String of bananas

String of pearls

Same genus and similar care, but leaves are perfectly spherical 'pearls' rather than curved bananas. String of pearls is more drought-sensitive and prone to collapse; string of bananas is the easier of the two.

String of dolphins

A garden hybrid (C. rowleyanus × C. articulatus) with leaves shaped like leaping dolphins. Rarer and slower-growing than either parent.

String of beads / string of watermelons

Stouter near-spherical leaves with longitudinal stripes. Same family, similar trailing habit, intermediate care difficulty.

Bright indirect light with 1–2 hours of gentle direct sun.

An east window is ideal, or a south/west window with a sheer curtain. The translucent leaf windows let the plant tolerate brighter light than most houseplants without scorching, but unfiltered midday sun in summer can still bleach the leaves to a pale yellow-green. In dim conditions stems stretch and leaves are spaced further apart.

Seasonal: Nordic latitudes above ~55°N: a south or west window from October to March is fine; move back from the glass when spring sun intensifies in April.

Soak deeply only when the soil is bone-dry; every 2–3 weeks in summer, monthly in winter.

Curio radicans is genuinely succulent and stores water in its banana leaves. Wait until the leaves themselves start to look slightly less plump — the soil should be completely dry before watering. Then soak deeply, let the pot drain, and don't water again until dry. Overwatering is the only common cause of death.

Seasonal: Reduce to once a month from November through February. A dry winter rest at 10–15 °C is what triggers spring flowering — keep the plant cooler and dryer than its summer regime.

Cactus and succulent mix or any free-draining soil.

1 part standard mix to 1 part perlite, pumice, or coarse sand. The mix should drain within 5–10 seconds. Heavy moisture-retentive mixes rot the trailing stems within a season.

30–50 %; tolerates dry indoor air well.

No humidity demands. The species evolved in semi-arid Eastern Cape and copes with the dry indoor air that browns the tips of tropical foliage plants.

15–27 °C in growth; tolerates a cool dry winter at 10–13 °C.

More cold-tolerant than most succulents. Brief dips to 7 °C are survivable if the plant is dry. A cool winter rest at 10–13 °C with little water triggers spring flowering — though most growers don't bother, since the foliage is the show.

Half-strength cactus feed monthly in spring and summer.

Low-nitrogen cactus fertiliser at half label rate, monthly during active growth. Heavy feeding produces soft floppy stems with spaced-out leaves. No feeding from October through March.

Trim long strands at any node; the cuttings root readily.

Cut bare or leggy strands back to a leaf node — new growth emerges from the node within a few weeks. Lay the cut strands on top of the parent's soil and they often re-root in place, filling out the pot. A few minutes of pruning per month keeps a hanging plant looking lush rather than thin.

Every 2–3 years in spring; the plant prefers being slightly rootbound.

Move up by one pot size only. A shallow wide pot works better than a deep narrow one — the roots are shallow and the trailing habit looks best when the rim is at eye level or above.

Sap is mildly irritant — direct skin contact can cause redness in sensitive individuals. Ingestion of significant quantities causes mouth irritation, drooling, and vomiting. The Senecio genus (now split — Curio is the modern placement) historically contained pyrrolizidine alkaloid traces, and the toxicity classification carries over to Curio radicans.

Mechanism: Pyrrolizidine alkaloid traces (legacy Senecio classification).

Drooling, vomiting, lethargy. The closely-related Curio rowleyanus (string of pearls) is classified by ASPCA as toxic to cats, and the same precaution applies to Curio radicans. Most reports involve mild GI upset rather than serious illness, but cats are particularly sensitive to pyrrolizidine alkaloids and exposure is best avoided.

Drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy. Same toxic profile as for cats. Dogs typically nibble the trailing strands when bored — keep the plant in a hanging position they cannot reach.