Mature size & growth rate

How big does Ruby Necklace (Othonna capensis) get?

Also called Ruby Necklace, String of Rubies, Little Pickles, Trailing Othonna, Cape Aster.

More about ruby necklace

About Ruby Necklace

Othonna capensis · also called Ruby Necklace, String of Rubies · houseplant

Ruby Necklace (Othonna capensis, syn. Crassothonna capensis) is a trailing South African succulent with bean-shaped leaves on purple stems that flush ruby-red in bright light, plus tiny yellow daisy flowers. Give it bright light, gritty fast-draining soil and sparing water. It is not ASPCA-listed; treat as mildly toxic and verify with a vet.

Mature size: Trailing stems reach about 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) long, cascading well over the edge of a hanging pot; the plant itself stays low, only a few centimetres tall, and spreads as a creeping mat.

Watch for — Leggy, stretched stems with green (not red) leaves: A sign of too little light (etiolation). Move it to the brightest window or add a grow light. Stronger light tightens growth and brings out the signature ruby-purple colour.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Ruby Necklace 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 trailing stems reach about 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) long, cascading well over the edge of a hanging pot. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — the plant itself stays low, only a few centimetres tall, and spreads as a creeping mat. — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

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

Ruby Necklace is a fast grower. Realistically, expect one to three growing seasons — fast vines can add a metre or more of stem in a single good summer. Its feeding profile backs this up: light feeder. apply a balanced succulent or cactus fertiliser diluted to half strength once or twice during the spring and summer growing season. do not feed in autumn or winter when growth naturally slows. over-fertilising produces weak, stretched growth and dulls the prized red colouration.

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

How to keep ruby necklace smaller

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

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — ruby necklace 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.
Expect to tidy it every few weeks in summer — this is a fast vine that will sprawl if left.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Decide the length you want. Pick the point each vine of ruby necklace 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 ruby necklace bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for ruby necklace 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 ruby necklace light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When ruby necklace outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for ruby necklace:

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 ruby necklace repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the ruby necklace propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Ruby Necklace size — frequently asked questions

How big does ruby necklace get?

Ruby Necklace reaches trailing stems reach about 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) long, cascading well over the edge of a hanging pot when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (the plant itself stays low, only a few centimetres tall, and spreads as a creeping mat.). 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 ruby necklace slow or fast growing?

Ruby Necklace is a fast grower. Expect one to three growing seasons — fast vines can add a metre or more of stem in a single good summer. Ruby Necklace 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 ruby necklace take to reach full size?

Roughly one to three growing seasons — fast vines can add a metre or more of stem in a single good summer. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep ruby necklace smaller?

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — ruby necklace 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. Expect to tidy it every few weeks in summer — this is a fast vine that will sprawl if left.

How can I make ruby necklace 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.