How to Grow the Succulent "Lover's Tears"? Care Methods and Points to Note

Lover's Tears is a well-known variety among succulents. Because its leaves are plump, full, emerald-green oval little leaves that look very much like pearls, many people grow it. So how do you grow the succulent Lover's Tears? How do you usually prevent diseases?

1. What is Lover's Tears?

The scientific name of Lover's Tears is String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus), a succulent plant in the genus Senecio of the Asteraceae family. It is also called Green Beads, Buddha Beads, Jade Beads, Green Bell, and so on.

Lover's Tears gets its name because its leaves are plump, full, emerald-green oval little leaves that look very much like pearls. Its flowering period is generally from December of the current year to January of the following year. The stems of Lover's Tears are slender, with terminal flower heads, 3-4 cm long, curved like a hook, with white or brown flowers and red slender buds.

2. How do you grow the succulent Lover's Tears?

1. Temperature: Lover's Tears likes a warm growing environment. A temperature range of 15-25°C is fairly suitable, and the overwintering temperature is 5°C.

2. Light: Lover's Tears is suited to growing in a semi-shaded environment. While giving it sufficient light, also avoid exposure to strong sun.

3. Soil: Lover's Tears is suited to growing in soil rich in organic matter, loose and fertile.

4. Watering: In summer, watering must not be too frequent, as it easily causes root rot. You can use a small spray bottle to mist the plant.

Among these, the growing medium for Lover's Tears generally uses humus soil and garden soil as the basic materials, supplemented with mountain soil, rice husk ash, yellow sand, and so on.

3. Disease Control for Lover's Tears

1. Dry air, overly intense sunlight, and excessively high temperatures cause the leaf tips of potted spider plants to turn black, dry up, and shrivel:

You can move the plant to a semi-shaded environment, cut off the withered leaves, and frequently spray water on the leaf surfaces and the surrounding environment. The newly sprouted leaves can return to a normal state.

2. Water accumulation in the potting soil and rot of the fine feeding roots cause the leaf tips of potted spider plants to turn black, dry up, and shrivel: You can take the plant out of the flower pot, shake off part of the old soil, cut off the rotted root parts, and replant it in clean, wet sand. Keep the sand moist, but do not spray too much water. After it has encouraged the growth of white, tender fine fibrous roots, replace it again with fertile growing soil and replant.

3. Not repotting for a long time causes the roots to grow all the way to the pot wall: You can first tip the plant out of the flower pot, cut off the already dead leaves or the necrotic parts of the leaves, then pick out part of the old soil, remove some aged or necrotic roots, replace with fresh growing soil and replant it well, and place it in a cool, moist, semi-shaded environment. Take care to spray more and water less, and the plant's newly sprouted tender leaves can return to normal.