How to Grow and Care for String of Arrows
A practical overview for keeping your String of Arrows thriving. Understand its distinct needs for light and water to encourage lush, trailing growth.
A practical overview for keeping your String of Arrows thriving. Understand its distinct needs for light and water to encourage lush, trailing growth.
The houseplant Ceropegia woodii ‘String of Arrows’ is a trailing, succulent-like plant admired for its delicate appearance. Its long, thin vines produce leaves shaped like arrowheads, which makes it a popular choice for hanging baskets or for draping over shelves and furniture.
It is common to confuse ‘String of Arrows’ with its parent plant, the standard Ceropegia woodii, or ‘String of Hearts’. The primary difference is the foliage. ‘String of Arrows’ has narrower, elongated leaves that taper to a distinct point like an arrowhead, while ‘String of Hearts’ has softer, rounded, heart-shaped leaves.
The coloration is often similar, with both featuring silvery-green patterns, but the ‘String of Arrows’ can sometimes present a lighter green hue. Some related cultivars, like ‘String of Spades’, have a shape that blends the pointed and rounded features. While their visual characteristics are distinct, their care needs are nearly identical, meaning a grower familiar with one can easily succeed with the other.
Proper lighting is important for the health and appearance of a String of Arrows. This plant thrives in bright, indirect light. An ideal location is near an east-facing window that receives gentle morning sun or a few feet back from a more intense south or west-facing window. Too much direct sun can scorch the delicate leaves.
String of Arrows is a drought-tolerant plant susceptible to root rot from excessive watering. The best approach is the “soak and dry” method, where the soil is watered thoroughly only after it has completely dried out. You can check for dryness by feeling the top few inches of soil. The leaves can also signal thirst; if the leaves closest to the soil feel slightly soft when gently squeezed, it is time to water. During the dormant winter months, the plant’s water needs decrease significantly.
A well-draining potting medium is necessary to prevent water from lingering around the roots. A commercial cactus and succulent mix is an excellent choice for this plant. To further improve drainage and aeration, this mix can be amended with perlite or coarse sand. The goal is to create a substrate that allows water to flow through easily.
This plant is well-suited to typical indoor environments and does not have demanding requirements. It performs well in average household temperatures between 65-85°F. It is not frost-tolerant and should be protected from temperatures below 50°F. Average household humidity is sufficient for its needs.
Fertilizing is not strictly necessary but can encourage more robust growth during the active growing season of spring and summer. A balanced liquid fertilizer, diluted to half-strength, can be applied about once a month. Avoid fertilizing during the fall and winter when the plant’s growth naturally slows. Over-fertilizing can lead to a buildup of salts in the soil, which can damage the roots.
Propagating String of Arrows is a straightforward process that can be done in several ways.
One of the most common approaches is taking vine cuttings. Snip a healthy vine from the mother plant, remove the leaves from the bottom few nodes, and place the cutting in a jar of water. Roots will form from these submerged nodes within a few weeks, at which point the new plant can be transferred to soil.
Another popular technique is soil propagation, where a cutting is placed directly into a well-draining soil mix. You can either insert the leafless end of a vine into the soil or coil a longer vine on top of the soil, securing it with small pins. Keeping the soil lightly moist will encourage roots to develop from the nodes in contact with the soil.
An effective technique is the “butterfly method.” This involves cutting a vine into small segments, with each segment containing a single pair of leaves and a small piece of the stem. These individual “butterflies” are then laid flat on top of a moist propagation medium like soil or sphagnum moss. This method can produce new vines from each side of the cutting, leading to a very full new plant.
One of the most frequent issues is leggy growth, where the vines become stretched with large gaps between the leaves. This is a direct result of the plant not receiving enough light. Moving the plant to a location with brighter, indirect sunlight will encourage more compact growth.
Yellowing leaves and mushy stems are classic signs of overwatering, which often leads to root rot. If you notice these symptoms, check the roots. Healthy roots will be firm and white, while rotted roots will be brown and mushy. Allow the soil to dry out completely and reduce the frequency of watering.
This plant can occasionally attract common houseplant pests such as mealybugs and aphids. These pests feed on the plant’s sap and can be managed with simple treatments. Wiping the affected areas with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol or applying an insecticidal soap can effectively control them.