Crassula Perforata (String Of Buttons): Infor & 7 Guides
String of buttons is a type of succulent with square or triangle-shaped leaves that spiral around the plant’s stem, giving it a stacked look.
If the gray-green leaves get enough light, they might turn pink. You can plant this fast-growing succulent indoors or outdoors in the spring and summer. Both people and animals can get sick from Crassula perforata.
String of Buttons Care
A string of buttons can handle small amounts of light, water, and changes in temperature. This makes it the perfect plant for people who don’t know how to take care of plants and sometimes forget about them.
This succulent is hardy because it grows naturally on the rocky slopes and dry, sandy soil of South Africa, where it thrives among the rocky plants. This has made the plant able to grow in many different places.
A tough string of button plants is easy to take care of. It is a beautiful indoor plant that also does well in warmer parts of North America in a container garden.
It could even be put in a terrarium. But they can’t live if the water doesn’t drain well. The only thing that will hurt this plant is too much water.
Light
It can live in almost any indoor lighting situation, but it doesn’t do well if it doesn’t get enough light. Because of this lack, the plant’s leaves will lose their color.
For the best results, the string of buttons should get enough indirect sunlight.
Soil
Strings of buttons should be made with a mix that looks like the dirt where they came from. This would be a mix of sand, pumice, and bark that drains well. A ready-made cactus mix would be great, and your local nursery or garden supply store should have a lot of good ones.
Water
The soak-and-dry method is a simple way to keep a string of buttons from getting too much water. Just soak the soil by putting it in water until the water drips out of the bottom of the pot and the soil is completely wet. When you water, try not to get water on the leaves. Even though they don’t need watering, succulent leaves hold water.
Temperature and Humidity
String of Buttons is a great plant for a pot, but it can’t be exposed to frost or temperatures below 32 °F.
Crassula perforata has been made ready for South Africa’s high temperatures, but it may need to be watered more often in some cases.
Fertilizer
A string of buttons grows naturally where the soil is poor and not very rich. It is not used to having soil that grows plants. There is no need for fertilizer. Use a half-strength fertilizer for houseplants if you want to give the plant a boost.
Types of String of Buttons
Here are the three most popular types of Crassula perforata:
- Crassula perforata ssp. Kougaensis is a basic type of succulent with reddish or pinkish edges on each leaf.
- Crassula perforata variegata is another common type of this succulent that develops rainbow-like colors on the edges of each leaf.
- Crassula perforata ‘Ivory Towers’ has much larger leaves and more distinct coloration at the margins.
Pruning
Cut the stray stems with clean gardening shears to get the plant back in shape. To prune, look for stems that are too long, twisted, weak, or old. Cut off any old or broken leaves to clean up the plant.
Propagating String of Buttons
Like other succulents, a string of buttons is easy to grow because it sends out pups, which are small plants that grow from the mother plant.
It’s not a good idea to grow new plants from the leaves, since most of the leaves will die. Follow these steps to make copies from cuttings:
- Look for several decent-sized pups to cut from the mother plant using a sharp and sterile knife.
- Take the bottom leaves off the stems. You can gently loosen the leaves and slide them off the stem.
- Let the stems dry for a day before planting the cuttings. This gives the exposed end of the cutting a chance to develop a callous to hold in water, which will make it more likely to root successfully.
- Fill a clay pot with a well-draining potting mix formulated for cacti and succulents.
- Place the bottom of the cutting into the soil, along with any emerging roots.
- Keep the pot in a spot with bright light and water it once a week or when the soil is dry.
- The cuttings should be rooted in a few weeks.
Potting and Repotting String of Buttons
String of Buttons is a small plant that can live its whole life in a 10-inch or 3-gallon pot, even though it might spread.
It’s not a good idea to repot succulents too often because they don’t like the change, but it may be necessary to fix root damage. For best results, repotting should be done in the warmer months.
Gently take the plant out of its pot and tap the soil away to check for damage to the roots. If the roots are wet, put the plant on a paper towel and put it in a bright, non-glare place for a day or two.
Use cactus and succulent potting mix to repot in a clay pot that is the same size or a little bit bigger than the original pot. Don’t water the plant for a few days to let the roots set down.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Scale, spider mites, and mealybugs are the only pests that like strings of buttons. You can get rid of them with neem oil, whether you use it indoors or outdoors. When you water too much, fungus diseases and root rot can happen.
Common Problems With String of Buttons
This easy-going plant rarely causes problems. There are a few bugs that are easy to fix.
Leaves Turning Brown
Leaves Turning Mushy
Your plant might have too much water. The stem might be soft, too. Try giving the plant a new lease on life by removing the dead leaves and thin stems and letting it dry out before you water it again.
Leaves Shriveling
If you put your succulent in water, the leaves may shrink. The leaves are drying out because they are not storing water. Water it immediately to see what happens.
FAQ
Even though these two succulents have names that sound alike, they are not the same plant.
A string of turtles has oval leaves that are much smaller than the square and triangle-shaped leaves of a string of buttons.
A button string looks great in a planter that hangs from the ceiling. Let the stems grow out and over the edges for a while before you cut them.
Even though succulents look great together, you can choose other plants to grow with them, especially if you planted your string of buttons outside to cover the ground.
Depending on your zone, you can try different types of daisies, plants with silvery green leaves like artemisia, and blue fescue grass.
