How to care for String of Hearts
Ceropegia woodii · Apocynaceae
A delicate-looking but surprisingly tough trailing plant with marbled heart-shaped leaves on wiry purple stems, sometimes called rosary vine. It grows from a tuberous base that stores water, and happy plants form small tubers along the vines too. Fast-growing in good light, it can trail a meter or more in a season. Water roughly every 10 days while it's growing (about every 21 in winter), give it bright, indirect light, kept above 50°F (10°C) — dry air is fine for it.
Care at a glance
Water well when the soil is fully dry; the hearts feel thin and fold slightly like taco shells when the plant is thirsty.
Very bright light with some direct sun keeps leaves closely spaced and richly marbled with pink undersides.
Quarter-strength balanced fertilizer monthly in spring and summer.
Mistakes that kill this plant
- Keeping the tuberous base in constantly moist soil.
- Growing it far from a window — it survives but becomes a sparse green thread.
- Cold, wet winter conditions that rot the tuber overnight.
Seasonal tips
- Press vine tubers onto moist soil in summer to propagate effortlessly.
- Cut watering back sharply in winter — the tuber carries it through.
- Loop long vines over the pot rim in spring for a fuller crown.
Is it safe for pets?
We couldn’t place String of Hearts on a toxic or a non-toxic list, so its toxicity is unconfirmed — which is not the same as safe.
Full pet-safety details for cats & dogsCare for your String of Hearts on autopilot
Ploomily turns this guide into a Living Schedule — watering tuned to your city’s climate, the season, the pot and the light, and feeding tuned to that same pot, drainage and light, following the growing season and pausing while the plant rests. The founding price in force today is shown in full before you confirm, and locked for as long as you stay subscribed — with 30 days to change your mind.
Build my Living ScheduleString of Hearts is featured in
More succulent plants
Toxicity here is informational, not a safety guarantee. Those are our own records, compiled by following the ASPCA's published toxic and non-toxic plant lists and Pet Poison Helpline's plant poison list rather than copied from them — confirm anything that matters against those lists or with your vet. If your pet ingested this plant, contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.