Teardrop plant, also called pearl necklace plant, is a succulent native to South Africa. Teardrop plant is extremely decorative when grown hanging, in tall pots or on a shelf. Its long, slender stems, punctuated by small spherical leaves, resemble a necklace or curtain of pearls falling gracefully in a cascade.
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Characteristics of the Teardrop plant
Native to southern Africa and Namibia, Teardrop plant is a succulent plant with a drooping habit, with perennial vegetation, which has the particularity of storing water reserves allowing it to survive in a desert climate.
On its long flexible stems are aligned spherical leaves like a string of pearls. Round and fleshy, streaked with translucent stripes, they take on the shape and color of a green currant or a pea, not to be eaten because they are poisonous! Each leaf is punctuated with a non-prickly apical point.
Its slender stems can reach more than 24 inches long. Teardrop plant is cultivated in suspension to enjoy its graceful bearing in a cascade of pearls, or at ground level, like a tapestry plant. In winter, small white tubular and fragrant flowers appear after a period of rest in a cool and dry place. Their pistils are purple and end with delicate orange anthers.
Fertilized, these flowers give birth to small dry fruits, achenes, provided with an egret favouring the dissemination of seeds in the wind.
Cultivated in well-drained soil, the Teardrop plant presents no particular difficulty. Above all, it must benefit from good exposure, be kept at a good temperature, and above all avoid stagnant water, which causes its roots to rot. Resistant to high heat and drought, it knows no predators.
Planting of Teardrop plant
The Teardrop plant is a plant that needs good soil to grow.
Then, every 2 years and preferably in spring, repot your Teardrop plant in a pot of a larger diameter.
When repotting :
- The roots of the Teardrop plant dread excess water.
- Make sure that the new pot has a good hole in the bottom.
- A cactus potting soil is ideal.
Exhibition for a Teardrop plant
The Teardrop plant needs a temperature between 64 and 75°F in summer.
- The ideal temperature in the winter is around 50-59°F.
- The temperature of a house or apartment is therefore ideal for the culture of the Teardrop plant.
The best place to install your Teardrop plant is in a place where there is good light but no direct sunlight.
It is a plant that dreads the sun’s rays behind a window because they burn the foliage.
- It therefore needs good light but without direct sunlight.
- Avoid proximity to a heat source such as a radiator.
Teardrop plant outdoor :
The Teardrop plant can be placed outside in the summer in mid-shade so as not to burn the pretty leaves.
Maintenance and multiplication
It is charming with its tender green and succulent foliage. And for most people, indoors it is beautiful when it is regularly rejuvenated: when the base of the branches is too bald, a cutting of the stems allows to make pots little lignified and well green.
Pinching the terminal bud of some stems also allows it to branch out further.
Rejuvenation, pruning and cutting are done in May when spring watering has restarted the plant’s growth. The stems and leaves are then well swollen with water. Cuttings are cut with a clean knife, left to dry for a few days in the open air and lightly buried in a slightly moistened sandy mixture.
Sowing is possible by sowing the freshly harvested seeds in a cactus mixture at 77°F.
Make the Teardrop plant bloom
The best time for the flowering of Teardrop plant is at the end of winter.
The most important thing to make Teardrop plant flower is the exposure and the temperature.
- It needs a bit of fresh air and good light to prepare for flowering.
- Put it in a cool room in winter (10 to 15°) with a good luminosity.
- Limit watering as described in the section on watering.
How to water the Teardrop plant?
- From spring to fall: water regularly and let the soil dry;
- In winter: take a rest period and reduce watering. Moisten the soil once a month.
- If the leaves wilt on the surface, your plant needs water.
Which fertilizer to use?
From spring to fall, during the growing season, bring a special cactus fertilizer once a month.
Diseases and parasites
The Teardrop plant is not afraid of any particular parasite. Its only real enemy is excess water, which quickly causes the roots to rot and the plant to wilt.
Toxicity
The Teardrop plant is very toxic: its ingestion, especially in large quantities, can cause serious disorders in both humans and animals.
Summary
Amazingly succulent as the Teardrop plant! Also known as Rowley’s ragwort or pearl chain, this drooping plant has foliage in the shape of green currants, aligned on long stems.
It belongs to the Asteraceae family but is cultivated like a cactus, with little water and a lot of sun.
