Easy Care Guide to Crassula Perforata (String of Buttons)

Looking for a nice succulent to add to your houseplant collection? The genus Crassula, one of the largest of its kind, has plenty to offer. Today, let me introduce you to one of my personal favorites: Crassula perforata, also known as the string of buttons. This South African succulent is easy to care for and can even bloom indoors.

Common name(s)	String of buttons
Scientific name	Crassula perforata
Family	Crassulaceae
Height and spread	Up to 12 inches high and 2 feet wide
Light	Full sun
Soil type	Well-draining
Water	When soil is dry

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The species has a sprawling growth pattern. The color of its geometric-looking leaves can vary from light green to almost grayish, and the foliage can take on a reddish tinge at the edges when exposed to plenty of sun. 

This succulent blooms pretty easily. It produces elongated inflorescences at the ends of its stems, which are dotted with small cream-colored flowers. Nothing too special, but still nice to see!

Crassula perforata does so well in these inhospitable areas because the species is perfectly adapted to deal with drought, bright sun, and poor soil. Its fleshy leaves can store water, while its low and bushy growth pattern with plenty of offshoots allows the plant to spread quickly and avoid being overwhelmed by other species. 

The main culprit is a plant called Crassula conjuncta. I sometimes see plants for sale under the names Crassula perforata ‘Giant Form’ and Crassula perforata ‘Ivory Towers’, but I’m quite sure both of these are actually usually mislabeled conjunctas! 

A different species called Crassula rupestris is also a pretty convincing doppelgänger. Luckily, care for all of these is more or less identical to that of the real string of buttons. So no worries if you accidentally acquire a different one!

So are there even any real Crassula perforata varieties aside from the regular form? Yes, though not many. First off,  the string of buttons plant has two recognized subspecies.

These are Crassula perforata ssp. perforata and Crassula perforata ssp. kougaensis. The former is the one you’ll typically find for sale. The latter can be told apart by its denser, more colorful foliage.

Then, as with most houseplants, there’s a variegated string of buttons. Its leaves are green and cream and color, sometimes mixed with pink.

If you’d like to grow a Crassula indoors, it’s crucial to provide your plant with as much light as possible. It won’t drop dead within days if you place it in an overly dark spot, but you’ll notice the stems and leaves beginning to stretch over time. Eventually, this leads to a spindly and sad look.

So, find your string of buttons a good bright spot, like right in front of your sunniest window. This is particularly important during the growing season (spring to early autumn in most areas), when our houseplants need plenty of light to produce new growth.

You could consider growing your Crassula perforata outdoors during summer. As I’ve mentioned, the stronger outdoor sun can cause your plant to develop stress coloring in the form of pink leaf edges. This is harmless but looks very nice. Don’t forget to acclimate it to the brighter conditions over the course of a few weeks though.

As for temperature, the South African hills are sunny but not always warm, and the string of buttons withstands cold better than a lot of our favorite tropical houseplants. If the soil is kept dry, even light frost won’t be an issue, although I recommend bringing your plant back indoors when night temps drop to around 50°F. Otherwise, the chill might cause it to temporarily stop growing.

As for temperature highs, things will get uncomfortable for you way before they do for your Crassula. Up to 100°F shouldn’t be a problem. 

Although succulents are able to absorb a lot of water very quickly, their roots can begin to rot if the soil doesn’t dry out again quickly enough afterward.

In our homes, it’s important to use a soil mixture that allows excess water to drain quickly. In my experience, many commercial mixtures marketed as suitable for cacti and succulents actually still retain too much water. If you’d like to use pre-mixed soil, a gritty bonsai medium may be a better choice.

In any case, my tip is to just mix your own. You can easily combine 50 percent high-quality houseplant potting soil with 50 percent perlite to create an airy mixture that works well for a range of succulents, including Crassula perforata. 

In terms of potting, drainage is your priority here as well. You can use any type of planter, but it should always have a drainage hole in the bottom to prevent standing water from causing root rot.

If your string of buttons’ bottom leaves start to look shriveled and dry, you’ve probably waited too long to water. If the leaves look yellowish and detach from the stems at the slightest touch, on the other hand, the issue is likely excess moisture.

In the latter case, you should remove your plant from its pot and check the roots, because any parts that have begun to rot need to be removed immediately to save it. 

If your Crassula is growing a little unruly, you can snip off any stems whose look you don’t like—have a look at the section on propagation below to find out how to turn them into brand new plants.

It’s a matter of taste, really! I prefer keeping everything together because I love the look of a big, unruly shrub. Whatever look you like, you can refresh your string of buttons’ soil every other year or so, upgrading it to a bigger planter or dividing it up in the process.

Leave the cutting to dry and callus over for a day or two and then prepare a planter with normal succulent soil. Stick the cutting into the soil in such a way that it won’t fall over, place the pot in a sunny spot, and water regularly. Your new Crassula perforata plant should root within a few weeks.

Propagating in water is also an option, but because succulents root so readily in soil, most houseplant enthusiasts don’t bother with it.

Oh, and by the way, no worries about the beheaded mother plant. It’ll grow back just fine, usually producing multiple new “heads”.