this a really good topic that i haven't seen that much information on. i have bought and killed a string of pearls and i think they are just wonderful. i would like to get another one-- if anyone has any other comments on what has worked and what hasn't i would love to hear!! my favorite thing: mine had a bloom and during the day it made my entire room smell like cinnamon! any comments are great!!!

Libby- DavidL.ca is correct about everything he told you. I can't really add any more to what he said other than to share what happened with me. I purchased two really full Senecio Rowleyanus (String of Pearls), a few months later they shriveled up to things smaller than a raisin. My mistake I later learned was # 1 If your string of pearls comes in a hanging basket, that does not mean you can just place it outside. They are sensitive to wind. It dies them out quickly. In a backyard below the level of a fence would be okay. An enclosed porch or patio shielded from wind would be ok. I had them on my balcony on the 4th level. My mistake # 2 ..because they're succulents, does not mean you water it the exact same way as I did with most of my other succulents. My plants need their water weekly without fail. Sometimes in the heat of summer they need to be watered twice a week. Mistake # 3. I put them in direct sun. Very big mistake. Some succulents like it, these definitely do not. Filtered or indirect sun is what they'll thrive in. The good news: From your picture I feel there is time to save them! Mine looked a lot worse. What I did: take the strands and make them re-root. From the bottom I plucked several of the pearls off. Examine all the pearls first. If any were mushy, i removed them as they are uselss and only drains energy from the plant. The plant will need that extra help focusing it to make roots and new pearls. I made sure each strand had at least 5 pearls on them. lay the strands on top of each other on something long enough to support them without bending. (taple top). After that I gently picked up the entire bunch and planted them to the point where I had plucked them. Sometimes some of the pearls were buried, and that did not bother the plant. I sprayed them well, about 5 or 6 squirts every 3 days for almost 2 weeks. They must have rooted because by the end of the 2nd week, they were fully recovered. Now, I started to water once a week. More good News: These plants will actually communicate with you rather quickly. If they get too too big, you're over-watering or your soil is retaining too much water. They will turn to mush and die, whichever comes first. If they shrivel again, they're telling you they're thirsty..or you're providing too much light or have placed them in a space that is too windy. After you've watered, wait a week. Place your finger in the soil and wriggle down to about 2 inches. If the water after a full week is still moist or even damp, you must change your soil to a grittier mix so that it drains out well. Best of luck to you and your plant of course : )

@kara I LOVE the way the Mammillaria Hernandezii looks in the white pumice. It's a very nice aesthetic. I am using 100% pumice as my rooting medium for cactus. I think the very light nature of the soil is very helpful to the new root system and it is able to expand out widely and develop roots rapidly without expending energy moving heavy soil particles. So far I have not used pumice as a soil ingredient. I will probably start using horticultural lava soon, which aesthetically I far prefer to pumice. I am also thinking of buying an off-the-shelf soil product made by Gary at Laguna Beach Nursery named Top Pot. Gary limits organic components in his soil mix to 30%, which stops the collapse of the soil and allows it to live for five years or more without a change. He uses peat for that 30%. He uses as inorganic components pumice, sand, and perlite. I find that an odd mix. I am having problems finding a local supplier. I could create my own mix based on his idea, and as a worst case I will do that. But the time to create soil mixes has value to me as well. My suspicion is that String of Pearls would thrive in such a soil. I fully agree with the idea that succulents can be raised in 100% small-particle organic soil and still do well. You simply need to water them with extreme care and make sure the environmental exposure allows for rapid evaporation of the soaked soil. But this requires an expert gardener who is dedicated to plants. What I thought I was getting with a structured soil was the ability to be a lazy gardener who could just abuse and over-water my succulents and still have them thrive. It turns out that it is not that simple.

Not sure why the pictures didn't attach, but here's a link: https://imgur.com/a/DozIKnq