String of Watermelons

String of Watermelons Care

Curio herreanus

What is the plant

Curio herreanus (String of beads), formerly known as Senecio herreanus or Senecio herreianus, is a succulent plant similar to a more common plant called String of pearls.

Curio is a genus of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Plants in the genus are evergreen succulents with long, striated leaves and discoid flower heads lacking ray florets. The genus contains over 20 species, all of them formerly belonging to the genus Senecio. Curio herreanus is similar to the more common Senecio rowleyanus which has the same common names. The leaves are larger, less globular, more elongate (shaped like a spindle), and more glaucous. The stems are thicker, stiffer, and somewhat more erect. Young, short plants are erect but they will be pendant or scandent with time.

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Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

min 10a

Difficulty

Medium

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Water regularly during the growing season every weeks or so, making sure to drench and letting all the water drain out of the pot. If all the leaves fall off don't fret, stop watering and wait until it starts to grow again. Care must be taken with watering as they tends to become swollen and untidy in growth habit if given too much water and shade.
Fertilizer
Use a liquid plant food that is for cacti and succulents rich in potassium and phosphorous, but poor in nitrogen, because this chemical element doesn’t help the development of succulent plants, making them too soft and full of water.
Sunlight
Grow in a slight dappled shade including two to three hours a day of direct sunlight through the year which encourages flowering and heavy leaf production.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
This plant does well in a cactus potting mix.
Temperature
The plant is sensitive to frost but less so if kept on the dry side prior to, and during, cold weather (hardy to -5°C for short periods). It does not like hot weather and needs cool air with ample airflow. Inside, normal room temperatures (65°F/18.3°C - 75°F/23.8°C) are suitable.
Container
Choose any type of pot with enough drainage holes.