The Senecio rowleyanus , usually called rosary beads hanging plant or plant, it is a hanging plant family Asteraceae very popular in gardening and decorating due to its peculiar aspect.
If you dare to beautify your terrace or living room with one of these beautiful succulents, keep reading us in this article in which we show you how to care for the rosary plant to keep it at home and enjoy its original appearance in your decoration. Discover that it is not so difficult to care.
Rosary plant – characteristics
These are the main characteristics of the rosary plant , a very showy hanging succulent:
- It is a succulent native to South Africa.
- Its spherical or rounded leaves are a bright light green color that makes them look like small grapes.
- Its flowers are small and white, although it produces few and infrequently, only when conditions are optimal for it.
- Although it withstands temperate climates outdoors, it is commonly grown as a houseplant.
- It gets its name from the appearance that its stems take on once the spherical leaves have developed and filled with water.
- It is toxic if ingested.
Rosary plant: care – practical guide
As a quick summary, these are the most basic care that the rosary plant needs :
- The rosary plant needs a lot of light, although indirect or low intensity suns.
- It requires warm temperatures, between 16ºC and 25ºC.
- It holds up well indoors, but outdoors in temperate climates will do you more good.
- It requires spaced and not very abundant waterings, as it is succulent.
Light and location
This is one of the most important points in the care of the rosary plant, and also the culprit that sometimes there are those who contradict the fact that it is an easy plant to grow.
The Senecio rowleyanus is a plant that can be grown indoors but requires large amounts of light to develop properly. This means that if you place it in a room with lots of natural light or near a window the plant will grow properly, but in shady rooms you run the risk of wilting.
If you notice that the plant loses vibrancy in the tone of its leaves or that it softens or darkens, move it to a brighter location, preferably a terrace or balcony, or at least to a window that receives more sunlight.
Weather
As we said above in the summary, its ideal temperature is between 16ºC and 25ºC , although this plant can withstand much higher temperatures without excessive problems, as long as you keep it covered from direct sunlight.
On the other hand, it is not as flexible at low temperatures. If you subject your rosary plant to temperatures below 10 ºC for a long time, it is very likely that its health and vitality will be very negatively affected and, even, that it will die.
Watering the rosary plant
Like almost all succulents, the rosary plant does not tolerate excess humidity , which can cause its roots to rot and the plant to die. Therefore, always water it, ensuring that the substrate does not puddle, and that the soil is not constantly wet.
However, one should not fall into the opposite extreme either. Don’t let the substrate dry completely before each watering. If you see that the leaves of your Senecio rowleyanus lose their spherical shape and begin to “deflate”, it is because the plant needs more humidity and it is using what it stores in its leaves.
In each case, check the humidity of the substrate, and adjust the watering according to the local climate. In principle, one watering every 10-15 days should be enough, although in summer you can increase it to one weekly. You can also try immersion irrigation , in which case it is better to let the substrate dry completely each time. The good thing about this method is that you make sure that the excess water is drained, and that it does not accumulate in the pot.
More tips for caring for the rosary plant
Finally, we offer you more tips on caring for the rosary plant and aspects to take into account if you have it at home:
- As we have said, it is a plant whose intake is toxic, so keep it out of the reach of pets and small children.
- If its leaves fall off easily as soon as you touch them, it is probably due to overwatering. If, on the other hand, they are wrinkled and elongated, you need to water it more.
- It is a very easy succulent to propagate, even with stems whose roots have rotted from excess moisture.
