Plant care
String of Tearstemperature & humidity
Curio herreanus
More about string of tears
Ideal temperature for string of tears
Aim for 15-29 C (60-85 F) on the thermostat and you've handled the easy part. The hard part is the half-metre around the plant: window glass that drops to near-freezing on a January night, a radiator pumping out hot dry air, a draught from an opened front door. Move the plant 30 cm and you've usually fixed the problem. Below roughly 15°C the damage starts — soft blackened patches, translucent leaves, sometimes overnight.
Cold tolerance & winter care
String of Tears is frost-tender (USDA USDA zone 10 (frost-tender; some sources list 9-11). Grow as an indoor or container plant outside zones 10-11 and protect from frost., RHS undefined). It cannot survive a frost, so in most of the US and UK it lives indoors year-round or summers outside and comes back in well before the first autumn frost — once nights drop toward 10-12°C is the cue, not the first frost warning. Acclimate it over a week when moving between indoors and out so the leaves do not shock.
Humidity for string of tears
String of Tears sits happiest at around Around 30-50%; average household humidity is fine. relative humidity. As a dry-climate succulent it prefers low to moderate humidity and good airflow, and dislikes damp, stagnant conditions. There is no need to mist; excess moisture on the beads and around the stems only encourages rot and fungal issues. The usual low-humidity tell is crisp brown leaf tips and edges while the soil moisture is fine — a sign the air, not the watering, is the problem. If you need to raise it, the reliable methods are grouping plants together, standing the pot on a tray of damp pebbles (the pot above the waterline, never in it), or running a small humidifier in winter when indoor heating dries the air most. Misting is the least effective — it raises humidity for minutes, not hours.
String of Tears temperature & humidity — frequently asked questions
What temperature is best for string of tears?
String of Tears grows best between 15-29 C (60-85 F). Keep it out of cold draughts, off freezing windowsills in winter, and away from the hot dry air directly above radiators — the extremes matter far more than the average room temperature.
How cold can string of tears tolerate?
String of Tears starts to suffer below roughly 15°C. It is frost-tender and will be damaged or killed by a frost, so bring it indoors once nights fall toward 10-12°C.
What humidity does string of tears need?
String of Tears prefers about Around 30-50%; average household humidity is fine. relative humidity. As a dry-climate succulent it prefers low to moderate humidity and good airflow, and dislikes damp, stagnant conditions. There is no need to mist; excess moisture on the beads and around the stems only encourages rot and fungal issues.
How do I raise humidity for string of tears?
Group it with other plants, stand the pot on a tray of damp pebbles (kept above the waterline), or run a small humidifier in winter. Misting only helps for a few minutes, so it is the weakest option for a plant that genuinely needs more humidity.
Can string of tears live outside?
String of Tears is rated for USDA zone USDA zone 10 (frost-tender; some sources list 9-11). Grow as an indoor or container plant outside zones 10-11 and protect from frost.. Outside that range it must come indoors before the first frost — treat any outdoor stint as a summer holiday, not a permanent home.
More string of tears care
In the UK? Keeping string of tears warm in a UK home covers the radiator, single-glazing and heating-season humidity angle. Temperature and humidity are one piece. See the full string of tears care guide, its cold-hardiness guide, and watering schedule — humidity and watering problems are easy to confuse.