Mature size & growth rate

How big does String of Teardrops (Senecio citriformis) get?

Also called String of Teardrops, String of Tears, String of Lemons.

More about string of teardrops

About String of Teardrops

Senecio citriformis · also called String of Teardrops, String of Tears · houseplant

A South African trailing succulent bearing small, teardrop-shaped, glaucous leaves on slender cascading stems up to 3 ft long. Best grown in a hanging basket with bright indirect light and very infrequent watering. Toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Dormant in summer; actively grows in autumn and winter.

Mature size: Stems trailing 60–90 cm (24–36 in); plant spread 30–45 cm (12–18 in) in a hanging basket

Watch for — Leggy, stretched growth: Caused by insufficient light. Move the plant closer to a bright window or supplement with a grow light. Prune excessively stretched stems to encourage bushier regrowth.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

String of Teardrops 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 trailing 60–90 cm (24–36 in). In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — plant spread 30–45 cm (12–18 in) in a hanging basket — 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

String of Teardrops 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 monthly during active growth (autumn to spring) with a balanced liquid fertiliser diluted to half strength. do not feed during summer dormancy.

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

How to keep string of teardrops smaller

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

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — string of teardrops 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 string of teardrops 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 string of teardrops bigger or faster

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

When string of teardrops outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for string of teardrops:

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

String of Teardrops size — frequently asked questions

How big does string of teardrops get?

String of Teardrops reaches stems trailing 60–90 cm (24–36 in) when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (plant spread 30–45 cm (12–18 in) in a hanging basket). 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 string of teardrops slow or fast growing?

String of Teardrops is a moderate grower. Expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. String of Teardrops 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 string of teardrops 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 string of teardrops smaller?

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — string of teardrops 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 string of teardrops 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.