Growing peperomia at home can be your hobby
There are a large number of different types of indoor flowers that delight their owners all year round. Growing peperomias at home can be a great hobby, and maybe even a lifelong affair. It is important to approach this activity wisely and follow the basic rules for caring for the plant.
Description of the plant
The genus Peperomia has about 1000 species. The most common and suitable for home growing include:
- Peperomia magnolia-leaved. The plant has a fairly wide and fleshy stem, oval leaves with characteristic dark green stripes and spots of a light yellow hue, characteristic of this species.
- Peperomia is round-leaved. Differs in its spectacular appearance. On the plant are small leaves that turn peperomia into a lush bush.
- Peperomia is blunt-leaved. This species is characterized by a special structure of inflorescences and fruits. The leaves are rounded with a waxy bloom.
- Peperomia is heady. It is a creeping plant form that is most often grown in hanging pots or flowerpots.
- Wrinkled peperomia. This species reaches a height of 10 cm, leaves are heart-shaped with pubescence.
- Peperomia is clusiform. The species is distinguished by its tall stature, thick and fleshy stem. On oval leaves with a matte surface, there are red streaks.
- Chisel peperomia. This species is characterized by the presence of crescent-shaped leaves that resemble legume pods.
- Peperomia creeping. The plant forms creeping, creeping or hanging shoots. The leaves are distinguished by a jagged edge of a light green hue.
- Peperomia Rosso. The underside of the fleshy leaves is colored red-brown, which makes this type of peperomia especially spectacular and attractive.
- Peperomia is gray. The species is characterized by dense white pubescence of stems and leaves.
Care features
There are several secrets to growing peperomia at home.
Temperature conditions. Peperomia prefers a warm room all year round. In summer and spring, the temperature should be within + 20-23 ° С, in winter and autumn not lower than + 16 ° С.
Hypothermia and strong drafts should not be allowed, it is also not recommended to take peperomia out into the open air, even in the warm season.
Peperomia lighting mode. Peperomia is a fairly light-loving species, but prefers to grow in areas with diffused light. It is recommended to place flower pots with the plant on the windows of the western or eastern part of the house. If this is not possible, then it is imperative to create penumbra using mesh, thin fabric or paper. Intensity lighting also depends on the type of peperomia: forms with dark green leaves feel comfortable in the shade, while variegated and brightly colored species require quite bright daylight.
Watering mode. Peperomia care also includes some watering of the plant. In the warm season, abundant watering with settled water at room temperature is necessary. In autumn and winter, watering of the peperomia should be reduced so that the earth has time to dry out. It is better to dry out the soil a little than to overmoisten it, since abundant watering can provoke stagnant water and rotting of the root system. With regard to air humidity, peperomia is perfectly resistant to dry air, but grows best in humid climates typical of tropical regions. Therefore, in the hot season, all types of peperomia, with the exception of gray-haired, need a little spraying.
Fertilizer for peperomia. From early spring to late autumn, peperomia must be fed complex fertilizer twice a month. In winter, fertilizer is reduced to once a month.
Reproduction and transplantation
Peperomia transplant should take place in the spring, once every two to three years. At the same time, they completely change the soil, cut off dead parts of the plant and disinfect the roots with black coal or cinnamon powder. If the plant has grown strongly, then divide it into several small bushes.
After transplanting, the plants should never be fertilized until next spring.
Reproduction of peperomia, as a rule, occurs in several ways:
- Seeds. To do this, you need to buy seeds of hybrids of the first generation (F1), sow them on moist soil, cover with a film, creating 100% moisture, leave in the light and wait for the first shoots to appear. After the appearance of the first sprouts with leaves, pick and plant in separate containers.
- With the help of cuttings. This method is ideal for breeding ampelous, creeping or climbing species. To do this, the trimmed stalk is rooted in wet sand or moss and covered with a transparent film. After about 3-4 weeks, the first roots of the new plant appear.
- Leaf propagation. Suitable for upright species or bushy peperomias. Separate the leaf together with a handle no more than 4 cm long, place it in a moist substrate (sand with peat or moss is best suited) and wait for the roots to appear. A leaf blade with a shank can also be placed in water, but the depth to which the shank is immersed should not be more than half a centimeter.
- Dividing an adult plant... This method of reproduction can be carried out in the spring when transplanting a plant, by simply dividing it into several small bushes.
Growing peperomia species at home will not be difficult, it is important to follow all the rules of care and recommendations, and then peperomia will delight with its attractive appearance for more than one year.