The string of turtles plant is a sweet, delicate, precious succulent that will take up very little space in your home or office, making it perfect for anyone looking for a small, hardy plant to love.
Adorable to look at and easy to take care of, the Peperomia prostrata will warm your heart with its tiny leaves and slow and steady growth over the years. And because it is relatively hardy, you can do so much with it.
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A String of Turtles Plant Is Good for Homes and Offices
A succulent indigenous to the Brazilian rainforest, the string of turtles plant loves a cool, humid environment and plenty of low, indirect light, which will make its leaves come alive. These intricately patterned fingernail-sized leaves resemble the back of a turtle shell and string together along the trailing vine of this plant.
You can dress this plant up or down and place it pretty much anywhere with decent light – its interesting patterns becoming an instant conversation starter. The string of turtles is perfect for your home or office for so many reasons, including its ability to purify air and bring out the best feng shui energy.
Are String of Turtles Plants Good for the Feng Shui Flow of a Room?
Feng shui is all about striking a balance of encouraging positive energy and ridding negative energy from a room. Succulent plants like the string of turtles go a long way toward maintaining this balance.
Succulents symbolize strength and tenacity as well as love and endurance as plants that live long and are hard to kill. Furthermore, because the string of turtles plant is slow to grow, taking around five years to grow to full maturity, it also represents patience and faith in “the process.”
Feng shui is such a fascinating topic, and plants are only a small part of it. To learn more, I have linked this master class article on how to use feng shui.
Are String of Turtles Plants Easy to Grow and Maintain?
String of turtles plants are pretty easy to care for and maintain as long as you follow the right steps and give it regular enough attention.
How Do String of Turtles Plants Grow?
Again, as a native plant to the Brazilian rainforest, the string of turtles wants steady, bright indirect sunlight, moderate temperatures, and moderate humidity. It might seem like a lot, but it is a pretty easy balance to maintain.
What Kind of Soil Does a String of Turtles Plant Need?
While you might be tempted to put this succulent in standard cactus or succulent soil, the string of turtles plant actually calls for a soil that consists of organic matter found in the nursery with commercial seed starting mix.
Peat is perfect for your turtle plant as it is acidic, so you can mix in one part peat to two parts organic matter.
How Much Light Does a String of Turtles Plant Need?
This sweet succulent wants plenty of bright, indirect light from all angles. It would be ideal to rotate your plant a couple of times a week, near a big window.
Although the string of turtles plant is trailing and vining, you don’t want to hang it in a pot suspended from the ceiling unless it is under a skylight as you’ll want to be sure light reaches it from all angles.
How Much Water Does a String of Turtles Plant Need?
The string of turtles plant has the same watering needs as most succulents. You can typically water it about once a week.
To make sure you are giving it just the right amount of water, stick your finger in the soil about 2 inches deep. If you feel the soil is dried through, you can water it.
If you feel it is still moist, you can leave it. When you do water it, make sure it drains all the way through then allow it to dry out before watering again.
For more information on watering, and the classic mistakes, check out my other article for signs, tips, and tricks to avoiding these watering mistakes.
Other Conditions that Are Important to a String of Turtles Plant
The only other big issue with the turtle plant is humidity. As a succulent, this plant will not tolerate frost or a dry, arid environment.
Thus, you can mist it regularly and ensure your home or office does not get too cold. If you do run heating and air conditioning, place the plant away from the air vents.
String of Turtles Plant Decorating Ideas
The string of turtles plant is small and will remain small, even as the vines trail, so give it a prominent location in your home or office as it can become buried among other plants. You can place it in its small pot on its own table, so it can draw in the attention of guests and visitors.
Because of the shocking, variegated green and yellow pattern on the leaves and bright colors, you can use a black or white pot to allow the patterns and colors to stand out. It will fit in with other succulents or stand alone with no other plants.
Do Fake String of Turtles Plants Look Real?
If you’re still concerned about keeping this plant alive, you can absolutely invest in an artificial string of turtles plant. As succulents already look slightly fake, you won’t even be able to tell a fake one from the real thing.
And if you’re worried about artificial plants not being on trend, check out my piece on whether artificial plants and flowers are tacky.
You can’t go wrong with artificial, but you really should give a real one a try. It’s totally worth it.
What do you think? Have you had success with a string of turtles plant in your home or office? Tell me about it in the comments.
