String of Buttons

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Origin

Crassula perforata, commonly referred to as 'String of Buttons', is a popular easy-care succulent known for its unusual and eye-catching appearance.

It's native to South Africa where it can grow in relatively unfavorable conditions, such as on rocky slopes and outcrops. Its ability to quickly grow many offshoots makes it possible for String of Buttons to compete well with other plants, and so they can thrive even in areas already occupied by dense thickets.

They have a sprawling growth pattern, but its shoots are also able to stack atop one another, which can lead to a shrub-like appearance. Their leaves are typically light, apple-green in color and can sometimes show reddish-pink edges. The color of these edges will become richer when the plant is exposed to more sunlight, so if you'd like to try and intensify the colors in your String of Buttons' foliage, you may want to try moving it to a sunnier spot.

Care

String of Buttons are well-adapted to bright sunlight as they would get in their native environment. They typically grow among other shrubs, in the absence of taller trees to help shelter them from the sun, therefore, they'll do just fine in full sun. In fact, if these plants don't get enough sunlight they can start to wither, and will do their best to try and grow towards it.

Place yours on a sunny windowsill and make sure it gets as many hours of light per day as possible. Keep an eye out for sparse / spaced-apart leaves and loss of the overall bushy shape, as these are both signs that your String of Buttons isn't getting as much light as it needs.

Like other succulents, these plants can tolerate hotter temperatures but won't do well in the cold. Be sure to protect yours from frost, and bear in mind that growth will slow down and may even stall completely if your String of Buttons gets too cold.

Also like most succulents, String of Buttons are drought-tolerant and can thrive on little water. On the other hand, they won't like being in soil that's kept too wet. These plants are adapted to uptake water as quickly as possible and then store it for extended periods so that they can survive the arid conditions of their native environment. This means that, unfortunately, they're susceptible to root rot, which is often fatal. Therefore, you should allow your plant to dry out completely in between waterings, and make sure to never let it stand in water.

How to propogate your String Of Buttons

It is very easy to propagate your String of Buttons, meaning you can easily turn one parent plant into many little ones to give away as gifts or to keep for yourself!

The simplest way is to take a stem cutting. To do this, just gently pinch off the top part of one of the stems - make sure the parent plant is healthy and happy first. Then, you can place the cutting on a paper towel for a day or two to allow it to dry out. Once this is done, your cutting is ready to be planted in soil - it will quickly begin to sprout new roots and continue growing as its own little plant. You can also do this using the plant's offshoots.