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Omnipresent, it can be found everywhere, perhaps you have never mentioned it, perhaps you have never looked for it and perhaps you have never even heard of it.

Yet you can be sure that she has seen you, probably more than once. Peperomia is that type of plant that can appear anywhere. If the great scrutinizing eye was feared in a well-known film, we can easily fear the insinuation of this little spy. Of course, she doesn’t plot in the shadows (as far as we know at least) and she won’t attack us in a blatant way, but she certainly has a truly widespread diffusion network that leads her to be present practically always.

In fact, think that there are more than 1600 known species of Peperomia!

Ready?

Peperomia

Peperomia is the ideal plant even for the blackest thumbs, in fact thanks to its very high tolerance and its strength it can become the perfect ally even for those who have found themselves in difficulty with other plants. It is also one very ornamental plant and since there are many variations it manages to satisfy even the most demanding tastes.

The leaves can be smooth or rough, they can vary in shade from green to red to gray and even purple. They can be heart-shaped or oval, variegated or not, in short, there is the right Peperomia for every taste!

As we mentioned before, there are many species of Peperomia, more than 1600, all evergreen, sometimes succulent. They develop in the tropical and subtropical areas of regions more or less all over the world, in very varied habitats, from high altitude forests to almost desert conditions.

They are able to absorb air from the atmosphere through the leaves, accumulating it inside them through special cells dedicated to this function.

Caring for Peperomia

We understand that Peperomia is super resistant and able to ally itself with even the blackest thumbs, but what are the aspects to pay attention to anyway?

Light

To maintain the vivid and unique colors of their leaves they require a good dose of light, but are easily satisfied. In fact, both filtered natural light and 12/16 hours of artificial light will be fine for them. If by any chance you see them losing leaves or color, you should know that it might be time to expose them to a little more light. Despite this, they can be counted among plants suitable for areas of our homes that are poorly exposed from a light point of view.

Waterfall

They do not require much watering to stay healthy, this is because Pepromia is able to absorb water from the atmosphere and store it within its fleshy leaves. As a general rule, wait until the soil is superficially (1-2cm) dry before continuing with the second wetting. It is advisable, in case of doubt whether to give it more water or not, to avoid problems such as root rot. Personally, I treat peperomias by watering only when the soil is completely dry, with excellent results.

Land

Many Peperomias grow as epiphytes in nature (this means that they do not sink their roots into the soil but climb up other plants). This is why the ideal soil somewhat imitates its natural conditions: acidic and coarse. A good soil could be that designed for orchids, as they are also epiphytes. In the absence of that we can use a soil for potted plants such as Florenpot which includes many coarse pumice parts in the mixture, ensuring correct drainage and air/water balance in the substrate.

Temperature

Temperature is, if you want to say, Peperomia’s Achilles’ heel. However, it is a tropical plant it cannot tolerate harsh temperaturesin fact, it is not comfortable below 10-15°C. It prefers warm and humid environmentsespecially in summer when it is most active in terms of growth. It’s a good practice to vaporize it during the warmer months if you can’t take it outdoors. Intended as an indoor plant we will be sure to always give it the right temperature range (18-20°C).

Fertilization

Here too, Peperomia doesn’t ask us for much commitment, in fact, it can be said that it doesn’t require it at all. Being a slow growing epiphytic plant it does not require much nourishment to survive, the problems it may show are mostly caused by water and light and very rarely by poor nutrition. For these reasons, Peperomia can live peacefully without ever being fertilized.

However, if you really want to help her, you can administer a little fertilizer mixed with the irrigation water every 2-3 months and only during spring and summer.

Propagation

Thanks to its nature that binds it closely with succulents, Peperomia has a remarkable simplicity of propagationin particular it will be enough:

Cut the leaf with an inch of stem from the mother plant in spring and then plant the stem in a small container with potting soil;
Keep the soil constantly moist (a useful tip is to cover the container/vase with a sort of «bell jar» or in any case another transparent material that allows light to reach the stem but at the same time retains the humidity inside);
The roots will form within a few weeks and will be ready to be transplanted into their permanent pot.

Illnesses

Peperomia is generally very resistant to diseases. However, there are enemies bold enough to be able to cause damage to her. The best known enemy is the Pythium, a fungus that can cause root rot. Cochineal can also be quite insidious, but with the right products it will be possible to defeat it.

Toxicity

We told you that Peperomia does not hide in the shadows, this leads it to be friendly even with our four-legged companions. It is not a toxic plant, so much so that in some areas where it grows spontaneously it is consumed by the local population (despite the fact that it is not considered an edible plant).

What do you think? Has Peperomia managed to convince you? We are sure yes!