A string of dolphins plant is a beautiful succulent that will give beachy vibes at home. The leaves of the dolphin plant resemble a pod of jumping dolphins. This string of dolphins succulents is a hybrid between the candle plant and string of pearl.
A string of dolphins plant is characterized by their iconic dolphin-shaped leaves and the long hanging tendrils. They give delicate blooms that are inconspicuous and are mostly grown for their foliage rather than flowers. String of dolphins plant looks great if kept in hanging baskets or vertical gardens. You can train them to grow upwards on a moss pole or trellis, depending on the kind of look you want.
String of dolphins is a common indoor plant but can also survive outdoors. However, these plants are not frost-tolerant and like warm weather year-round to survive.Â
String of Dolphins Care
A string of dolphins is a low-maintenance succulent plant. The plump leaves can retain water which helps them to become drought tolerant and also require special maintenance to strive.
It is super easy to propagate a string of dolphins plant and can be shared with your friends.
As this is not a low-light plant, you need to provide them enough sunlight to render healthy growth. Keep your dolphin plant in a sunny, bright window.
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Light
A string of dolphins can get sunburned easily under direct sunlight when kept outdoors. When you grow it as a houseplant dolphin plant, a dolphin plant needs a minimum of six hours of sunlight in a day.
Keep it in a south-facing window or any place with medium lighting. If required, use grows lights in colder months to provide additional lighting.
Soil
Like with many other succulents, a string of dolphins will need well-drained and arid soil. You can also use commercially available cactus mixes or make your own mix at home. All you need to do is combine two parts of potting soil with 1 part pumice and 1 part sand.
Water
A string of dolphins plant can retain water in its leaves for a long time. As it is a drought-tolerant plant, you do not need to water it regularly.
Allow the soil to dry between each watering to prevent root rot. You should minimize watering during the winter or fall season when the plant enters dormancy.
Temperature and Humidity
Dolphin plant grows best in average household humidity and temperature levels. These plants are not frost-tolerant and prefer cooler temperatures than average succulent. These can tolerate winter temperatures of up to 40 degrees F.
If you live in colder regions, you should be careful in growing this plant near a window.
Fertilizer
For a proper string of dolphins plant care, you will not require regular fertilizing. Over-fertilizing of this plant will make the leaves lose iconic dolphin shape. However, you can benefit from using light feeding during early spring, encouraging blooms, and boosting plant growth.
You can use organic fertilizer like liquid kelp, worm compost, or fish emulsion.
Potting and Repotting
Dolphin plants can tolerate being root-bound and do not require repotting regularly. One of the best ways to encourage blooms is minimizing repotting of this plant. However, you can report a string of dolphin plants to a fresh potting mix and use one size larger pot.
Use a pot with adequate drainage holes to minimize water clogging and root rot. This plant thrives well in terracotta as well as plastic pots. However, some gardeners use terracotta as it can absorb excess moisture.
How To Propagate String of Dolphins?
String of dolphins is an eBay to propagate plants using stem cuttings in soil or water. You can take cuttings with 2-3 nodes along with stem for maximum success. The nodes can be easily spotted at points where leaves emerge or where the new roots will grow.
If you plan to propagate stem cuttings, remove leaves from the bottom node to prevent leaves from rotting. Roots should develop within a few weeks, and you can transfer the cuttings into soil.
If you wish to propagate a string of dolphins plant only in soil, lay the stem cutting on top of the soil and make sure that soil is moist until roots start to emerge.
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Common Pests/Diseases
Common houseplant pests like scale, mealybugs, and aphids can be an issue for dolphins plants. These pests are sap-suckers and, when left untreated, can kill your plant.
Early detection and proper treatment can help in keeping these common houseplants away from your string of dolphins. These plants, in general, are not prone to any disease other than the risk of root rot caused by overwatering.
If you follow the watering routine only when the soil gets dry with proper drainage holes in the pot and using a well-drained soil mix, your plant will be fine.
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