Fertilising guide
How to fertilise String of Tears (Curio herreanus)— schedule & NPK
Also called String of tears, String of beads, String of watermelons, String of raindrops, Gooseberry plant.
More about string of tears
About String of Tears
Curio herreanus · also called String of tears, String of beads · houseplant
String of tears (Curio herreanus, formerly Senecio herreianus) is a Namibian trailing succulent prized for cascading stems of plump, tear-shaped beads with faint purple stripes. Give it bright indirect light, a gritty cactus mix, and infrequent soak-and-dry watering. Treat it as mildly toxic to pets; the ASPCA flags its close relative, string of pearls.
Growth habit: Fast-growing, trailing and ground-creeping evergreen succulent with slender stems lined by plump, oval to tear-shaped beads, often marked with translucent leaf "windows" and faint purple stripes. Looks best spilling from a hanging pot or a high shelf.
Watch for — Sunburn: Harsh, direct midday sun scorches the beads, leaving bleached, brown, or papery patches that do not recover. Provide bright but filtered light and acclimatise gradually to any stronger sun.
What fertiliser string of tears actually wants — and why
String of Tears is a light-feeding succulent — a gentle, low-nitrogen feed a few times in growth keeps it plump without forcing the weak, stretched growth over-feeding causes.
A cactus and succulent formula or a diluted balanced feed with modest, even numbers. Avoid high-nitrogen plant foods — they make a succulent etiolate and grow soft, fracture-prone tissue.
For the language behind the three numbers on the bottle — what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each do — see the NPK ratio explained entry. The short version for string of tears: match the feed to the job the plant is doing right now, not to a generic “plant food” on the shelf.
How often to feed string of tears, and which months
Feeding only earns its keep while the plant is in active growth and can use the nutrients — pour feed into a dormant or low-light plant and it simply builds up as root-burning salt. For string of tears:
A light feeder. Apply a balanced liquid houseplant or cactus fertiliser diluted to about half strength once a month, or even just a few times across the spring-to-summer growing season. Do not feed in autumn and winter when growth slows, and avoid over-fertilising, which produces weak, stretched growth. Keep that to once a month between spring through early autumn (roughly March to September) and stop entirely once growth slows for winter.
The dormant-season rule matters more than the exact interval: skip feeding entirely when string of tears is resting. For the wider context on indoor feeding rhythms across the seasons, the houseplant fertiliser schedule walks through the year month by month.
What strength to mix for string of tears
Quarter to half strength at most for string of tears. Succulents take up very little, and a strong dose burns the fine roots before the plant can use it.
Feeding always goes onto already-damp soil, never dry roots — water string of tears first if the soil is dry, then apply the diluted feed. The companion question is when to water at all, covered in the string of tears watering schedule.
Signs you are over-feeding string of tears
Over-feeding is far more common — and more damaging — than under-feeding for most plants. The classic tells for string of tears:
- Stretched, leggy, pale growth with widely spaced leaves.
- A white salt crust on the soil or around the pot rim.
- Brown, crisped leaf tips and edges.
- Soft, mushy tissue at the base — over-feeding plus damp soil rots it.
Signs you are under-feeding string of tears
- Uncommon — succulents tolerate lean conditions well.
- Very slow growth and dull, faded colour over a long period.
- Older leaves shed faster than new ones replace them in a tired old mix.
If the symptoms point at watering, light or roots rather than nutrition, the full string of tears care brief covers soil, humidity and the common problems for this species.
Flushing and leaching the salts
Feed lightly enough and you rarely need to flush, but once a year run plain water through the pot of string of tears until it drains clear, and refresh the gritty mix every 2-3 years.
Organic vs synthetic feeds for string of tears
Organic options
A heavily diluted seaweed or worm-casting feed once or twice in summer. UK: a drop of Westland seaweed feed; US: quarter-strength Espoma Cactus! or Dr. Earth liquid. Fresh free-draining mix matters more than any feed.
Synthetic / liquid feeds
A dedicated cactus/succulent liquid at quarter to half strength — UK: Baby Bio Cacti & Succulent Drip Feeders or Westland; US: Miracle-Gro Succulent Plant Food or Schultz Cactus Plus.
Brand names are examples, not endorsements, and UK and US ranges differ — check the label’s own NPK and dilution rate, since formulations change.
Fertilising string of tears — frequently asked questions
What fertiliser does string of tears need?
A cactus and succulent formula or a diluted balanced feed with modest, even numbers. Avoid high-nitrogen plant foods — they make a succulent etiolate and grow soft, fracture-prone tissue. String of Tears is a light-feeding succulent — a gentle, low-nitrogen feed a few times in growth keeps it plump without forcing the weak, stretched growth over-feeding causes.
How often should I feed string of tears?
A light feeder. Apply a balanced liquid houseplant or cactus fertiliser diluted to about half strength once a month, or even just a few times across the spring-to-summer growing season. Do not feed in autumn and winter when growth slows, and avoid over-fertilising, which produces weak, stretched growth. A light feeder. Apply a balanced liquid houseplant or cactus fertiliser diluted to about half strength once a month, or even just a few times across the spring-to-summer growing season. Do not feed in autumn and winter when growth slows, and avoid over-fertilising, which produces weak, stretched growth. Keep that to once a month between spring through early autumn (roughly March to September) and stop entirely once growth slows for winter.
What strength of feed for string of tears?
Quarter to half strength at most for string of tears. Succulents take up very little, and a strong dose burns the fine roots before the plant can use it.
What does over-feeding string of tears look like?
Stretched, leggy, pale growth with widely spaced leaves. A white salt crust on the soil or around the pot rim. Brown, crisped leaf tips and edges. Soft, mushy tissue at the base — over-feeding plus damp soil rots it. Feeding string of tears like a leafy houseplant is the classic error — it produces a flush of pale, stretched, floppy growth that never firms up and is prone to rot at the base.
Should I flush the soil of string of tears?
Feed lightly enough and you rarely need to flush, but once a year run plain water through the pot of string of tears until it drains clear, and refresh the gritty mix every 2-3 years.
Keep reading
- String of Tears care — the full brief (light, soil, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water string of tears — the watering schedule
- The houseplant fertiliser schedule — feeding through the year
- NPK ratio explained — what the three numbers on the bottle mean
- How to fertilise snake plant
- How to fertilise dracaena
- How to fertilise peperomia
- All 569 fertilising guides in the Growli library