La peperomia albovittata It is one of the most common houseplants, and it also happens to be one of the easiest to care for. Hence many say that it is the perfect variety for those who do not have much hand in plant care.
Easy to care for and grateful, if it receives the necessary attention, this plant known as green frog delights us with its abundant foliage in two shades of green. Do you dare with her? Well, let's see everything you need to know to take care of it!
What is peperomia albovittata?
Although you may not know her by name, her appearance is surely very familiar to you. Because, as we said before, it is one of the most common indoor plants.
Its origin is found in the tropical and subtropical regions. It likes warm environments and, precisely for this reason, it does well as an indoor plant.
It is classified within the variegated plants, due to the curious color of its leaves, which have various shades. In addition, there are different varieties in which we can observe different shapes in the foliage.
Let's see its most outstanding features in a summarized way:
- Variegated leaves. Without a doubt, this is its most distinctive feature. The leaves have a dark green pattern with stripes of lighter green, even with white and silver hues. This makes this plant look very attractive and attract attention.
- Fleshy leaves. The next thing we see if we look closely at its leaves is that they have a fleshy appearance, almost as if it were a succulent. It is precisely this quality that makes the green frog so resistant.
- Flowers. Peperomia can flower, but it is a spike-shaped flowering with small flowers and is not something that attracts too much attention. Its true beauty is in its leaves.
- Compact size. It is a perfect plant to place in a pot on a table or on a shelf, it adapts well to small spaces because its growth is quite compact. It can have many leaves, but it does not grow upwards. In fact, if you don't prune it, what it does is adopt a hanging habit.
- Resistance. It is no coincidence that peperomia albovittata is indicated for the most novice when it comes to plant care, because it has great resistance. It accumulates water in the leaves and, precisely for this reason, it has a good capacity to withstand droughts. If you are one of those who frequently forgets to water the plants, peperomia will not blame you.
- Spread. If you manage to have a beautiful peperomia and you want to give a plant of this type to someone, or you simply want to have more at home, you can easily reproduce it through cuttings of its leaves or its stems.
Peperomia albovittata care
Have you already convinced yourself that you need to have this plant at home or in the office? If so, pay attention to the care it requires. This way you will make it always look strong and healthy.
Lighting conditions
As a plant of tropical origin that it is, the peperomia albovittata loves receiving natural light for several hours a day. In fact, if you're wondering why your plant isn't growing as it should, perhaps the answer is that it's not getting all the light it needs.
Other symptoms that warn us of a lack of light are that the stems grow in an ungainly manner or that the plant as a whole loses some of its color.
For a good result, place the pot in a place where the green frog can receive plenty of light, but Never expose it directly to the sun, since the leaves could burn.
Ideal temperature for this plant
Peperomia likes warm environments. The ideal temperature for it is around 21 ° C. The heat is not a problem (as long as it does not receive direct sun on its leaves), but you have to be careful with the cold.
If we expose it to a temperature below 13ºC, it will most likely end up dying. Therefore, do not leave it outdoors during the winter. Also try to place it in a place where it does not receive drafts. The more stable the temperature in your environment, the better.
Soil for peperomia
Receiving proper care, the peperomia albovittata can grow very tall and, therefore, needs soil in which its roots can grow, well drained and with sufficient nutrients.
During the first years of life it is advisable to transplant it once a year, at the beginning of spring, before its growth stage begins. It will be enough for the new pot to be a little larger than the previous one. Remember that it is not a good idea to put plants in containers much larger than them, since this could affect their growth.
When the plant has matured and is about 20 cm in diameter, an annual transplant will no longer be necessary. It will be enough to also remove a little of the old substrate annually and add a new, quality one.
Tips for watering
Too much water could kill your plant. Since it can accumulate water in its leaves, it is best to water with caution. In summer it is enough to do it once a week, and in winter we can space out the water supply even more.
The important thing is that the substrate drains well and the roots are not too wet after each watering. To encourage drainage, we can add some sand, perlite, or even a few pieces of sponge to the base of the pot.
This is a plant that prefers humid environments, so it is a good idea spray its leaves from time to time, or place a container with a little water near it, so that when it evaporates it generates a little humidity.
Pruning peperomia
Pruning it's not really necessary except in case you want to keep your plant with a certain size, or you have to remove dry or damaged leaves. In these cases, you can carry it out when you consider it necessary.
Of course, save the cut pieces because through them you can get new plants.
The peperomia albovittata is such a beautiful and easy-to-care plant that we certainly encourage you to have it at home. Can you tell us your experience with her?