What is a string of turtles plant?
The string of turtles (Senecio rowleyanus) plant is one of the many varieties in the family Asteraceae, which grows around a meter or a little higher. The English name turtle comes from its resemblance to that reptile because it has leaves shaped like shields and prickles on its stems, although there are other reasons for this link.
In South Africa and Namibia, where most of the world’s supply originates, they also call these plants ouroboros. In fact, when we go back to its botanical name Senecio rowleyanus, we found that Seneo means “thousand” in Latin; plus rows refers to the Scottish origin, Rowley.
It has longer leaves peperomia prostrate than many other houseplants have. The unique mark and shape of its round leaves are like a kind of shell that gave it its name. A string of turtle plants is native to Brazil.
They are adaptable plants that are well adapted to many conditions. The leaf color is mostly green while the patterns are so-called “shell”: white deep purple-brown, and even metallic. The same plant is an apparently jade chain plant, but I know no one really called the plant. Is there anything else it could be called?
String of turtles care: Watering needs
The plant is quite tolerant of drought. It does not need a lot of water. You should know about this care because it needs to have enough soil moisture at all times since its roots are more vulnerable than the leaves and stems.
In fact, in winter or during resting periods (i.e., dormancy), as environmental conditions approach freezing, it would not survive well if under-watered or left totally dry for extended periods.
When watering on this care, it will be beneficial if there are two glasses of water: one at the pot base and the other sprinkled over the remainder of the soil surface. This will help prevent wetting leaves which cause them to rot quickly.
Preferably, avoid getting water on the leaves since it can also cause the plants to rot. Do not overwater; if this happens, it will turn yellow and/or fall off. During the summer months, a high humidity level is required as there will be periods of drying that occur more quickly than in winter. This plant lives well with other plants like anthuriums and spider plants ( Chlorophytum comosum ).
The time between watering’s changes throughout the year. In spring and summer, you’ll need water more often as this plant’s growth is actively boosting the temperature. From time to time, it will cool and the days cooler. You won’t need to water like summer.
There may be signs if it looks like there is no growth in the area. Crisp and dry leaves show signs of underwatering in spring or summer.
If the soil starts to shrink around the edges of the pot, then hold a fork to aerate the top crinkly piece or similar before watering. Do not leave soils wet or drained between watering.
Soil and fertilizer needs.
A string of turtle plant soil should be rich in humus, porous and good drainage which is important to prevent suffocating. It can also be planted in a pottery container where it will need some growing medium.
If you choose this container, add enough material to have no pooling of water at the bottom. The soil must drain well and allow for proper aeration. When using terracotta containers, remember to protect them from freezing temperatures as these have more susceptibility to frost damage than other kinds of pots may do.
Drainage holes in your pot are highly recommended so that excess water can exit in case your plant is over water. Also, make sure you mix peat moss into the soil to aid drainage and keep your plant’s soil moist but well-drained.
If in a pot, then repot or move it often as its capacity is limited. It may cost you extra, but the life expectancy of this plant is increased when grown in pots that are larger than those sold commercially.
Wrong watering will happen if there is no water during warm wet weather and deficiency of heat, which can lead to yellow leaves at the top of the plants with brown tips. This indicates that water has gone down into the root system.
They don’t like too much water, but they like wet because they’re from the rainforest. Soil. By selecting the right soil, you can get a balanced result between underwatering and overwatering. I like to do a potting mix indoors containing peat.
Peat moss helps to increase airflow in soil and retain moisture without making it excessive. I fertilize only in spring and summer whenever I want to. I’m tired of fertilizer. Next year I will experiment with another approach. The seeds are sprinkled at the beginning of the growing season over the surface of the soil.
How much light does a string of turtles need?
The string of turtle plants has high sunlight demand. It needs a full sun environment in summer, but in winter, it can handle more shade since it is still growing to protect plants from the cold and keep them indoors in an unheated room for a period of time and outside afterward.
My planter is always on display since I’d like more people to know about this interesting plant, besides my family that already knows how wonderful it is.
It’s one of our beautiful possessions available all year round without any crueler features involved like animals or insects that can harm you, causing damage rather than bringing elegance and adding beauty also kindness not only for me but also for all visitors once they touch its leaves.
Lighting is essential for healthy growth; this plant will grow in all types of light, although more light is better. It’s best to avoid direct sunlight, however, since leaf scorching can occur.
If you want to keep it indoors as decoration or if the temperature gets low, it will be ideal if a window gets bright and indirect light during wintertime.
As much as possible, try not to be near windows during summer because they are exposed to direct sunlight, leading to overheating your house.
For them, you should move indoors or place where they get natural light, such as from an outside window. The ideal way is the sunny filtered room with a small amount of direct sun coming through the glass.
It has been mentioned above but the plant will grow and thrive in a wide range of light, but it is also important that you water regularly. Whenever there is too much water, leaf yellowing, wilting, or even browning can occur. Usually, when this happens, underwatering is responsible for dryness.
Temperature and humidity needs
Turtle plants will thrive in temperatures ranging from 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit, but they grow well at room temperature. Conversely, if the temperature gets too low, then this can cause leaf browning and even death.
This is why you should place it away from drafty doors or windows in the wintertime to avoid frostbite of your plant or turn off the heating system when your string of turtle needs a little mite of heat adjustment.
Watering frequency is strongly dependent on light, temperature, and other factors, with moderate watering being best, but be careful not to overwater. It might lead to root rot or underwatering, leading to root damage-causing wilting, yellowing, and stunted growths.
Peperomia prostrata will perform well under several kinds of normal household temps. It can be made in the majority of states only inside because it’s not freezing hard. It doesn’t need a greater level of moisture than other plants like calathea – but it enjoys it well.
My closest humidifier is the best option, but I’m so lazy when I clean and refill a humidifier. I had mine in a room and some other plants, which help keep humidity levels a hair high. Sometimes I also cover her with pure water. I wouldn’t say I like water once that much.
The best fertilizer for my Peperomia prostrated string.
The trick is not to overdo it when it comes to fertilizer use because too much fertilizer can cause your plant’s health problems.
This plant does need very minimal care when it comes to fertilizing, and for my Peperomia Prostrata, I only use an organic liquid fertilizer. Liquid fertilizers are easier and quicker; they wash away any excess salts on the leaves, making them look brown or grey.
I wouldn’t say I like using chemical fertilizers because they give you results quickly but in a negative way.
In about two wweeksafter giving heavy dosing of either synthetic or organic fertilizer, there’s a good chance that all your Peperomia will suffer from “burning.” This is manifested by yellowing and burning
Feeding the plants will help maintain their bright and luster flora. Be sure your plant is only doing fertilizer in the winter. Your plant will get into the dormancy stage at this time. Do not overfertilize them. It will burn off the root and irreversible damage to the plants.
Fertilizing during dormy seasons could harm their subsequent growing seasons. Feeding turtles will also help maintain your leaves’ colorful shape and patterns all season long.
How To propagate a string of turtles?
If you prune growth to maintain a specific shape or size, you can spread out the cutting. The string of turtles is easily propagated, just like in other varieties of plants.
Stem cuttings: Method I
Take a cutting of the plant you want to grow and place it into a pot of soil. They should be planted in early spring to give them as much time as possible to establish roots.
Keep the soilless mix moist but not wet until they’re established enough to continue on their own. Stem cuttings large enough to grow into an independent plant are called a specimen.
Stem cuttings: Method II
Another method is to take a long stem cutting around 2-4 inches long and use rooting hormone on the area where you will be removing the cutting from the mother plant.
This prevents it from rotting in transit but also helps encourage root growth at the end of that same stem. You can remove and transplant when they grow roots or leave them alone until they’re ready to separate.
Most varieties of houseplants will need some re-potting during their life. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the plant needs fresh soil every time! It is only necessary if there are decaying roots in the soil.
When re-potting, the main consideration is whether you need to take some root growth along with the plant or not. In most cases, even if your plant has outgrown its current pot, it does not mean that there are rotting roots inside.
