How is Peperomia cared for?

If you have ever gone to a nursery and visited the indoor plant greenhouses, it is likely that you have come across some very interesting plants: the Peperomia. They can often also be found for sale in local markets, as they have a high ornamental value, making it difficult to resist the temptation to buy at least one.

Therefore, in this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, properties and care of peperomia.

Key features

They have a delicate appearance, so much so that we might think that they are very fragile. But the truth is that, although they are a little more demanding than conventional indoor plants, their care is suitable for everyone, regardless of the experience they have in plant maintenance. It is a plant native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific Ocean area. It belongs to the Piperáceae family and they are plants with fleshy leaves.

The leaves of this plant vary in colors from one species to another. However, they all stand out in that they have a great showiness. In this case, what helps the interior decoration of this plant are not its flowers, but its leaves. The set of several species belonging to the group of peperomias can help to generate beauty in the interiors. They are plants that do not develop too long stems, but grow by increasing the size of the leaves.

The flowers are insignificant and do not have an ornamental appearance. They grow together in white spikes and are very small in size. This plant is used as an indoor plant, although in summer it is advisable to put it outside. It is a plant that should not get the leaves wet and if we have it indoors, it must be placed in a well-lit place but without the sun's rays falling directly on the leaves.

Peperomia care

In order to provide them with the best care, it is important to know where they originate from. Well, these plants grow in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, especially northern South America. Taking this into account, we already know that they are very sensitive to cold and frost, so we have to find them a bright corner but without direct sun in our home where they are protected from drafts (both cold and warm), and in where temperatures stay above 10ºC.

The ambient humidity will also have to be high, so we will put the pot on a plate with damp decorative stones, or glasses or bowls with water around it. I do not advise you to spray them, since the leaves could rot easily.

If we talk about irrigation, it will have to be very scarce. The leaves store a lot of water, so if we go overboard with watering, we can lose it. So we will water very occasionally: once every 7-10 days in summer, and every 15 days in winter. It is better to go thirsty than to have the substrate flooded. We can also take advantage of it to pay it with a liquid fertilizer during spring and summer.

And by the way, if you see that roots are growing out of the drainage holes or that it is starting to get too "tight", change the pot in spring. Use a porous substrate, such as black peat and perlite mixed in equal parts.

Tips on Peperomia

Since they have great beauty, it is not only interesting to use it in isolation. It is interesting to put them together as another set of varieties to create a nice contrast. If we buy this plant in a garden center, we must make sure that the leaves are fresh and their shape is compact. It is essential to check before buying that it does not have any pests. You have to look closely at the underside of the leaves, on the stems and near the substrate.

If you have nothing to give away to those people who have a good taste for plants, Peperomia is one of the best options. Although it has some somewhat more complex care, it is ideal for all those who want to start growing crops at home. In this way, they are able to learn to take care of somewhat demanding plants in order to learn all the fundamental aspects.

Since it likes to grow and develop in shady places, it is an ideal plant to grow indoors. As we have mentioned before, to make this plant last quite a long time, It is essential that it does not get direct sunlight. The ideal location is near the windows in the case of south orientations. By simply keeping the soil moist and not puddling the substrate, we can avoid fungal diseases.

If we want to keep this plant well nourished at all times, it will need some fertilizers. The peperomia needs a liquid fertilizer such as humus but in few doses. They usually need a thin layer of half a centimeter of humus on the ground to nourish it well. The compost season is more advisable to do it in spring.

Reproduction, pests and diseases

If we want to reproduce the peperomia we must take some aspects into account. The first thing is that this plant begins to have small shoots around it. These shoots can be separated very carefully so as not to break them. The shoots have their own small rootlets and then these shoots have to be placed in a light substrate. To place in pots we can use a pot with vermiculite or perlite. We will keep it here until they can be established independently.

On the other hand, we can extract a leaf from the mother plant and keep it in water until it takes root. The plant can then be established in light, fertile soil. In this way it is much faster to germinate than from its seeds. Since the peperomia prefers to have humidity and shade, it is important to know that the climate should be with low temperatures as far as possible. This is because the low temperatures and helps its stimulation process in vegetative growth for when the spring time arrives.

They are not usually affected by pest problems. The only one that can attack is the shell. If the summer is too hot and dry, the Red spider it can also be a problem.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about peperomia and its care.