String of Turtles 🐢
String of Turtles 🐢
Really proud of this little guy. Just over a year ago he got dropped off a shelf and was in pretty rough shape. Salvaged what I could and stuck it back in a pot. Wasn't expecting much but here we are now!
This is what he looked like last July:
Looking good! What is your secret? I inadvertently murdered one not long ago.
I struggled with this one even before I dropped it, so I feel your pain. Through some trial and error, I found that this guy likes lots of light and little water.
Light-wise, he's in a east facing window that gets a ton of morning/early afternoon sun. Used to be in a spot that got direct sun but I had to move things around recently and it's less direct now (so hopefully I haven't jinxed it lol)
For watering, I know a lot of people say to do the "taco test" (i.e. fold the leaves gently and if they fold like a taco, then it's time to water) but I found that was waiting too long between waterings. I just go on the weight of the pot now. I still wait until the soil is dry all the way through but not long enough that the leaves "taco". I also feel like a shallow pot is super important. The grey cache pot is tall to allow hanging but the pot inside is only 2 inches deep (it's a custom job, I cut a nursery pot in half). I've also found that it responds best to bottom watering because the water just kind of runs through if I go from the top.
Awesome progress! Your plant looks very happy in its environment, it's actually flowering.
However, to keep a string of turtles focused on leaf and vine growth, it may be a good idea to cut off the flower stalks. This plant is not known for pretty flowers, and actually the odd little sky-reaching stalks are the extent of its flowering glory.