String of Turtles Introduction

Peperomia prostrata, commonly known as String of turtles, is a unique perennial semi-succulent plant native to Brazilian rainforests that thrives in tropical and warm climates. It’s an absolutely lovely vining plant known for the stunning variegated patterns on its small, round leaves that resemble a turtle’s shell, which is what gives its name. String of turtle has a relatively slow growth rate; it takes roughly five years to reach full maturity. This beautiful trailing plant makes a great addition to any indoor plant collection, perfect for smaller hanging baskets or to trail down from a shelf.

String of Turtles Soil & Drainage

Even though String of Turtles are classified as a semi-succulent plant, do not use premixed soils for succulents and cacti. Like succulent it doesn’t like too much water, but since they are from the rainforest they enjoy some dampness in the soil. Make sure to give it a well-draining and well aerated soil. Add some coco coir, peat or fine moss in your soil mixture to help improve air flow and retain some moisture without making it too wet.

String of Turtles Lighting and Position

String of turtle thrives best in bright indirect sunlight. Keeping these plants in full sun for too long will burn its poor miniature turtle leaves, but too little light will result in your plant struggling to produce new growth. It is beneficial to provide your plant with 2-3 hours direct morning sun to maintain its stunning variegation. No natural light? No problem! You can put them under grow lights.

String of Turtles Watering

Like any other succulents, String of Turtles store water in their fleshy leaves and it doesn’t need to be watered often. Let half of the potting mix dry out in between watering. Water it thoroughly until water escapes the drainage hole. But please, please, please do not overwater them! They are at high risk of root rot. String of turtles have thin stems and delicate leaves that doesn’t like to sit in a damp soil for too long. Bottom watering is a great way to water this plant to avoid damaging the stem. Simply set the pot in a reservoir of water for about 20mins or so, then remove the pot from the water and let the excess drain away. Make sure that your pot has a bottom hole.

String of Turtles Humidity

This plant prefers cooler and more humid environments. If you have a dry area you may opt to use a pebble tray or humidifier to increase humidity around the plant.

String of Turtles Fertilizer

Feed the string of turtle with a diluted liquid fertilizer monthly to help the plant maintain its bright shiny pattern leaves and to encourage it to bloom. Yes! String of turtles produces long spike-like pale-yellow flowers all year round after maturing.

We recommend using our Plant Food available here. 

String of Turtles Pruning and Propagating

Occasional pruning will encourage new and healthy growth to your String of turtle and a fuller plant. It can become ragged and leggy in appearance when not pruned regularly. If you are pruning, you can take the healthy cutting and propagate them. It is easy to propagate, much like other vining plants. Cut a healthy stem and lay it in a shallow pot with damp soil. Don’t bury the cuttings! Cover it with a plastic wrap and poke some holes for air circulation. Check the propagation periodically to see how it’s doing, mist with fresh water if the soil is dry. It will begin to root after a few weeks and you can plant them into a pot once the roots are established.

String of Turtles Toxicity to Pets

String of turtle is safe for most pets.

String of Turtles Design Tips

String of Turtles greatest asset is their beautiful trailing turtle shells. So you want to show these off as best as possible. Allowing it to trial against a plain wall with minimal distraction, a pink wall for bonus points, is a terrific way to give this stunning plant full prominence. It looks great trailing from a shelf and could even be next to other cute trailing classics like the Dischidia Ovata Watermelon, String of Pearls and Variegated Chain of Hearts for a heavy hitters feature wall!