Variegated String of Hearts (ceropegia woodil f. variegata) is an easy-to-care-for, highly sought-after succulent that stands out among other plants with its heart-shaped leaves. The beauty of this plant makes it a solid choice, but the easy care requirements make it perfect for any experience level.
Taking care of a variegated string of hearts is simple. Water it about once a week in the warmer months, and keep it in a bright room out of direct sunlight. To keep it as healthy as possible, trim your plant regularly and keep it in a warm area.
In this article, we will discuss these steps in more detail and some questions you may have when caring for this plant.
1. Water Only When Necessary
The first rule of taking care of your variegated string of hearts is to only water when the plant needs it. Generally, it is best to wait for the plant to dry completely before watering again.
Like many other plants, the ceropegia woodil f. variegata is susceptible to root rot if overwatered. This means you must be careful not to overwater this plant to keep it safe. Check out this article about root rot if you need help identifying or treating it.
You only need to water this plant once or twice a week at most during the warmer months. This is when the plant is actively growing. So, it will need more water as it is using more energy.
In Winter, you should minimize watering to once every two weeks. This is when the plant is dormant. It will only need enough water during this time to survive until the growing season resumes.
Give It Proper Drainage
Another important factor in preventing overwatering your variegated string of hearts is to allow drainage. This is a great way to counteract accidental overwatering and give the plant room to remove excess water.
Providing your plants with drainage will also significantly help lower the chance of root rot. Root rot occurs when too much water sits in the roots with nowhere to go, creating anaerobic conditions due to a lack of oxygen.
Finding a succulent pot with drainage can be challenging. So, if you need help, we have some suggestions on succulent pots with drainage that you may like.
2. Provide Bright, Indirect Sunlight
The variegated string of hearts requires a little more effort to get the right amount of sunlight. It needs bright but indirect sunlight to truly thrive. This is where it is easy to mess up the more simple care of this succulent.
If left in a low-light area, this plant can’t thrive. It needs to be near light to grow to its full potential. Without enough light, you may notice extra space between the leaves of your variegated string of hearts. This is indicative that the light is too low and it needs more.
Alternatively, keeping this plant in direct sunlight can hurt it differently. Too much sun will cause the leaves to turn yellow and eventually brown. So, leaving your plant in a bright room but out of direct sunlight is best for the best possible results.
How To Allow Brightness and Avoid Direct Sunlight
Avoiding direct sunlight with your plant while allowing it to stay in a bright area may be challenging for some. Thankfully, there are some simple ways to achieve this without too much effort.
- Move your plant throughout the day. If you want to avoid direct sunlight, you may need to move the plant throughout the day. This will allow it to thrive in the brightness of a room without dying as a result of direct light.
- Consider sheer curtains. To help block the intense sunlight while still allowing some light to pass through.
- Use your blinds to help you control the sunlight your plant receives throughout the day without moving it around.
3. Warm Temperatures
The ceropegia woodil f. variegata thrives in warm temperatures and struggles in cold weather. This should only be an outside plant if the temperature is reasonable year-round. Otherwise, you may risk the plant dying due to the temperature dropping too far.
For this plant to thrive, the surrounding temperature should remain between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 to 26.6 degrees Celsius). You should never expose this succulent to temperatures below 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). If this happens, your plant will likely not survive as it cannot handle the cold.
These plants have a pretty significant gap in approved temperatures. So, most people will not have a problem keeping their plants warm. However, if areas of your home fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius), then you should consider some below options for keeping the plant warm.
How To Keep Your Indoor Plant Warm During Winter
- Avoid overwatering
- Cover the plant
- Add a space heater
- Increase the humidity with a humidifier
- Place in naturally warmer areas of your home
4. They Will Expand
One thing that variegated string of hearts fans will tell you is that they love to grow. These plants will expand quite a bit over their lives, especially when you take good care of them. So, prepare to replant them yearly.
When it comes to repotting, you must be careful with the process. Some plants will do just fine, while others may not appreciate the shock and may start to wither.
How To Safely Repot Your Variegated String of Hearts
- Always use fresh soil
- Be careful not to damage roots
- Wait until early Spring when the plant is strongest
- Check for root rot when repotting
- Make sure the pot is large enough
Each safety measure ensures that your plant does not experience transplant shock. This can happen when the plant is too weak to handle the transplant, you damage the roots, or you use recycled soil. So, make sure you do this carefully.
5. Pruning
Pruning is one of the most important parts of caring for your plant. As discussed above, the variegated string of hearts will expand quite a bit throughout its life. So, it needs your help to manage that growth.
Prune the Old and Dying
First, you will want to prune old and dying leaves from your plant. This will help promote new plant growth. Plants will use nutrients and water to keep old leaves alive instead of focusing on new growth. So, you need to step in.
Trimming the older leaves that show signs of age, like yellowing and folding, allows the plant to no longer focus on keeping them alive. Instead, the plant can redistribute the energy and nutrients back to other parts of the plant.
Use sharp, sterile shears to do this. This will prevent any unwanted issues with the regrowth of your plant. For pruning individual leaves, you should cut them as close to the vine as possible to prevent attempted regrowth.
Pruning for Shaping Purposes
You will need to prune your ceropegia woodil f. variegata in an attempt to control its growth. This can help keep the plant a manageable size and shape. Vines in these plants can easily get out of control. Pruning is the best way to keep it under control.
Pruning also allows you to create the shape of the plant. Some people choose to have their plants lining certain parts of their homes or laying a certain way. In this case, pruning can help you control the growth and direction of the plant.
6. Propagation Methods
If one of these beautiful plants just isn’t enough, they are fairly easy to propagate. There are three ways to propagate your variegated string of hearts, and each method is simple.
Propagation is the process of reproducing plants from a parent plant. Essentially, you can create and grow other variegated string of hearts plants this way instead of buying a new one. So, let’s break down the three ways you can do this.
Tuber Method
For this method, you need to find a tuber on your plant. The tuber is where the plant stores its nutrients for the next growth spurt. Preferably, your tuber should be large as they tend to have the most nutrients and the best chance of growth.
Don’t remove the tuber from the plant. Once you find the tuber, leave it attached to the vine and bury it in the soil. This will allow it to grow roots.
You can detach it from your parent plant as soon as you start to see root growth. If you remove the tuber too early, it may still begin to grow. However, that process can take more time.
Water Method
Another popular method of propagating your variegated string of hearts is to use the water method. To do this, you will need to cut off pieces of the plant that you want to root. Once cut, place them in water.
For this method to be effective, you need to keep the vase with the cut stem in a warm, bright area but not in direct sunlight. After a few days, you should see the root begin to form.
Soil Method
Finally, you can propagate this plant by using the soil method. All you need to do for this to be successful is to cut off a section of vines and bury it in the soil. You will need to remove some of the leaves from the vine to do this.
The most important part of this method is ensuring that you cover the nodes with the soil. This will help new roots form more quickly. Remember to only remove as many leaves as you need to bury some of the stems. Otherwise, it will die.
Variegated String of Hearts FAQs
Not that we have gone over how to care for your plant, but let’s discuss some common questions that first-timers face.
This plant holds water in the leaves. You will be able to tell through the leaves if you are overwatering. You are most likely overwatering if the leaves look wilted and feel softer than normal when you touch them.
Drainage is absolutely vital in the care of the ceropegia woodil f. Variegata. The soil needs to be able to drain very well to keep up with the needs of this plant. Consider potting mix made for cacti as they have similar drainage needs.
If you use ordinary potting soil, your plant will lack some of the important nutrients that it needs to grow. We recommend succulent soil made for use with similar plants if you have trouble finding soil for cacti.
You only need to fertilize your plant once or twice a year at most. You should avoid doing this during the Winter as the plant will be dormant. If you fertilize once a year, do it in the Spring. For those plants who need you to do it twice per year, you can do it again in the Summer.
Gaps between the leaves of this plant are a sign that it may not be getting enough light. If plenty of bright, indirect light is available for this plant, you may want to consider pruning. Pruning can help the plant stop focusing on longer growth.
Final Thoughts
Variegated string of hearts plants are easy to care for and great for those new to plants. Compared to other similar succulents, these do not require much work from you to thrive. So, these make great starter plants if you want to get into gardening.
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