{"id":202,"date":"2020-02-07T16:13:46","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T16:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202"},"modified":"2023-02-27T19:42:34","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T19:42:34","slug":"the-genus-peperomia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202","title":{"rendered":"The Genus Peperomia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"olsen-light-responsive-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"My Peperomia Collection + Care Tips\" width=\"665\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i8DrCpU8GRY?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>My Peperomia Collection &amp; Care Tips Video! Subscribe on YouTube for more!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Origin &amp; Characteristics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The genus <em>Peperomia <\/em>was first described by Spanish botanists Ruiz &amp; Pavon in 1794. Since then, over 1600 species of these mostly pint-sized plants have been recorded. <em>Peperomia <\/em>are tropical and subtropical plants, originating mostly in Central and South America, with just 17 calling Africa their home.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Brazil, <em>Peperomias <\/em>are a symbol of good luck, it is given as a sort of comfort that everything will be alright. I love that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find one of the larger <em>Peperomias<\/em>, the <em>obtusifolia <\/em>growing in Florida now as a naturalized species. <em>Peperomia <\/em>belong to the Angiosperms, or flowering plants, and are a member of the Piperaceae family. That\u2019s the same as the pepper plant, the spice, not the fruiting variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:0\">The flower of the <em>Peperomia <\/em>is a \u201crat tail\u201d or spicate inflorescence that is, upon very close examination, comprised of tiny green flowers. The nature of their flowers suggests they are pollinated autonomously via the wind or insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"775\" src=\"http:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920-1024x775.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920-1024x775.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920-768x581.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920-1536x1162.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Peperomia rosso in flower. Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/leoleobobeo-1487549\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2341486\">Jan Haerer<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2341486\">Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While many <em>Peperomia <\/em>are small in size, the varieties are as diverse as a genus gets. There are three types of <em>Peperomia<\/em>, trailing (<em>P. scandens, P. hope<\/em>), bushy (<em>P. caperata, P. argyrioua<\/em>), and upright (<em>P. clusifolia, P. obtusifolia<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Care &amp; Keeping of Your <em>Peperomia<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Peperomia <\/em>is an ideal houseplant because of its smaller size, they are mostly compact, slow-growing plants with shallow root systems that don\u2019t require frequent uppotting. In fact, this is discouraged! A <em>Peperomia <\/em>can happily go for years in the same pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Peperomia <\/em>enjoy average warmth (don\u2019t go lower than 55 degrees F) and will not do well in direct sunlight. Instead give them bright, diffused to medium light. Many <em>Peperomia <\/em>will thrive under grow lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The kiss of death for most <em>Peperomia <\/em>is root rot. The delicate, fragile root system must be allowed time to dry out and \u201cbreathe\u201d or they will suffocate, leaving you very sad and your plant very dead.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A good general rule of thumb for watering <em>Peperomia <\/em>is: the thicker the stem, the longer you can go between watering. Many indoor gardeners advise waiting until the leaves of your <em>Peperomia <\/em>feel floppy and bendable, but try not to let it get this far to avoid needlessly stressing the plant. For many bushy varieties, you\u2019re gambling with leaf drop if you wait too long.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example: <em>prostrata <\/em>and ruby cascade can take water more often (thin) whereas <em>obtusifolia <\/em>has more succulent tendencies and can go longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/plants-1150014_1920-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/plants-1150014_1920-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/plants-1150014_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/plants-1150014_1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/plants-1150014_1920-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/plants-1150014_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The Peperomia obtusifolia can hold water for weeks at a time and handle more sun than more tender varieties. Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=1150014\">Free-Photos<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=1150014\">Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another bit of information you can glean from physical characteristics of <em>Peperomia <\/em>are how much light they can take without showing chlorotic stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Red undersides, succulent, and variegated peps can usually take more light, whereas watermelon and small-leafed medium thick can take medium light, with ripple peps being more shade friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">One very cool fact I\u2019ve learned about <em>Peperomia <\/em>is that they are summer dormant. This means they do the bulk of their growing during the fall to winter months. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This does mean they may need a little bit of fertilizer to replenish the soil, but once a month is more than plenty, and use \u00bc to \u00bd of what your bottle says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In nature, these are epiphytes, meaning they grow in trees and get their nutrients from the rain runoff through the trees rather than from soil. They are used to a lower level of nutrients than many of our other tropicals!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And since these are epiphytic in the wild, this means they appreciate barky, well-draining potting mix. I use roughly 2 parts soil to 1 part perlite with a handful of some small pieces of orchid bark.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Peperomia <\/em>are susceptible to standard houseplant pests, but don\u2019t seem to be as enticing to pestiferous insects as other genera in my collection. Watch for leaf puckering that doesn\u2019t go away with a good watering, you may have a sucking insect on your hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_0203.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_0203.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_0203-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_0203-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Peperomia <\/em>thrive under grow lights. This <em>P. albovittata<\/em> (Piccolo Banda) has quadrupled in size under my<a href=\"http:\/\/thehiddenharvestcompany.com\"> Hidden Harvest LED panel<\/a> in the last few months. Photo by me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaf drop can indicate both low temperature stress, as well as lack of adequate watering. Keep your plants in a place that does not drop below 50 degrees F, and is free from cold drafts. Cold stress also takes the form of browning on the abaxial (bottom) half of the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A word of warning on ordering <em>Peperomia <\/em>online, I have noticed these plants take an especially hard hit in the mail even when packed well. The good news is, however, they bounce back incredibly quickly! Give them good light, a warm spot, and don\u2019t over water and your Pep will show you how resilient it is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Propagation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Peperomia <\/em>are fun to propagate! You can root stem and leaf\/petiole cuttings in water, soil, moss, or&#8230;my favorite method: in up-cycled hummus pots! I learned this method via Jane Perrone, host of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.janeperrone.com\/on-the-ledge\">On The Ledge Podcast<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pepprop1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pepprop1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pepprop1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pepprop1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pepprop1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pepprop1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Here&#8217;s the growth on my <em>Peperomia obtusifolia<\/em> petiole propagation after just a month in the hummus pot method. Photo by me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You simply remove the labels and thoroughly clean an empty hummus or take out container, put a little bit of water in them, pop your Pep leaves in there, cover your mini-greenhouse, and forget about it for a few weeks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll be doing a dedicated post on this soon but here&#8217;s a video where I show the method:  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BEt0JZd1De8\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BEt0JZd1De8<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People have loved <em>Peperomia <\/em>for a long time and with good reason! They\u2019re cute, compact, and once you get the hang of their needs, a very easy houseplant to care for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional Resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Peperomia <\/em>Production Guide<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mrec.ifas.ufl.edu\/foliage\/folnotes\/pep.htm\">https:\/\/mrec.ifas.ufl.edu\/foliage\/folnotes\/pep.htm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everything you need to know about your Peperomia houseplants!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[39,40,37,38,41],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Genus Peperomia - pamgarnett.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Genus Peperomia - pamgarnett.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Everything you need to know about your Peperomia houseplants!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"pamgarnett.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-07T16:13:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-27T19:42:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920-1024x775.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"pgarnett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"pgarnett\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202\",\"name\":\"The Genus Peperomia - pamgarnett.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-07T16:13:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-27T19:42:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e0049cb47c52df4f4c42787beb7fc01\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Genus Peperomia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/\",\"name\":\"pamgarnett.com\",\"description\":\"Botanical Content Creator &amp; Visual Artist\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e0049cb47c52df4f4c42787beb7fc01\",\"name\":\"pgarnett\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58a99b1773bc5b85b9273b62a2f66dd5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58a99b1773bc5b85b9273b62a2f66dd5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"pgarnett\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Genus Peperomia - pamgarnett.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Genus Peperomia - pamgarnett.com","og_description":"Everything you need to know about your Peperomia houseplants!","og_url":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202","og_site_name":"pamgarnett.com","article_published_time":"2020-02-07T16:13:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-27T19:42:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/peperomia-flower-2341486_1920-1024x775.jpg"}],"author":"pgarnett","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"pgarnett","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202","url":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202","name":"The Genus Peperomia - pamgarnett.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-02-07T16:13:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-27T19:42:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e0049cb47c52df4f4c42787beb7fc01"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?p=202#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Genus Peperomia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/","name":"pamgarnett.com","description":"Botanical Content Creator &amp; Visual Artist","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4e0049cb47c52df4f4c42787beb7fc01","name":"pgarnett","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58a99b1773bc5b85b9273b62a2f66dd5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58a99b1773bc5b85b9273b62a2f66dd5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"pgarnett"},"url":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=202"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230,"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202\/revisions\/230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pamgarnett.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}