So I have two string of pearls. Pics 1-3 are one plant in a hanging pot and pic 4 and the pic in comment is a much smaller 4 inch pot. The person and the plant for two months (I went home due to COVID) but she’s actually a plant person and has many thriving string of pearls so I think she clearly knows how to take care of them. But I’m mostly concerned about the string of pearls in the hanging pot. There appears to be growth at top, shriveled or dried up in the middle, and then growth at the bottom. My room is usually around 70 F and 50% humidity according to the Dyson app I have. The lady who had it told me to water it by feeling if it’s dry or wet with my finger one inch down but I’m just super insecure about my watering abilities so I want to make sure I’m doing okay. The soil came with The plant when I bought it so not too sure on the specifics. It was dry when I first bought it though. The pics in the post are after I watered them. Should I cut off the parts that are dried up? also how often do you usually water them?

BTW it is a Peperomia obtusifolia and not a real rubber plant. It would more light than its current location. It is possible that after watering the inner pot, it could be sitting in water inside the cache pot. Especially if the pot is not drained well before placing it back in the ceramic pot. I would at least put some pebbles inside the ceramic pot to keep the inner pot raised. Do the leaves perk up after soaking well? If it does it could under-watered.

When I behead plants & pot up cutting, I start watering when roots start groowing. That is most often when new growth start appearing. So good you are not watering rootless cutting. Black scarrings coul be from the damage very young leaves had on them, often barely visible. If it is on brand new leaves that grew since, I would suspect a pest. Many are tiny & hard to see. Also when spraying with anything, plant should be kept out of direct sunlight. RA dries up fast, but I would keep plant out of direct sun for at least 5-8hrs. Some plants react to it very fast, here is one I damaged by spraying with RA...it has thin leaves: Damage like that doesn't get repaired, but new leaves will grow... Finally, could be a damage from too much light; all plants should be acclimated.

Mediterranean herbs - rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano - love heat! So does basil. As long as they receive enough water, they will thrive outside. I'd want a better draining, less moisture retentive soil for the perennial herbs but the basil should be happy in the potting soil. I prefer to grow my basil in a container (but only outdoors) because I can then maximize both the sun and heat it receives. Like floral, my summers are a tad cool ;-)