The string of hearts is a popular household plant with heart-shaped leaves and has won a million hearts worldwide. The string of hearts scientific name is Ceropegia Woodii. This attractive succulent is best used for decoration purposes, especially in interior design.
Though commonly called the string of hearts plant, this botanical gift has several titles such as chain of hearts, sweetheart wine, rosary wine, hearts entangled (because it gets tangled very quickly), and much more.
The chain of hearts plant was officially gathered in the year 1881 by a self-instructed botanist John Medly Wood. The Ceropegia Woodii is native to regions of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Eswatini.
This plant gives access to many benefits, especially to someone who is very beginner in the journey to becoming a plant parent. Now let's go through everything about the plant in detail.
Benefits of Chain of Heart Plant
There are numerous advantages that people can enjoy by a string of hearts plant propagation.
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Faster Growth
With just a little good and responsible care, this plant can grow and spread with extraordinary speed and will give you the feeling of early achievement by spreading its beautiful heart-shaped leaves all around the potting area.
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Minimal Care is Needed
This plant does not ask for special care or plenty of time for the gardener to flourish. It can thrive with just a little care and attention; hence it is not a time-consuming way of greenery.
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Great for Smaller Homes
With the higher cost of living, houses are becoming more compact; thus, it is not easy to unleash the gardening dream.
Therefore, this plant is best kept for people living in smaller houses.
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Beautiful, Attractive, and Ornamental
The string of hearts plant leaves comes in various colors and shades like dark green, pale tinted, pink and purple.
Growing different varieties of the string of hearts succulent can make the spaces much classier and fashionable and helps to enhance the aura of the surroundings.
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Cost Effective
The plant is inexpensive because it can be grown quickly by a string of hearts cutting and doesn't require costly equipment to thrive. Thus it is highly cost-effective.
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Non-Toxic and Non-Harmful
Most of the string of hearts plants are non-toxic and non-harmful, so there is no need to worry about anything when your beloved pets and children are hanging around it.
Different Variety of Ceropegia Woodi
As we discussed above, indoor plants have several variations of these heart-shaped leaves, and the identification is based on the colors of the leaves and shapes.
- General String of Hearts
The most common one can be recognized as perfectly heart-shaped leaves in dark green color with veins usually visible in the pale shade of green. Along with that, the stem is of dark pinkish and red colors.
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Silver Glory
This variety is very much similar to the general one but the major difference is that the leaves are not pointed from the bottom, as the heart leaves of this plant are curved from below.
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String of Arrows
This member of the chain of hearts plant category comes with pointed and sharp leaves from the bottom, as their leaves depict more of a triangular shape than the heart one.
The leaves are in dark and pale shades of green along with greenish and brownish stems, which truly shows that it is not as colorful as the other types of string of heart plants.
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String of Needles
Well, not all varieties of the heart vine plant have heart-shaped leaves. This one has more needle-shaped leaves which can be toxic when consumed and can cause nausea, vomiting, and headache.
Its leaves have a beautiful lawn green shade and the stem is in red color which can make the plant used for decorative purposes.
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String of Spades
Remember the shape of a spade from the deck of cards, well the leaves of this heart-shaped succulent plant are similar to that. The stems are a mix of shades like red, orange, and brown. The leaves sit flat on them.
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Variegated String of Hearts
Growing this variety is the best choice if someone is bored with the green-colored leaves.
The leaves and the plant stem are in pink and purple shades with a tint of green in the middle of the leaves.
Tips To Give the Best Care to Your Chain of Hearts
Though the plant needs minimal care, a few factors must be kept in mind to get the long-lasting best growth results.
1. Sunlight
Ceropegia Woodii is a light-loving plant but does not like direct sunlight. For satisfactory growth, pay attention to the string of hearts sunlight requirements. Keep the plant near the window where the leaves can soak the light for about four to six hours daily.
If the plants are kept in an open area, then it is recommended to keep them away from direct sunlight with the help of some shade.
2. Temperature
As warm temperatures are the most suitable string of hearts temperature you should consider planting it in summer and spring.
3. Watering
How to water a string of hearts? The best way to water the string of hearts plants is occasional watering because this plant is much fonder of light than water.
Hence one can water them when the 2/3rd of the soil is dry or once in 2-3 weeks. It is suggested not to water the leaves as, in some cases, it can cause water damage. Try to keep its leaves dry as much as it is possible.
4. Soil
The soil should not be too wet because it can cause root rot. Thus the string of hearts potting mix with excellent drainage is a great way to make the plant grow marvelously.
5. Pot
When to repot string of hearts? Consider repotting when it begins to out-grow in your current pot. Like soil, a pot with an accurate drainage system helps avoid water soaking inside the pot. Also, you can keep the pot on a higher level from the ground.
How is String of Hearts Propagation Done?
The propagation can be quickly done three ways, i.e., via seeds, stem cutting, and tubers.
The soil for string of hearts needs the correct sand, compost, and gardening soil ratio. Also, both pot and soil should have a sound drainage system and the best season to start a chain of heart propagation is during spring and summer.
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