Peperomia

 

Pepper family. Homeland South America, Mexico. This extensive genus in nature has about 1000 species. Among the peperomia grown as houseplants, there are small small-leaved species, and large tuberous plants, ampelae or shrubs.

Types of peperomia

All types of peperomia are able to kill pathogenic bacteria in the air (streptococci, staphylococci, sarcins), so it is especially useful to keep these plants in the children's room if the child often has colds.

  • Peperomia magnolyelous Peperomia magnoliaefolia - has strongly branched erect stems with a reddish tint and regular leaves on short petioles about 12-15 cm long, rounded or inversely ovate. The leaves are fleshy leathery shiny pure green or variously shaped with white or yellow spots.
  • Peperomia obtusifolia is very similar to the previous species, they are often confused, the main difference is in the structure of the inflorescence and fruits. The leaves are about 10-12 cm long, dark green or mottled. This peperomia species has more rounded leaves. To see the difference between views, compare the ratio of sheet length to width.
пеперомияPeperomia obtusifolia
пеперомияPeperomia magnoliifolia
пеперомияPeperomia incana
  • Peperomia argyreia silver is a small shrub-like plant with a shortened stem, on which several leaves on long petioles form a kind of twisted rosette. The leaves are ovoid about 7-9 cm long, pointed at the apex. The painted leaf is dark green stripes along the central veins, and silver stripes between them.
  • Peperomia gray-silver Peperomia griseoargentea is very similar to the previous species, but there are no such pronounced silver stripes, and as if the whole leaf is silver-green in color with an uneven, wavy surface. There is a variety with black and green stripes along the veins.
  • Peperomia clusielidae Peperomia clusiaefolia is a large shrubby plant with erect fleshy stems, large leaves of an inversely ovate shape, elongated at the base, up to 15 cm long, thick and fleshy, sit on short petioles. The leaves are dark green with a reddish tinge and a red-brown band along the margin.
  • Peperomia pereskiaefolia is a large plant with first erect, then laying stems. The leaves are collected in 3-5 elliptical rosettes, pointed at the end. The leaves are dark green, leathery and stiff, with three arched veins clearly visible on the surface.
пеперомияPeperomia caperata
пеперомияPeperomia caperata 'Schumi Red'
пеперомияLeft - Sanders' peperomia, in the center of Peperomia gray-silver, right - Peperomia wrinkled
  • Peperomia scandens climbing peperomia is not a large ampelous plant with long pinkish-green stems and oval-shaped leaves, pointed at the end, about 5 cm long.
  • Peperomia glabella is an ampelous plant with drooping or creeping stems and wide oval leaves of bright green color.
пеперомияPeperomia clusiella Peperomia clusiifolia 'Jely'
пеперомияPeperomia clusiella Peperomia clusiifolia 'Jely'
пеперомияPeperomia rotundifolia
  • Peperomia rotundifolia is an ampellous plant with small, up to 1 cm long, round leaves, often sitting on short petioles on a green creeping stem.
  • Peperomia prostrata - similar to the previous species. Ampel plant with small, up to 1 cm long, rounded leaves, but they are not as common as on round-leaved peperomia. The leaves are variegated - with silver or bronze spots, the stem is reddish.
пеперомияPeperomia griseoargentea 'Pink Marble' grey-silver peperomia
пеперомияPeperomia rounded Peperomia orba
пеперомияPeperomia glabella

Peperomia care

Temperature: Peperomia grows well in warm rooms at 20-26 ° C. In winter, she would like cooler content with reduced light and daylight hours, optimally 17-18 ° C, at least 14 ° C.

Lighting: Bright diffused light, mandatory shading from direct sunlight in spring and summer from 12 to 16 hours, there is no need to shade on the east or north-west windowsill. Peperomia species with dark green leaves grow in light partial shade, variegated species are more photophilous. In winter, good lighting is required, otherwise the leaves begin to grind and lose color, so by winter move the peperomia closer to the light. In central Russia, in winter, peperomia can even stand on the southern window.

Watering: In summer in hot weather, after the soil in the pot dries thoroughly, the next day. If it is not too hot (22-24 ° C) after 2-3 days, after drying the soil. Peperomia can be dried until the earthen coma dries completely. In winter, with a cool content (below 20 ° C), watering is rare, after the soil dries up, only after a few days. The soil in peperomia should not be constantly wet - it easily rots or undergoes the formation of spots, spots similar to warts appear on the leaves .

Attention: peperomia with thinner leaves, like Peperomia gray-silver, Sanders, etc. Species, need to be watered somewhat more often than hard-leaved (clusielous, blunt). I.e. they also need a thorough drying of the earth before the next watering, but not to the state of weightlessness of the pot.

Fertilizer: Only in the period of active growth from March to July in two weeks, complex fertilizer for indoor plants. If there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, then the young leaves grind. The dose of fertilizer is taken two times less than in the instructions!

Air humidity: Optimal about 40-50%. Peperomia with undried leaves are periodically sprayed to wash off dust and refresh the plant. Large-leaved peperomies with a glossy leaf surface can be wiped clean with a damp sponge. Many corrugated-leaf peperomia, such as Peperomia caperata shrivelled peperomia, do not tolerate water reaching the leaves.

Transplantation: Small-leaved peperomies are usually transplanted annually, large-leaved peperomies can be transplanted less often - every two years in the spring, or if necessary, when the plant slows down growth, the soil will be rammed into a monolithic mass. Since the roots of peperomia, even in large specimens, are small, a small pot is needed .

An excellent version of the soil mixture, which is quite nutritious and in which it is difficult to fill the plant: leafy earth (1 part), humus (1 part), coconut substrate (1 part) and small gravel (1 part). You can use a purchased universal soil mixture, soil mixtures "for palms" or "for ficuses" are also suitable - but to such peat soils you need to add baking powder - part of vermiculite (gravel, zeolite granules). Soil acidity for peperomia is 5.8-6.

Reproduction

Propagate peperomia with leaf and stem cuttings, seeds, bush division. The most common reproduction is by stem cuttings, and, in good light, in warmth, cuttings easily root in water at any time of the year.

Peperomia cuttings root well in both wet sand and water, so you can put a peperomia cuttings or leaf in a small shot glass or cup, in boiled water. The sheet can not be dried, but immediately put in water so that the lower part of the sheet is about 3 mm in water. If there is more water, there is a chance that the petiole of the leaf will rot.

If you got only one peperomy leaf, then it can be rooted. To do this, pour vermiculite into the container, moisten it, put a peperomia sheet on the surface, cover it with glass (you can not completely) and put it in a light, but not sunny place. When the leaf takes root, you need to wait for a new sprout - a young escape, and only then transplant it into a pot, into the prepared soil. Remove with a tablespoon, along with vermiculite. Sprinkle the earth on top, but do not tamper.

By the way

The great advantage of peperomia is that they grow rather slowly, and their small root system allows them to be grown in composition with other species or plants. Some types of peperomia are grown as ground cover plants in pots with large erect plants, for example, monstera, citrus, etc.

All peperomies when flowering form unusual inflorescences, somewhat similar to the plantain inflorescence - long, covered with small tubercles, light green or cream spike-shaped or cob-shaped inflorescences, rather similar to long whips, but give irrefutable evidence that this plant belongs to the genus peperomia.

In the photo, an inflorescence of Peperomia caperata shrivelled

Important

The leaves shrivel, dry and fall - if the temperature is too high - above 27 ° C, or too cold - below 13 ° C; if the soil is too dry.

The leaves become lethargic, turn black and fall, there is softening of the stems - with excessive watering, when the soil does not have time to dry out .

The leaves are made lethargic and pale - with excess lighting, then burns or redness of the leaves can form on the leaves .

The leaves are pale light green, the petioles of the leaves are too long, the bush does not hold its shape, it seems loose - with a lack of lighting, especially in winter.

The plant has stopped growing, new leaves are grinding - lack of nutrients - it's time to transplant the plant.

The leaves turned yellow and drooped or rusty spots appeared - from an excess of fertilizers .

Peperomia do not like to "keep their feet in the cold" and are very sensitive to soil waterlogging.

In particular, from frequent waterlogging on hard-leaved peperomia, convex spots of brown color may appear, the so-called non-infectious testing.

From personal experience

Ella: My variety is not variegated, but simply dark green, stands on the windowsill of the northeast window, loves water moderately, between watering the earth dries about 1 cm deep. Not a capricious, very grateful rastishka. And don't be afraid to prune it. I already wrote once that after polishing the leaves, the trunks and leaves turned black, so I cut it more than half. And what do you think - overgrown quickly, and became even more beautiful .

Yamara: My peperomia stands on the east window. I water it moderately, after the soil dries up somewhere a centimeter or two.
At first I sprayed her, but then I stopped (she is surrounded by begonias, but they do not like rain). And in truth, I did not notice any difference in her condition after stopping daily spraying, so now I spray her only to wash the leaves from dust.

I cut off the cuttings with leaves and put them in the water - they take root very quickly. The old plant left after pruning - scanty twigs with a small number of leaves - I did not throw out, I gave it to friends. According to them, the growth has grown and feels great now. And my two, resulting from the cuttings, are also doing well!
In general, this is really a very beautiful, and at the same time unpretentious plant

Peperomia by seed

Peperomia seeds are propagated in the spring. Sowing is carried out in March, in wide plates, in a mixture of peat or leaf earth and sand. Seeds can be pre-soaked overnight in an "epine" solution. Seeds laid on the surface of the earth are lightly sprinkled with earth and moistened from a spray bottle. The plate is covered with glass or a bag and put in a warm place.

The temperature for seed germination is about 24-25 ° C. Periodically, crops must be ventilated. Grown seedlings do not need a dive, they are immediately planted in small shallow cups. Peperomies can be planted in groups in one pot of several cuttings or several seedlings.

About

watering and overflow

Peperomia should be watered carefully, their thin roots easily rot from waterlogging, but if the soil is very dry, in some types of peperomia, with non-succulent leaves, for example, shriveled peperomia, the ends of the leaves can dry out, they brown and become dry like parchment. Peperomia with hard leathery leaves, for example, magnolielous, blunt, clusielous, do not dry at the edges from drying, the leaves begin to wrinkle slightly, but after watering they restore turgor. Such peperomies need rarer watering than species with thin and wrinkled leaves.

If the plant is flooded, the stems and petioles droop, the leaves lose their brightness of color, brown, not dry spots appear. Sometimes mold appears on the ground from waterlogging, or podurs appear - white, about 1-2 mm long, worms running or jumping quickly on the surface of the earth. In this case, the plant must be transplanted into fresh dry soil. Try not to damage the root lump, but get rid of excess moisture by getting wet in several layers of toilet paper. After transplantation, water very moderately, periodically loosen the soil. If soil pests are not lost, use a fungicide.