The string of hearts is an interesting trailing plant that you can grow indoors or outdoors. It’s native to South Africa, but you can almost find it anywhere in the world due to its adorable look.
That being said, many people are interested in growing this vine plant, and if you’re one of them, you’ve landed on the right page! This article will teach you more about this plant and how to propagate string of hearts differently!
Before you learn how to propagate string of hearts, what’s this vine plant?
The string of hearts, with a scientific name of Ceropegia woodii, is a vine flowering plant known for its heart-shaped leaves. It originated from South Africa and belonged to the Apocynaceae family. You might also encounter it under different names, such as:
- Rosary vine
- Chain of hearts
- Collar of hearts
- Sweetheart vine
Although it’s a trailing vine plant, no worries because it won’t grow very tall, but if it has the right growing conditions, it can thrive up to 10 feet. It’s considered a houseplant, and many people think it’s a type of succulent, but it’s not.
4 Ways how to propagate string of hearts
1. Through root cuttings in soil
The first thing you should know when learning how to propagate string of hearts is to know where you should cut it.
Remember that you must have at least one node when cutting it. The node is where the buds are.
- First, prepare your cuttings by cutting the strand and removing the leaves.
- Prepare your general potting soil. You can also use a cactus or succulent mix if you want.
- Moisten the soil but not too drenched.
- Dip your cutting in the rooting hormone (optional).
- Put your cuttings on the soil but not too deep. Note that the node without leaves should be on the soil.
- Once done, you must put your pot in a clear enclosure like a bag. This is to provide high humidity.
- Ensure that the soil is always moist.
- Wait for a couple of weeks for your cutting to develop some roots.
2. Through root cuttings in water
Water propagating is one of the fastest funds how to propagate string of hearts. Here’s how to do it.
- Prepare your cuttings.
- Prepare your water that should be at room temperature.
- Get your propagation tube or any clear bottle and pour the water on it.
- Pop your cuttings in the water and put the bottle in a warm spot with indirect light, like a window sill.
- Replace the water every two weeks.
- Check regularly for roots.
- Once roots have developed, repot them in soil.
3. Through laying on sphagnum moss
Propagating a string of hearts in sphagnum moss has a high success rate, so if you have it, you better choose this option. You can purchase sphagnum moss at your local nursery or garden shops.
Here’s how to propagate string of hearts using sphagnum moss.
- Soak your sphagnum moss in a clear container.
- Prepare your cuttings.
- Just place your vine cuttings on your soaked moss.
- Tuck your vines a little but not too much. Just make sure that the nodes touch the moss.
- Close the container.
- Place your container in a warm spot with indirect light, such as a windowsill.
- Make sure to open your container once in a while. This is essential so your cuttings can get fresh air.
- Check regularly for developing roots.
- Once the roots reach half an inch, repot it in soil.
4. Through seed
The flowers of the string of hearts look like the heads of flamingos. It produces seeds once they’re pollinated, and you can collect them once they start opening themselves and falling.
Once you have the seeds, just place them in moist soil. You might want to get germinating soil since you’re starting from seeds.
Keep your pot in a warm spot with indirect light. Maintain the soil’s moisture, and in just a couple of weeks, you’ll see growth.
If you want to propagate through seeds but don’t have access, you can buy seeds at your local garden shop.
Repotting your cuttings with roots
Once you’ve seen roots developing on your cuttings, the next thing you need to do is to repot it.
- Get a pot with drainage holes, particularly hanging planters.
- Fill it with potting soil.
- Then pop your cuttings while following the steps on method number 1.
How to take care of string of hearts?
When you’ve finally repotted your vine cuttings, the next thing you need to do is to keep an eye on them. Here are some tips on how to do it.
- You don’t want to overwater it. You should always wait until the soil is completely dry before watering again, even if your plant seems thirsty!
- The next thing you want to do is make sure that your soil contains enough nutrients for your string of hearts to grow properly. You can add organic fertilizer every two weeks to keep things going strong!
- If you notice any yellowing or browning at the base of your plant, this could be a sign that it has been stressed out by too much sun or cold temperatures.
- In order for a string of hearts plants to thrive, they need moderate sunlight and cool temperatures, so if it’s too hot outside or too cold inside your house, then this might not be the best situation for your new friend. Just give them some shade until they can get some new roots in place and start growing again!
- Give your string of hearts a new pot if they start to outgrow their current pot. This plant needs space to grow, so ensure that they have it.
Propagate a string of hearts the way you want it!
As you can see, there are different ways how to propagate string of hearts. Some are simple enough, while some require a couple of things to start. The choice is on you and dependent on the available resources you have.
If one method fails, you can try the second or the third one until you find one that works. So make sure to save this post and use this as a guide whenever you’re ready to get your hand dirty out there!