String of pearls looks like same as the necklace with beads, looks awesome. This plant is easily affected by many factors, If they face a problem then the plant will change its color to yellow, brown, black, white, purple.
Low light conditions and Overwatering will make plants susceptible to weak and it gets diseases.
The string of pearls plant common problems are stress due to molds, pest infestation (use neem oil to keep the pests away), overwatering (don’t water frequently), underwatering (water more freq), other issues are over-fertilization (change soil), low exposure to light (give more light), overexposure to light, slow-draining soil.
1. Pest investation and Molds problem of string of pearls plant
Pest Investation
A string of pearls plant is mostly affected by bugs or pests as sap-sucking creatures that drain the nutrients from plants and weaken the string of pearl plants.
Mealybugs are one of the bugs which can easily be found on plants, white substance on a string of pearl plants. These bugs easily multiply in less time and cause many problems for a good-looking string of pearls succulent plant.
When these pests are attacked lead to white molds on plants and stop the growth of plants.
Spider mites on a string of pearls plant. If you find the web-like structure on a plant then it is affected by spider mites. They are commonly in red color and belong to the spider family.
Scale infection is also one of the things we found in strings of pearls. use the below solution to fix the problems.
we need to keep checking always if the string of pearls is attacked by any pests if they are not identified at an early stage then they can kill the plant.
Solution:
- seperate the infected plant from other plants, prune the infected and damaged part of the plant.
- Dip the cotton in rubbing alchol and dab the areas where you notice the insects,
- Use insecticides to plant that attacks the outer body of pests and kill them.
- Use 1 tea spoon of Neem oil with 1 gallon of water and spray it on the plant every 7-14 days.
- wash the plant under running water to get rid of certain pests such as spider mites.
- Use Horticulture oil to fix the scale infection on string of pearl plants.
Molds
The white substance on the top layer of the soil basically molds and they are harmless, If you leave the molds untreated then it will attract other problems for the plant.
Make sure the plant doesn’t sit on excess water after watering, use well drainable soil. provide sufficient light and adequate water.
Keep checking plants once they have molds so that you won’t miss any signs.
Solution:
- Provide sufficient sunlight to plant.
- give adequate water to plant.
- make sure plant doesn’t sit on excess water for too long.
- Use well drainable soil so that it won’t sit in water.
- Use filter water to watering string of pearls plant (to eliminate excess salts like fluoride).
- Don’t water blindly check soil before watering.
- Reduce the watering during winter as the plant is in dormant period.
2. Overwatering string of pearls plant
Don’t water the plant blindly with the duration (1 or 2 days interval). Check the soil before you water the string of pearls plant.
Avoid watering if the top layer of the soil is already moist. you can check the soil moisture by moisture meter or simply by finger.
Overwatering leads to the major problems of plant-like root rot and fungal infections, when a string of pearls plant overwatered, leaves that store the water burst and become white spots.
Water thoroughly but don’t overwater the plant. Ensure you have a drainage hole in the pot so that water won’t stay a long time in the pot.
3. Chlorine or Fluroid in Water afffecting string of pearls plant
Water the plant only when it is dry, If you find the top layer of the soil kind of white substance then extra salts that have in the water. So avoid using Tap water.
Use filtered water to water the plants. Give more light to a string of pearl plants.
Reduce quantity and frequency of watering in winter (dormant period).
4. Over Fertilization problem for string of pearls plant
Fertilizing the string of pearls plant is required, but these are light feeders and don’t require much fertilizer. Fertilizers provide Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium nutrients that are important for plant growth.
If you over-fertilize the string of pearls, it spoils the soil quality and makes plants get pests, fungal and bacterial growth.
Fertilize the string of pearls with diluted balanced liquid fertilizer once or twice during the growing season.
Avoid fertilizing during winter and if you fertilize in winter (dormant period), the plant will not grow and it will burn the roots and make plants weak.
5. Low exposure to Sunlight or any artificial light for string of pearls plant
To keep the plant healthy light is essential. The string of pearls can tolerate low exposure to sunlight. But it grows well in bright indirect light.
If you keep the string of pearls plant in low light and give more water. This will remain wet for more time, so this is a problem for the plant.
If the plant gets enough sunlight then the soil will not be moist for a longer time, This also helps in preventing mold and pest infestation.
Give six to eight hours of bright light to help the plant. It cannot tolerate the harsh afternoon sunlight.
6. Pruning of String of pearls plant
A string of pearls can tolerate extreme conditions, but it turns into yellow, brown leaves, white spots, like other plants.
If your plant has damaged leaves then, prune them this also looks nice and helps the plant to recover fast. This also discourages pest infestation and fungal growth.
Use clean, sterilized scissors to prune the plant. Prune regularly damaged parts then the plant will be healthy.
7. Using slow drainable Soil for string of pearls plant
slow draining soil is always a problem for any plant. If you use slow draining soil for a string of pearls plant then it will cause root rot problem for sure.
Slow draining soil and less exposure light are the main causes of root rot and eventually plant will get infested by pests or it will have mold and the plant start turning white.
8. Over Expossure of Sunlight to String of Pearls plant
Overexposure to light is also always a problem for any plant because this causes sunburn. More exposure to sunlight will scorch and discolor the string of pearls plant.
The best option is to move the plant where it receives indirect sunlight. Morning sunlight and evening sunlight won’t affect the plant but afternoon harsh sunlight affects the plant.
So keep the plant near the window sill with curtains so that afternoon sunlight will be filtered to reach the plant. This will help to protect the plant from turning white.
9. Root Rot for String of Pearls plant
In the string of pearls plant if we use low draining soil or over water the plants where water sits near roots. This will affect the plant roots.
when the roots got weak then it’s easy for pest infestation or causes mold so this will make the string of pearls turn white in long term.
Thoughts:
I am able to recover my string of pearls plant. I followed the above procedure to recover it. Let me know in the comments were you able to recover the plant.