Mature size & growth rate

How big does Curio Citriformis (Curio citriformis) get?

Also called string of teardrops, lemon bean plant.

More about curio citriformis

About Curio Citriformis

Curio citriformis · also called string of teardrops, lemon bean plant · houseplant

Curio citriformis, the string of teardrops (formerly Senecio citriformis), is a compact South African trailing succulent with plump, lemon- or teardrop-shaped blue-green leaves dusted in a fine waxy bloom and marked with faint translucent lines. Slower and tidier than string of bananas, it spills gently from hanging pots and needs bright light, lean draining soil and careful watering.

Mature size: Stems trail to about 30-60 cm long.

Watch for — Thin, stretched strands: Leggy growth with gaps between leaves signals too little light. Move to a brighter window for denser, plumper trails.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Curio Citriformis does not get tall — it gets long. Size here is about stem length and how you train or cut it, not how much floor it claims. Indoors and in a pot, expect stems trail to about 30-60 cm long.. A pot, your light levels and a little pruning are what set the final size in a home, far more than the plant's theoretical potential.

Growth shows up as lengthening stems that trail down or climb up a support; the plant can be kept tiny or grown metres long from the exact same root system.

Growth rate and years to mature

Curio Citriformis is a moderate grower. Realistically, expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Its feeding profile backs this up: feed sparingly with a dilute, low-nitrogen succulent fertiliser at half strength once a month in spring and summer. avoid feeding in the cooler, dormant months.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the curio citriformis repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast curio citriformis grows.

How to keep curio citriformis smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For curio citriformis specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — curio citriformis takes hard cutting well and bushes out from the cut.
Cut just above a leaf node; each trimmed stem usually branches into two, so pruning makes it fuller, not sparser.
The cuttings root easily in water or mix, so "keeping it smaller" doubles as free new plants.
A trim once or twice a season is usually enough to hold its length.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Decide the length you want. Pick the point each vine of curio citriformis should stop — you can be aggressive; it regrows readily.
Cut just above a node. Snip about 0.5 cm above a leaf node so the stem branches there instead of dying back.
Root the cuttings. Drop the trimmed pieces in water or mix — they root in 2-4 weeks and can fill the same pot for a bushier look.
Repeat as it runs. Re-trim whenever it overshoots; regular light pruning keeps it both smaller and fuller.

How to grow curio citriformis bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for curio citriformis the accelerators are:

Good light plus a moss pole or trellis triggers the longest, fastest, largest-leaved growth.
Give it something to climb — many vines grow far faster and bigger up a support than trailing.
Feed through spring and summer and keep it consistently watered while it is actively running.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The curio citriformis light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When curio citriformis outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for curio citriformis:

Vines pooling on the floor or wrapping past where you want them — purely a trimming cue, not a repot one.
Bare, leggy stems with leaves only at the tips (usually a light problem, not a size one).
A tangled mass that has outrun its support and needs cutting back and re-training.

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the curio citriformis repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the curio citriformis propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Curio Citriformis size — frequently asked questions

How big does curio citriformis get?

Curio Citriformis reaches stems trail to about 30-60 cm long. when grown indoors. Growth shows up as lengthening stems that trail down or climb up a support; the plant can be kept tiny or grown metres long from the exact same root system.

Is curio citriformis slow or fast growing?

Curio Citriformis is a moderate grower. Expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Curio Citriformis does not get tall — it gets long. Size here is about stem length and how you train or cut it, not how much floor it claims.

How long does curio citriformis take to reach full size?

Roughly three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep curio citriformis smaller?

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — curio citriformis takes hard cutting well and bushes out from the cut. Cut just above a leaf node; each trimmed stem usually branches into two, so pruning makes it fuller, not sparser. The cuttings root easily in water or mix, so "keeping it smaller" doubles as free new plants. A trim once or twice a season is usually enough to hold its length.

How can I make curio citriformis grow bigger or faster?

Good light plus a moss pole or trellis triggers the longest, fastest, largest-leaved growth. Give it something to climb — many vines grow far faster and bigger up a support than trailing. Feed through spring and summer and keep it consistently watered while it is actively running.