String of hearts propagation

Ceropegia woodii – better known as string of hearts – is a popular trailing plant with lovely heart-shaped leaves. Its vines grow long quickly, but if you want a fuller plant, propagation is the way to go. And luckily, it’s super easy.

Wash your scissors with hot water and soap. Then use disinfectant or alcohol to kill any bacteria or fungi.

Snip one or more stems of at least 10 cm long. The more you propagate, the higher your success rate.

Put the cuttings in a glass or vase with water. Make sure no leaves touch the water – they’ll rot and drain energy from your cutting. Remove any leaves that might sit below the waterline.

After a few weeks, roots will appear. Once they’re about 3 to 5 cm long, move the cuttings to a pot with fresh soil. Keep the soil slightly moist. Your cutting will start growing new leaves in no time.

• When: spring or summer

• Light: bright indirect light

• Water: keep soil lightly moist after potting

• Patience: root growth may take 2 to 4 weeks

• Bonus tip: do you see tubers forming on older vines? Cut them off and gently push them into soil. With a bit of luck, they’ll grow into new plants.

Water works best for string of hearts. It speeds up root growth and makes it easy to track progress. You can also propagate in soil, but make sure to keep humidity high.

These tips are based on our own experience with propagating. All methods are tested in our plant studio and work well for beginners too.

Want to explore more propagation tips? Check out our other step-by-step plant guides.