The String of Bananas succulent (Senecio rowleyanus) is very easy to care for and propagate. Many people love the plant’s unique appearance and enjoy caring for them. If you propagate string of bananas, the original plant experiences more growth, so it’s worth learning how to do it.
The string of bananas requires care and propagation to thrive. You should monitor your plant’s soil conditions and change them as needed. Ensuring it gets the right amount of sun and the vines have support is also essential. Propagation also keeps the plant healthy.
The rest of this article covers everything you need to know to properly care for your succulent and provides a helpful guide on propagating one successfully. I made sure to go into detail so you’ll have all the necessary information to grow a healthy string of bananas plant.
How To Care for String of Bananas
The string of bananas succulent is easy to take care of, but you should monitor its soil conditions and keep it suitable for the plant. Then, make sure to water it regularly without keeping the soil soaked.
Here’s what you should do:
- Prune your string of bananas plant: Trimming the plant encourages growth and prevents its vines from getting out of control. Long vines can become too heavy and snap off, causing damage to the plant. Wherever you cut the vine, a new tendril will form.
- Propagate the succulent: You can plant the pruned vines to plant another string of bananas. Propagation can also cause the original plant to experience boosted growth, leading to fuller, healthier-looking vines and leaves.
- Make sure it gets the right amount of light: A string of bananas plant needs indirect but bright light. Direct sunlight can scorch the leaves and hurt the plant.
- Support the long vines: If the vines get too heavy, they’ll pull the plant down and can even snap off. You can use string, stakes, or even a trellis as vine support. The vines will climb along them as they grow.
While it looks like a lot, it’s easy to care for your string of bananas plant. Once you get into a routine, your plant is sure to thrive.
Maintain Optimal Soil Conditions for String of Bananas
Since the string of bananas plant is a succulent, it doesn’t need a lot of water and prefers drier soil conditions than other houseplants. You’ll need to monitor the soil and do your best to keep it in the plant’s desired living conditions to keep it healthy.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Keep the succulent in porous soil: A string of banana plants needs well-draining, aerated soil to survive. Succulent or cactus potting soil is the best choice. You can make your own string of banana soil using one part sand, one part perlite, and two parts standard potting soil.
- Offer the plant compost or fertilizer: It’s good to occasionally provide your potted plants with additional nutrients. They’ll eventually absorb all the vitamins and minerals from the soil, so giving them more is essential.
- Give the succulent the right amount of water: Avoid over or underwatering the plant. Since it’s a succulent, you should wait until the soil is parched before giving it more water. Generally, that means watering once a week. However, you should always check the soil first.
- Use a pot with drainage: You should only use planters with a drainage hole on the bottom for this plant species. Otherwise, the roots can quickly rot due to excessive moisture trapped in the pot.
- Get the pH level right: Lastly, you’ll want to test the soil’s pH to keep it in a range suitable for string of banana plants. They prefer a pH between 6.6 to 7.5, which is slightly acidic. Since your plant is likely in a small pot, you won’t need to use many materials to change the pH, so be careful not to overdo it.
Not using well-draining soil can easily lead to root rot, even if you take care not to water it too frequently. Although, once your plant is set up in a pot with soil it likes, it’s easy to keep it healthy.
How Can You Tell if a String of Bananas Is Healthy?
Give your new string of bananas succulent some time to establish itself in its new pot. Then, you’ll need to know what signs to look for to check that you’re doing everything right.
Some signs that your string of bananas plant is healthy include the following:
- The leaves are thick and green.
- The leaves feel solid and not mushy.
- The vines are full, stable, and not breaking off.
- The leaves don’t fall off often.
You’ll know that your string of bananas is suffering and needs help if the leaves start turning black or brown, which can indicate rot. This happens when the plant gets too much water, so you’ll want to let the soil dry for several days. Offering fertilizer occasionally can also help the plant if it has a nutrient deficiency.
How To Propagate String of Bananas Plants
A significant part of keeping your string of bananas healthy is propagating the plant when the vines get too long. You can always just prune the vines, but many prefer propagating the cuttings from pruning to create another new succulent. It’s also a backup option if your original plant starts to die.
Propagating a string of banana plant is a simple process, but you’ll need a few things first before you can start:
- A sharp pair of pruning shears
- Another pot for the pruned vines
- Succulent or cactus potting soil
Once you have everything you need, here’s how to propagate your string of bananas in soil:
- Prune the vines that are getting long. You should only cut under the leaf nodes, ensuring the pieces you cut off are about 5 inches (12.7 cm) long.
- Remove a few of the leaves near the bottom of the cutting. They can rot, causing the rest of the plant to die, so it’s best to take them off.
- Put the cuttings somewhere safe for a few days. Doing so allows the cut ends to harden slightly before planting.
- Fill a pot with your potting soil and water it. The soil should feel a little moist but not soaked. Give it plenty of time to drain excess water.
- Use your finger to create a hole in the center of the potting soil. It should be about an inch around and deep (2.54 cm).
- Put the cut ends of the vines into the hole. You need to keep the leaves above ground.
- Fill the hole with the soil, taking care to give the plant’s base support. The vines can go over the sides of the planter without issue.
Can You Propagate String of Bananas in Water?
You can propagate a string of bananas in water. Although you can achieve excellent results by planting vine cuttings directly in potting soil, some gardeners prefer water to propagate their succulents. You don’t need as many tools, so it’s worth considering.
All you need is a sharp pair of pruning sheers and a glass container. Then, you can use these steps to propagate the plant:
- Use the pruning sheers to cut below a leaf node. The cutting should be about 5 inches (12.7 cm) long.
- Remove a few leaves near the bottom of the cutting.
- Place the cuttings in your glass container and fill them partially with distilled water. You shouldn’t use tap water as the chemicals can kill the vines.
- Set the container with the cuttings in indirect, bright sunlight.
- Change the water out for fresh at least once a week.
- Wait for the plant to start forming tiny roots.
- You can plant the vines in potting soil after they have an established root system.
How Long Does It Take for the Cuttings To Grow Roots?
It generally takes the vine cuttings 2 to 3 weeks to grow roots. You’ll want to wait until they’re well established before transplanting the cuttings from water. However, if you’re planting them directly in the soil, you won’t need to wait.
Keeping the soil slightly more moist helps the plants burrow their roots through the soil after transplantation, helping to prevent shock. You need to be careful not to overwater succulents, but offering them a little more water during their first day in a new pot is safe.
If you want the plant to grow established roots faster, propagating the string of bananas in water is the better option. They grow roots quickly, making them more likely to take a transplant to a new pot well.
Many still prefer the soil method because it’s much easier. Both work well, so it’s up to you to use your preferred propagation method.
When Do You Need To Propagate String of Bananas?
There are a few situations where you’ll want to immediately propagate your string of bananas. If your plant is dying, you can trim off healthy vine sections and replant them, allowing you to have a new succulent when you couldn’t save the original.
Additionally, you’ll want to propagate immediately if you suspect your plant has root rot. It might not survive, but you can still save the vines and leaves on the plant.
Outside of those two instances, you should propagate a string of banana plants when it’s going through an active growing phase during the spring and summer. Your plant won’t struggle to form roots, increasing the odds of successful propagation.
Generally, you can propagate during the warmer months to ensure the new cuttings grow strong roots. During the plant’s natural growth phases, it encourages your original plant to form fresh, healthy leaves and vines. However, you can always propagate outside that time to save dying plants.
FAQ
Do String of Bananas Like To Be Root Bound?
String of bananas like some root binding, and it doesn’t bother them that much. You will only need to transplant your plant to a new pot if you want to clean out the old soil and replace it with fresh.
Repotting your string of bananas more frequently than every few years can cause the plant more harm than good. It increases the chances of transplant shock and root rot, which are more dangerous to this plant than being root bound.
How Do You Make a Banana String Fuller?
You can make a banana string fuller by pruning or propagating its vines. When you trim the vines, it encourages the plant to grow even more. It’ll produce more leaves and expand its vines, making it look thicker, fuller, and healthier.
For those reasons, you’ll need to ensure that you include regular pruning as part of your string of bananas care routine. Your plants will look so much healthier if you do.
How Do You Know When To Water Banana Strings?
You’ll know a banana string needs water if the soil is dry. You can stick your finger into the dirt and feel if the upper sections are dry. If they are, then you can water them. However, you should wait a few more days if the soil feels moist.
Overall, you should only water your string of bananas succulent about once per week during the hot months and every few weeks during the colder seasons. It’s much easier to overwater your banana strings when it’s dormant, so always check the soil before watering.
This plant dislikes too much moisture, making it susceptible to root rot, so be careful.
Final Thoughts
To summarize, you’ll want to control your string banana’s soil conditions and propagate them from time to time, usually in the warmer months. You can use propagation to save dying plants with root rot, so it’s important to know what to do.
A string of banana plants is easy to propagate and can benefit from it, so you should incorporate it as a regular part of their care routine. Your plants will have more leaves and appear much more vibrant when you regularly prune them.