2022 | How to Care for Senecio Radicans (String of Bananas)

The Senecio Radicans is commonly known as the String of Bananas, Banana Vine, and Creeping Berry, is a very beautiful trailing succulent plant with an appearance like a cluster of bananas. This plant is native to dry regions of southwest Africa. It has very beautiful leaves that are arranged perfectly on the vine making it look like a bunch of small bananas hanging with the vine. Due to its appearance it is considered an excellent choice for indoor decoration.

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Most of the time this is used to decorate the walls of the house, people hang the plant’s pot on the walls and let the vines fall off like a waterfall. It is a very easy plant to grow. It needs plenty of light and a little warm temperature to thrive. In suitable conditions its vines can grow upto 3 feet.

How to Water Senecio Radicans (String of Bananas)

The String of Bananas is a succulent plant and it has similar water requirements as the other succulent plants. This best way to water it is using the “soak and dry” method as the String of Bananas likes to be dried and then watered.

The first thing when watering it is to know if your plant’s pot soil is completely dry or not.
You can dip your finger in the soil of the pot and feel if there is moisture under the soil, or you can pick the pot in your hands and check its weight if it has the normal weight that means it is dry but if it is heavy that means it has some water left the soil.
After this, you can water your plant sparingly, make sure that you provide it enough water, try not to overwater because it is a succulent plant, and does not like to be overwatered.

Lighting and Temperature needs for Senecio Radicans (String of Bananas)

The String of Bananas has similar lighting needs as the other succulent plants require. The plant needs partial to full sunlight. During the winter, it needs more sunlight but in the hot summer days, the plant needs partial sun to partial shade. If you are planting it indoors, you need to place it where it can get enough light (a window that faces east).

The best temperature to grow the String of Bananas is the home temperature (68 to 77°F or 20 to 25°C), colder temperatures for a long time can kill your plant, if you are growing it in cold regions, then it is better to place it inside the rooms where it gets enough heat.

Soil needs for Senecio Radicans (String of Bananas)

Senecio Radicans have similar soil requirements as the other succulent plants, it requires a soil that is porous. Such soil helps the plant quickly drain water and succulent plants thrive in this type of soil.

This soil contains more sand and nutrients that are mixed with other materials such as the crushed perlite, pumice, vermiculite. These materials help the soil to quickly drain the water and they do not let the soil trap water inside, because this can harm the delicate roots of the succulent plant.

Fertilizer for Senecio Radicans (String of Bananas)

The String of Bananas show a slow or retarded growth in the indoor environments, to boost their growth rate, it is advised to use the fertilizers. You can add the house plant fertilizer in the plant’s pot soil while planting it.

After the plantation, you can also provide it with fertilizer by creating a liquid mixture of water and house plant fertilizers and then keep feeding the plant this mixture once a month. Do not overfeed your plant the fertilizers because it can damage the roots of your plant.

How to Repot Senecio Radicans (String of Bananas)

The String of Bananas could grow up to 36 inches, if you planted them in a small pot, they would quickly outgrow it and then you would have to repot them. The best season to repot the String of Bananas is the start of the spring season.

First, you need to choose a bigger pot, then you need to add the soil and fertilizers in the pot, after that carefully transfer your plant from one pot to another. Make sure that the roots of the plant remain unharmed. After successful repotting, provide it with the water and then keep it in the sunlight.

How to Propagate Senecio Radicans (String of Bananas)

The best time for the propagation of the String of Bananas is the summer season, you need to take cuttings from the mature plant. You need a sterile and sharp knife to take the cuttings.

leave these cuttings in room temperature and humid conditions for sometimes and then you can transfer them to the new pot. They might take some time to grow. This is an easy method to propagate the strings of bananas.

Growing from Seeds:

Growing the String of Bananas from the seeds is possible but it is time consuming and more effort is required. You need to place the seeds in a humid environment and then transfer them to a pot, provide them water and leave them in the sunlight. Once they sprout, you need to keep watering them and caring for them.

 Succulents

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: The best method to grow the String of Bananas?

Answer: You can grow it by the seeds and by the cuttings, the cuttings method is easy and more efficient that is why it is considered best method.

Question: How much sun does the String of Bananas need?

Answer: The plant needs partial to full sun in the winter and during the summer it needs partial shade.

Question: Does the String of Bananas grow fast?

Answer: Yes, it is a fast-growing species of the perennial succulent plant. But it needs specific environmental and climate conditions to grow faster. Fertilizers can also help you boost the speed of its growth.