PEPEROMIA
Peperomia are a large genus with more than 1,500 species that have been discovered so far. They offer a wide variety of shapes, colours and textures and are extremely low maintenance plants making them great additions to any household. They are also one of the few houseplants which are non toxic to both pets and hands from little helpers.
Light
While Peperomia can grow happily in bright indirect light, they are also one of the few houseplants that thrive in medium light which is due to their natural habitat being the forest floor underneath large canopies of trees in Central and South America.
Water
All Peperomia need to try out completely between waterings. It is better for them to leave the watering a day or two late than water too early and potentially cause root rot to their delicate and shallow root system.
Their leaves can get a bit floppy when they are thirsty which is an indication that watering is required.
Soil
The soil should be loose and not densely packed to allow for free water drainage and oxygen supply to the roots. We recommend a cacti and succulent mix for your Peperomia.
Due to the delicate and shallow root system of Peperomias, smaller pots are generally required for them to be potted in to avoid root rot.
Temperature
Peperomia best thrive in temperatures above 18°C but can tolerate low temperatures for short periods of time during to the colder months of the year.
In winter keep them away from log burners or away from the path of the airflow from your heat pump.
Humidity
Albeit Peperomias hailing from the humid tropics, any average household humidity level is generally fine for them and generally no additional humidity is required.
They do also make excellent contenders for terrariums especially the species that remain small.
Fertiliser
Along with the rest of your houseplants, your Peperomias should be regularly fed with a
well-balanced fertiliser.
During spring and summer this should be on a fortnightly basis while in winter when the plants are going into dormancy or are dormant once a month at half strength.
Propagation
Peperomias can be propagated through multiple ways.
You can propagate them through leaf stem cuttings. They will grow roots from the part of the stem where the cut was made.
You can also propagate them from single leaf cuttings that can either be propagated individually or through leaf division which is quite unique to Peperomias and only a few other plants.
They are quite easy to propagate with most propagation techniques including water, straight into soil or in fern fibre.
