Peperomia Care Guide

Family: Piperaceae

Genus: Peperomia

Botanical Name: Peperomia spp.

Difficulty: Great for beginners

Light

Peperomia prefer medium-bright indirect light. They need a good amount of bright light to maintain their pretty colors. However, they can tolerate some lower light conditions as long as they are receiving bright light for most of the day. OR you can keep them under a grow light for the day and turn it off at night!

Water

They have succulent-like leaves, so they don’t need to be watered frequently. You should let the top inch of soil dry before watering them to avoid causing root rot.

Climate

They love humidity and warmth, but are actually pretty tolerant of temperatures as low as 30°F!

Soil

Because they are epiphytes in nature, they will do best in a chunky, loose

Pests and Diseases

Typical houseplant pests like mealybugs, spider mites, and fungus gnats can cause problems for your peperomia from time to time.

Tips

• Increase their ambient humidity to keep them happy.

• Prune away any leggy stems in the early spring to encourage healthy growth.

• Use leggy growth for propagation!

• Keep them outside in the summer to give them a nice boost of hot temps and humidity.

Signs your plant is unhappy

• Discolored, droopy leaves: root rot from over watering

• Curly, yellow leaves: over watered

• Ring spot: cucumber mosaic virus

• Wilting: roots aren’t getting enough air

• Moldy soil: not letting the soil dry out before watering

How to propagate

Using a sharp, clean pair of snips, cut a leaf with at least two inches of its stem from the mother plant. Prepare a little nursery pot with a mixture of potting mix and orchid mix. Now place your cutting (with the cut end down) into the soil. Wrap the container in plastic wrap. You will need to keep the soil moist and place your plant in an area that receives bright, indirect sunlight.

Fun Facts

• There are hundreds of different types of peperomia plants!

• They don’t actually need to be fertilized.

• You can overwinter your plant (bring them indoors during the winter) to keep them alive during the cold months.

Hardiness Zones

Before you move your plant outside, be sure to check the hardiness zone to save yourself some grief and the loss of a beloved plant.

The hardiness zones for peperomia are: 10-12

If you live in Tennessee, here’s a hardiness map to help you decide if your plant can survive outside!