Complete Guide To String of Dolphins Care and Growth

Ideal Light for String of Dolphins

Light is the single most critical factor in keeping this plant looking like a pod of dolphins. String of Dolphins absolutely requires bright, indirect light to thrive and maintain its unique leaf shape.

An east-facing window is often the dream location, as it provides a few hours of gentle morning sun without the intense heat of the afternoon. South and west-facing windows are also fantastic, but you will need to keep the plant a foot or two back from the glass or use a sheer curtain to diffuse the harshest rays. Remember that the top of the pot needs light just as much as the delicate trailing vines. If the crown is in shadow, the stems will eventually weaken and die off at the soil line, leaving you with a bald plant.

Signs of Incorrect Lighting

• Losing the Dolphin Shape: This is the telltale sign of inadequate light. If your new leaves are growing flat, stingy, and look more like generic leaves than leaping dolphins, the plant is stretching for more sun. Move it to a brighter spot immediately.
• Etiolation (Leggy Growth): If there are large, bare gaps of stem between the leaves, the plant is suffering from leggy growth.
• Sunburn: While they love light, blasting them with intense midday sun can cause the leaves to turn red, purple, or crisp up with brown scorch marks.

The Soak and Dry Rule

Like its cousin the String of Bananas, the String of Dolphins stores water in its plump, fleshy leaves. This makes it incredibly drought-tolerant and, conversely, highly susceptible to overwatering.

The golden rule is to use the "soak and dry" method. You should water the plant thoroughly until water runs out of the drainage holes, and then entirely leave it alone until the soil is 100% dry all the way to the bottom. Relying on a watering schedule is a recipe for disaster. Instead, let the plant tell you when it is thirsty. When properly hydrated, the dolphins look plump and full. When it's time to water, the little dolphins will begin to look slightly wrinkled, soft, or deflated.

Why Bottom Watering is Best

Because this plant grows a dense mat of stems across the surface of the potting mix, top watering can trap water against the stems, inviting rot. Bottom watering is a much safer approach.

Simply place your nursery pot in a bowl containing a few inches of room-temperature water. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes so the soil can wick up moisture through the drainage holes. Once the top feels slightly damp, remove the pot and let the excess water drain away completely before hanging it back up.

The Need for Speed (in Drainage)

String of Dolphins must be planted in a fast-draining, airy medium. Standard indoor potting soil holds onto moisture for far too long, suffocating the shallow root system and causing rapid root rot.

You can purchase a high-quality commercial cactus and succulent mix, but many seasoned growers prefer to make their own. To create the perfect environment, start with a base of standard potting soil, but cut it heavily with drainage amendments. A great recipe is:

• 2 parts succulent soil
• 1 part perlite or pumice
• 1 part coarse sand

This mixture allows water to flush through the pot quickly, retaining just enough moisture for the fine roots to take a drink before drying out again. Read our complete Soil Guide to understand why aeration is so important for succulents.

Gentle Feeding for Steady Growth

String of Dolphins is a light feeder. Pouring heavy doses of fertilizer into the pot will burn the delicate roots and cause a rapid flush of weak, leggy growth.

During the active growing season (spring and summer), feed the plant once a month with a balanced liquid fertilizer or a specialized succulent formula diluted to half the recommended strength. Always make sure the soil is slightly damp before applying fertilizer to avoid shocking dry roots. When the cooler days of fall and winter arrive, the plant naturally slows its growth, so you should stop fertilizing entirely until the following spring.

Keep It Cozy

As a tropical succulent hybrid, the String of Dolphins prefers the exact same temperatures that you do. It thrives in standard room temperatures ranging from 65°F to 80°F (18°C - 27°C).

It is absolutely not cold-hardy and will suffer severe damage if exposed to frost. During the winter, keep it safely away from drafty windows, exterior doors, and blasting heating vents. A slight drop in temperature during the winter nights (down to about 55°F or 13°C) is perfectly fine and can actually encourage the plant to bloom as the days get longer in the spring.

Embrace the Dry Air

One of the great joys of keeping succulent trailing plants like the String of Dolphins is that they genuinely do not care about your home's humidity levels.

They originate from arid environments and are perfectly adapted to the dry air found in most modern homes (typically 30-50% humidity). There is zero need to run a humidifier, set up a pebble tray, or mist the leaves. In fact, misting can be detrimental; water trapped among the densely packed fleshy leaves often leads to fungal infections or stem rot. Keep the foliage dry and ensure there is decent air circulation around the pot.

Pom-Poms from the Sea

If you provide your String of Dolphins with excellent light and a slight winter cool-down, it may reward you with flowers! The blooms usually appear in late winter or early spring.

Unlike the classic daisy shapes of some Senecio species like Wax Ivy, String of Dolphins produces small, fluffy, white pom-pom-like flowers that smell faintly sweet, reminiscent of cinnamon or vanilla. The blooms emerge on long, thin stalks that shoot up from the crown and along the vines. While they are a fun novelty, the main attraction will always be those incredible leaping leaves.

A Unique Hybrid

Because the String of Dolphins (Senecio peregrinus) is itself a very specific hybrid, there are no widely recognized cultivars or "types" like you might find with Pothos or Philodendrons. However, there are a few closely related plants that share a similar cascading habit:

• String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus): One of the parent plants of the Dolphins, featuring perfectly round, bead-like foliage. It is notoriously a bit more finicky about watering.
• String of Bananas (Senecio radicans): A faster-growing relative with curved, crescent-shaped leaves that do not have the distinct "fins" of the dolphin plant.
• String of Tears (Curio herreanus): Another beautiful trailing succulent with leaves shaped like teardrops or small pine nuts.

When shopping, be careful not to mistake a String of Bananas for a String of Dolphins. The easiest way to tell the difference is to look for those tiny, unmistakable dorsal fins!

Handling Shallow Roots

Like most trailing succulents, String of Dolphins has a surprisingly shallow and fine root system. It prefers to be slightly root-bound, so you will only need to repot it every 2 to 3 years.

When it does come time to move it to a larger home, choose a pot that is only one inch wider than its current container. A pot that is too deep is incredibly risky, as the bottom half of the soil will remain wet long after the shallow roots have drawn what they need from the top, resulting in a swampy environment that breeds rot. Shallow terracotta pots (often called bulb pans) are the absolute best choice because the porous clay breathes and helps the soil dry out quickly and evenly. Be very gentle during the repotting process to avoid snapping the brittle vines.

The Secret to a Lush Crown

Pruning isn't just about keeping the vines from dragging on the floor; it is a vital practice for maintaining a healthy, dense plant. Over time, trailing plants naturally lose older leaves near the soil line, resulting in long, stringy tresses with a bald top.

Use sterile scissors to prune the longest vines back to whatever length you prefer. By cutting the stem, you remove the "apical dominance" at the tip, which encourages the plant to branch out and sprout new growth from nodes higher up. This leads to a bushier, thicker cascade of foliage. And whatever you do, never throw away those trimmings! They are the key to propagation.

Propagating for Fullness

Propagating String of Dolphins is delightfully easy and is the absolute best method for turning a sparse plant into a lush masterpiece. The most successful technique by far is soil propagation using the "butterfly" or layering method.

Steps for Soil Propagation:

1. Take Cuttings: Snip several healthy vines that are 4 to 6 inches long.
2. Callous: Set the cuttings aside in a dry spot for a day or two to let the cut ends callous over, which prevents rot.
3. Lay It Down: Fill a shallow pot with fresh, slightly damp succulent soil. Coil the cuttings delicately on top of the soil. You do not need to bury them; simply ensure the stems (where the leaves connect) are making good contact with the dirt. You can pin them down gently with a bobby pin or an unbent paperclip.
4. Patience: Place the pot in bright, indirect light. Mist the top of the soil very lightly every few days to encourage the nodes to send roots down into the soil. Within a few weeks, the stems will root and begin pushing out new growth.

You can also propagate in water by stripping the bottom leaves from a cutting and submerging just the bare stem. However, soil propagation yields a fuller pot much faster and avoids the transplant shock that water-grown roots suffer when moving to dirt.

Unwanted Hitchhikers

While they are relatively tough, String of Dolphins can occasionally attract the common annoying houseplant pests, particularly if the plant is stressed from poor lighting or incorrect watering.

• Mealybugs: These are the most common invaders. They look like tiny tufts of white cotton hiding in the crevices where the dolphins attach to the stem, or clustered right at the soil line.
• Spider Mites: If you notice fine webbing between the dolphins and the leaves start looking pale or stippled, spider mites are likely to blame. They thrive in dry, warm conditions.
• Aphids: These tiny green or black bugs tend to congregate on the very newest, tender growth at the tips of the vines.

If you spot an infestation, isolate the plant immediately. For a minor mealybug problem, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and dab the pests directly to kill them. For a more widespread issue, spray the plant down thoroughly in the shower, let it dry, and then treat the foliage with a horticultural soap or neem oil spray. Keep the plant shaded while the neem oil dries to prevent sunburn.

Why is my String of Dolphins losing its dolphin shape?

If the leaves on your String of Dolphins are growing flat rather than looking like jumping dolphins, it is a clear sign that the plant is not getting enough light. Move it to a brighter location with plenty of indirect sunlight. Sometimes, overly frequent watering can also cause the leaves to lose their distinct curve, but light is almost always the main culprit.

Is String of Dolphins toxic to cats and dogs?

Yes, String of Dolphins is mildly toxic to pets and humans if ingested. It can cause gastrointestinal upset, vomiting, and lethargy. You should always hang it high or place it on a shelf out of reach of curious cats and dogs.

Why are the dolphins on my plant shriveling up?

Shriveled, deflated, or wrinkled leaves happen for two completely opposite reasons: severe underwatering or root rot from overwatering. If the soil is completely bone dry, the plant is simply thirsty, and a good soak will plump the leaves back up. However, if the soil is damp and the leaves are shriveling, the roots have likely rotted and can no longer absorb water. In that case, you will need to inspect the roots and take cuttings to save the plant.

How do I make my String of Dolphins fuller?

The easiest way to get a fuller pot is to take cuttings from the longest unruly stems and simply lay them back on top of the soil in the same pot. They will root at the nodes and create brand new vines, filling in the bald patches at the crown. Also, make sure the top of the soil receives bright light, as a shaded crown will eventually thin out.

Built for Survival

The adorable shape of the String of Dolphins isn't just a quirk of hybridization; it's a masterpiece of botanical engineering inherited from its wild ancestors in the harsh, sun-baked ecosystems of southern Africa.

Like its parent, the String of Pearls, the dolphin plant has an epidermal window. If you look very closely at the back of each dolphin leaf, you will notice a thin, translucent stripe running along its length. This clear, chlorophyll-free "window" is an incredible adaptation. It works like a tiny skylight or fiber-optic cable, capturing sunlight and funneling it deep into the interior of the plump leaf, where all the chlorophyll cells are packed.

This allows the plant to expose only a tiny fraction of its surface area to the blistering sun, heavily reducing water loss through evaporation, while still managing to photosynthesize at maximum efficiency on the inside. So those little leaping dolphins are actually highly evolved, miniature water-storage tanks with built-in solar panels!