Hey Guys, my name is Maggie and this is the story of how I got my String of Turtles to go from
a straggly mess to a voluminous mass. The Peperomia Prostrata is commonly called the
String of Turtles - and it’s pretty easy to see why. It produces these round fleshy leaves
that mimic miniature tortoise shells. The leaves are easily knocked off their delicate stems, so
make sure you handle your plant with care! They are known as a semi-succulent plant,
from the forests of brazil. Unlike our common succulents from dry arid regions,
the String of Turtles prefers warmer temperatures with higher humidities. Recreating an evenly
moist soil, that’s neither soggy nor swampy is harder than it looks! Especially with
those wispy delicate stems that are prone to rotting if you water and mist too frequently.
This is why keeping it in very chunky soil, allows water to drain quickly through the substrate.
The String of Turtles grows best in a location that receives plenty of bright indirect light
throughout the day, but any harsh direct sunlight beams can burn the tortoise shell leaves.
Unfortunately, I repotted the plant in a pot that was too deep for its shallow root system. Instead
of becoming more lush… it was looking like Homer Simpson’s head. My watering and lighting hadn’t
changed! But the leaves kept yellowing and dying off. In a pot that was too large for its shallow
roots, the top would dry out faster than the bottom. It turns out - I was so intent on avoiding
overwatering my String of Turtles that I ended up underwatering it. Let’s be real - If you’re
critiquing your plant based on yellow and dying leaves, both over- and underwatering can do that!
The solution came when I transferred it to a much small terracotta pot with drainage.
Now when I watered the chunky soil, the entire pot would evenly moisten…then…evenly dry out.
So it’s best to judge it based on the state of the soil. If it’s soggy and swampy and the leaves are
yellow or dying - you might be overwatering it, try to water it only when the soil has
dried out sufficiently, or give it a more bright indirect light to dry it out faster. If the soil
is bone dry, and the leaves are yellow or dying - then you might be underwatering it - like I was.
To water the plant, drizzle room temperature tap water on top of the soil,
and allow it to drain through the pot completely.
Watering the plant thoroughly means that you should see a stream of water flowing
out of its drainage pot when you pick it up. It’s important to empty the tray underneath so
that your string of turtles isn’t sitting in old water. When it comes to bright indirect light,
make sure that the top of the pot receives the same amount of lovin as the sides of the pot.
The new leaves come in with that beautiful contrasting colour, and plump up overtime.
As these leaves age, they’ll also lose a bit of that sharp contrast of dark green patterning,
and become a lighter green tortoise shell colour. As the plant matures, the strings can grow
to become a foot long. Therefore, the bushier you can get your string of turtles the better.
To get the top of the plant more bushy, you can use a hairpin or any piece of wire, folded in half
to pin single strands of the string of turtles into the soil. Because it’s a trailing and
vining plant, propagating it by this method creates a better root system under the soil
to support the amount of growth above the soil. The roots will form from the nodes along the stem,
so as long as the spot where the leaf grows from the stem is in contact with the soil
it’ll push out new strands eventually! The subtropical region I live in - simulates the
warm temperatures and higher humidities of the forest of brazil where this plant hails from.
So I found that my String of Turtles actively grows and flowers throughout the year.
That underwhelming green spike there - is it’s flower by the way! Some people suggest
chopping the flowers off to allow the string of turtles to focus it’s energy
on the tortoise shell leaves, but I think the flowers look awkwardly cute so I leave them be.
Well guys I hope you enjoyed witnessing the amazing bounce back from my String
of Turtles. Don’t forget to hit like, and subscribe, or let me know in the comments
if you had any trouble with overwatering or underwatering your string of turtles! Bye!