritty mix"... I re-read my post and it is bit confusing the way I wrote it: ...There is definitely a 'learning curve' with using mix that is different. Underwatering seems to be one of them. If there are no roots, or very poor root system - plants will not thrive... If you misunderstood, it is my fault and I am sorry about that. I was not trying to say they will not thrive in gritty mix only - but it reads that way. I grow and also root many succulents in very gritty mix without any soil. Some ppl claim that gritty doesn't work for them (roots or no roots). I have opposite experience and also have many non-succulent plants potted in gritty mix. What I do say it succulents without roots should not be watered for a while as there are no roots to take water in. All succulents suffer if they sit in wet soil/mix for too long even with roots. If you tend to underwater, I understand that your plants may be thirsty since gritty mix may dry up much faster. It can be adjusted by using slightly more of the ingredient that holds more water - in my case it is turface (and I use less of it). I still use the same ingredients because I like how the mix drains - and more importantly, succulents like it - just in slightly different ratio. Many succulents come from areas with little rain but with mist and/or fog as you have. That is the moisture they use and store. So it is not a problem. I do not know if it is enough or not (I would think they still need some watering), and since I never lived in that kind of climate, I do not have personal experience. If you washed peat off the roots, that is the best thing to do. Many ppl don't, just plop it into gritty mix, and surprisingly - plant has problems as before. Peat will either keep them too wet or if it totally dried up and became hydrophobic, they get very little, if any water, regardless how much and how often they are watered. I have lost just few plants when I first repotted into gritty mix. I started adjusting it little, and found out it works very well. There are many ingredients that can be used - but the principle of it is what works: fast draining off of the excess water. I would keep all my plants in it - but some would be way too heavy as they are huge (non-succulent plants, like my 8' tall ficus Benjamina...).

The soil shrank because it is full of peat that became hydrophobic. It is very difficult to rewet again, and you most likely overwatered it. So from one extreme to another. It has been underwatered, overwatered and maybe even burned if exposed to too much sunlight suddenly. Unfortunately, it really doesn't make much difference what store you buy the plant from - they all most likely keep plants in soil it came in from the grower. Even if they repot plants, they use similar potting media. I wonder about that hanging pot - usually, they have some drainage hole but it is raised. That creates shallow 'moat' that will keep excess soil, probably mucky if overwatered. Or there is no drainage, or there is a saucer attached that also slows down drainage. So all these combined will create bad conditions for plants. Plant should be taken out, all old soil should be taken off the roots. You may have to rinse/blast it off with a hose. If any strings have roots, they should be planted in well draining mix. Any dead roots and parts of plant/stems should be cut off - they won't come back to life. Healthy pieces could be stuck in a well draining mix. They could also be laid over the mix, making sure part of stem is touching the mix - put a small rock on it or pin it down so it stays in contact. they will eventually root. Do not use very deep pot, it holds too much soil/mix and if it is water retaining, makes things bad again. Hanging pots are best for these plants, but make sure there is good drainage. I use many of those pots, but drill extra holes all over the bottom - it will drain and drip water, so either keep somewhere where it doesn't matter, or use some kind of tray to catch it. You could also take it to the sink, water, let all excess water to drain for a while and then put in its place. If using Cactus&Succulent soil, get a bag of perlite. Sift or rinse it, and mix at least 50/50 with C&S soil. And please, fill up the pot - as it is, I can't see any soil there...Mix should come up no lower than 1" or less from the top of container.

Doesn't look like String of Pearls, but regardless sorry to say it's dead:(.