How to Care for Teddy Bear Vine?

A creeping perennial, the Cyanotis Beddomei features fuzzy, oval-shaped leaves. The top of the leaves are olive green, while the undersides are a reddish-purple.

Teddy Bear Vine – Cyanotis Beddomei Flickr

Because of the fuzzy leaves, the plant is also commonly referred to as the Teddy Bear Vine. If you have experience growing succulents, it will be easy to take good care of the Cyanotis Beddomei too.

If you’re new to succulents, my tips below will help you overcome any hurdles you may encounter in growing the teddy bear vine.

Size & Growth

This perennial succulent grows to a height of 6 to 8 inches and spreads to a maximum of 24 inches. It produces inconspicuous blooms that are a pinkish mauve or blue.

Because it’s a creeping plant, the teddy bear vine can be grown in hanging baskets or as groundcover in zones 10a-11b.

Light Requirements

Succulents should receive plenty of sunshine, however, the teddy bear vine can adapt to a range of light conditions including full sun to partial or dappled shade.

But its capability to adapt doesn’t mean it prefers partial shade. Full sun is still the best for the Cyanotis Beddomei. The preference for full light exposure is also why it’s best to grow this plant outdoors.

Even so, you can successfully grow the Teddy Bear Vine indoors as well, especially when exposed to adequate levels of sunlight.

There’s one aspect to watch out for regarding sun exposure, and that’s when you move an indoor Teddy Bear Vine outdoors.

If the plant receives a sudden blast of sunshine, its leaves can get sun-damages. Slowly acclimate the plant to full sun exposure to avoid scorched leaves.

Watering

It’s surprising how succulents can survive on very little water. That’s because their fleshy leaves have evolved to store water.

It follows then that succulents that are overwatered will do poorly and even die if they sit in too much water.

You can follow the soak and dry method which involves watering your succulents deeply, then allow the soil to dry out before the next watering.

I often water my potted succulents from below by pouring water into the saucer and allowing the soil and roots to soak up the water they need.

With this method, you can encourage better root development and you’re less likely to overwater. You’re also preventing soil compaction.

Soil Type

Watering succulents correctly is important, but it’s also important to plant succulents in a potting medium that does not retain water.

Pick a good quality succulent potting mix. There are several options you can purchase, but you can create your own succulent potting mix.

You can amend regular potting soil with coarse sand, pumice, perlite and other moisture retaining substrate that drains well like sphagnum peat moss.

An advantage of buying commercially available ready-made mixes is that they’re already amended with nutrients beneficial to your succulents.

That said, buying in bulk and creating your own mix can be more affordable but only if you’re planning on growing a lot of succulents.

If you’re only growing a few succulents, it makes more sense to go with a commercially available mix.

Temperature & Humidity

The Teddy Bear Vine is hardy to zones 10a to 11b and does best in a temperature range of 60° – 80° degrees Fahrenheit.

It can survive temperatures down to 30 F, but it’s preferable to avoid exposure to temperatures below 50 F. Once exposed to temperatures below 50 F, the plant will suffer tissue damage.

As for humidity, the Cyanotis Beddomei does not require nor does it do well in a high humidity environment. Being used to dry conditions, low humidity levels is not something you need to worry about.

Fertilizing

Succulents are in no way heavy feeders, but they do benefit greatly from fertilizing. You can start fertilizing in spring and continue to fertilize every few months throughout the growing season.

The frequency of fertilizing also depends on the formulation of the fertilizer. I advise you to pick a fertilizer formulated for cacti and succulent plants just to be sure you’re not using something that’s too strong for your plants.

Make sure to follow dilution guidelines accordingly and don’t use the fertilizer more often than recommended, otherwise you risk causing fertilizer burn.

Potting & Repotting

For this succulent I prefer hanging baskets to fully enjoy its vining growth pattern, but you can simply grow the plant as a groundcover or in 1 gallon pots.

Repotting isn’t frequently needed, in fact there’s little repotting work involved in growing the Teddy Bear Vine succulent.

Make sure the pot you’re using is fitted with drain holes, otherwise the potting media will have a hard time drying. When the roots of succulents are sitting in wet soil, their roots will start to rot.

How to Propagate Teddy Bear Vine?

There are a few ways to propagate the Teddy Bear Vine including from leaves, stem cuttings, and offsets.

Mature succulents will produce offsets that can be easily removed from the mother plant with a sharp knife and planted in a well-draining potting mix.

Alternatively, you can take stem cuttings or even leaves (but make sure the leaf has a small portion of the stem on it) to propagate the plant.

First, you need to allow the cuttings or leaves to callous over, and then plant them in moist potting media. Mist whenever the potting mix dries out, make sure not to water too often, or else the stem cutting, or the leaf will rot.

Wrapping Up

The Cyanotis Beddomei is an easy to grow succulent that enjoys sunshine and a watering schedule that takes into account that succulents need their potting medium to become dry between watering sessions.

If you’re growing this succulent outdoors in a pot, make sure to make overwintering arrangements if you live in zones with cold, frosty winters. In warmer climates, the plant can be grown outdoors all year round.

Other than watering it correctly and making sure that the plant gets plenty of light, there aren’t any difficulties in growing the teddy bear vine, so I recommend it even for beginners.