The string of dolphins whose scientific name is Senecio Peregrinus belongs to the Asteraceae family. The plant is commonly known as the dolphin plant and the dolphin necklace as the leaves of this beautiful succulent resembles a pod of jumping dolphins. It is a hybrid plant made by crossbreeding strings of pearls and candle plants. The plant looks amazon in vertical gardens and hanging baskets due to its unique foliage appearance. However, they are not very common in stores and due to their less availability, people have less idea about how to propagate string of dolphins plant.
The plant cannot tolerate direct sun, so bright indirect light is perfect for them. Like other succulents, the String of Dolphins plant thrives well in well-drained soil and can withstand low watering sessions as it is drought-tolerant. They can easily tolerate temperatures as low as 4 degrees celsius but 22 degrees celsius is ideal for the plant. Consider yourself lucky if you have one of these attractive plants in your home. But majorly people who have this plant struggle on how to propagate string of dolphins plant. Here’s a guide where you will get all your answers about propagation.
Methods to Propagate “String of Dolphins” Plant
By Leaf Cuttings
Looking for steps and procedures on how to propagate string of dolphins from Leaves? Well, the process is quite simple but you need to be cautious with the plant care while propagating the plant with leaf cuttings. For this method, you need to identify the fresh, thick leaves from a mature string of dolphins plant to increase your propagation chances. After that you can follow these steps mentioned here:
- Start by disinfecting a knife or scissor that you are going to use to cut the leaf. Make sure that you do not damage the leaf and leave some part with the stem.
- Now, let the wound of the leaf heal for 2-3 days under bright indirect light until it develops “callus”.
- Prepare a good soil mix in a pot, make the soil wet, and put the leaf above the soil without burying it inside.
- Make sure that the leaf stays in a warm, moist place. For that, you can use a water sprayer whenever the soil feels dry and place it where it receives indirect sunlight.
- After three to four weeks you will see roots coming out and once it gets matured after a couple of months you can repot it in another pot.
By Stem Cuttings
The stem cutting method is more successful as compared to lead cuttings but you need to take a healthy stem at the start of its growing period to improve the success rate. Make sure that you take out at least 2-3 healthy nodes for propagation. Nodes are the points from where the plant will start developing new roots, leaves, and stems. The stem cutting should be at least 5 inches long and the nodes should not be damaged as it decreases the chance of propagation. Curious to know how to grow string of dolphins from cutting? Here’s how you can do it:
- Make sure that you cut the stem with a sharp knife or scissors which is disinfected before to avoid any sort of problems later on.
- Make a clean cut with the knife and make sure the stem is healthy. A replacement cut is required if the cutting is broken in the process somehow.
- The cutting should be placed inside the soil mix. You do not have to bury it deep, just make a hole and put the cutting inside.
- Water the cutting every week so that it never dries out and put it under bright indirect light for around three to five weeks.
- After a while, your cutting will start developing roots, but if you see any problem with roots not coming out, you have to use a rooting hormone in that situation.
By Seeds
The Dolphin plant is easy to grow if you are using seeds to grow. You can get the seeds. The germination of seeds is a quick process and you can see results much faster. To make them germinate, you need to soak them in warm water and then in cold water. After the soaking process, put them in a container with the perfect soil mix with well-balanced Ph levels and make sure that it is pathogen-free. Keep them moist till they develop roots and after that, you can reduce watering sessions. This is how to propagate string of dolphins from Seeds easily.
Mediums required to Propagate ‘String of Dolphin’ plants
- Propagation in water: How to propagate string of dolphins in Water? People sometimes think that propagation could only be done in soil but this succulent can easily propagate in water. It may not be possible through leaf cuttings but with the stem cuttings, you can propagate easily. Cut a healthy stem as told above, remove the leaves from the stem and place it in a jar filled with filtered water. Place it where it receives bright indirect light and change the water every week. After a while, you will see roots coming out which is a good time to put the plant in well-drained soil.
- Propagation in soil: Propagation in the soil is easy and it can be done by both the leaf-cutting method and stem cutting method. Both the methods are mentioned above, but usually, people use the stem cutting method due to its efficacy. Take a cutting, let it dry until it develops the callus that can take up to two days, dip the end into rooting hormone for better results and place it in well-drained moist soil. Water it and put it under bright indirect light for some time. This is how to propagate string of dolphins in Soil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What are the common pests that attack the string of dolphins plants?
Aphids, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites are the common pests that attack this plant.
Q2: From where you can easily buy the string of dolphins plant?
As they are not very common offline, there is always an option to buy them online from websites like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.
Q3: What happens when you overwater a string of dolphins plants?
The roots start becoming mushy and you can notice them from the stem and leaves near the soil line.
