Peperomia Pepperspot

The wild Peperomia Pepperspot is a native of South America, and it can be found in different countries, including Mexico, Columbia, and Peru. It also grows in the rainforest of Southern Brazil. However, the plant has become a standard fixture in many homes worldwide due to its beautiful appearance.

Morphology and Names

Peperomia Pepperspot is a small plant, only twelve inches high, but it grows relatively slowly. The plant is excellent for a hanging basket and has the common name Green Coins.

The name is descriptive of its appearance, characterized by almost perfectly round leaves that look like green coins. Also, the plant goes by the common name coins and strings because its thin branches appear like strings on which the leaves are attached, and of course, the leaves are like coins.

The foliage is green on the upper side but reddish on the lower side, stalks on which the leaves attach are reddish-brown. The resulting contrast between green and reddish-brown makes this plant very attractive.

These leaves tend to curve downwards so that you can put some water on the leaf if you pluck it and turn it upside down. The convex shape of the leaf is helpful because it allows water to flow off the leaf if it gets to the leaf, thus protecting the leaf from leaf rot.

Peperomia Pepperspot Care

This is one of the easiest plants to manage; it has a surprisingly low level of fussiness for a plant of its appearance. The following are some of the leading care considerations for Peperomia Pepperspot.

Lighting and Placement

As earlier mentioned, Peperomia Pepperspot is a native of Latin American rain forests. It is a small plant amid giant, ancient trees. Owing to its size vis a vis the size of all the plants around it, this plant doesn’t have access to direct sunlight. Its larger neighbors blot out the sun. This doesn’t mean it can survive in the dark. It requires adequate light, just not direct sunlight.

Therefore, you should keep it under a shade when growing it at home, probably on an overhanging roof. You can keep it next to a window that will allow for direct sunlight but place it behind a sheer curtain. It will help keep the plant healthy while protecting it from UV rays.

As noted earlier, the plant’s morphology makes it an ideal hanging plant, and it is best to hang it on the overhanging section of the roof outside the house. You can also turn it on the window grills inside the home or other places that need decorating. You should pay special attention to the positioning of this plant where the wind is concerned. It doesn’t do well in a droughty place.

Temperature for Peperomia Pepperspot

The string of coins isn’t cold or hardy. A moderately warm temperature is necessary for its survival. The temperature range for optimum plant quality is between 65^o and 75^oF. This translates to 18^o – 24^oC. You can maintain this temperature artificially if you plant the Pepperspot indoors, regardless of the weather outdoors. If your area experiences frigid winters, you can move the plant indoors and keep it there as you wait for more favorable temperatures. You should take it indoors when the temperature gets to 59^oF (15^oC), so it doesn’t exactly take a freeing winter to necessitate relocation.

Too much heat, on the other hand, causes the plant to be leggy and causes the leaves to fall off. Move the plant indoors where it will enjoy ambient temperatures if you are experiencing inordinately hot summers.

Humidity

This plant can survive under a wide range of levels of humidity. It is a resident of tropical rain forests, so it does well in medium to high humidity areas. However, it can also survive in dry places, but it does best in moderate humidity. It will survive under humidity anywhere between 40% and 90%. If the atmosphere is too dry, you can mist the plant once in a while to optimize its environment.

Soil for Peperomia Pepperspot

The soil that best supports this plant is loose and well-draining. Its roots are pretty delicate, and they are likely to rot if the soil drains water. Also, the soil should be rich in organic matter since the matter helps retain some moisture in the soil, which is necessary to nourish the plant. The plant’s organic matter also provides some nutrition to the plant, but that is not its primary role; Peperomia pepperspot is an epiphyte that gets most of its nutrients through the leaves and not through the leaves.

The Pot

The pot you use for the soil is a critical determinant of how well drained the soil will be. You can use a pot made from any material as long as it has suitable drainage holes. The critical role these drainage holes play for the plant’s health is allowing excess water to drain from the soil. No matter how well-draining the soil is, if the water settles at the base of the pot, it will still damage your plant’s roots.

An unglazed terracotta pot is the best for any plan that prefers well-drained soils. It has a significant advantage because besides excess water flowing through drainage holes, it also evaporates from the sides of the pot where there are tiny spaces. The small spaces also allow air to pass through the soil; thus, the pot will well air the roots. The lack of enough oxygen causes root rot in Peperomia pepperspot. The additional infusion of oxygen to the roots through the pot will make the hearts healthier.

Also, read

• An Ultimate Succulent Pot Buying Guide – Choosing The Right Pot For Your Succulents
• What To Plant in a Shallow Planter? 3 Best Shallow Pots for Succulents
• Top 5 Hanging Succulent Planters Worth Having

Watering Peperomia Pepperspot

Giving this plant a drink is one of the most critical care considerations. Watering is essential because the plant needs water to survive and because root rot is the main danger this plant faces, and it is caused by overwatering.

Peperomia pepperspot can survive in low humidity because it is drought resistant. However, it produces the best results when the soil has some moisture. Bearing the type of soil you should grow, you need to water the plant regularly. Misting from time to time will also give you the best results for your plant, and it enjoys rainwater the most, so you should invest in rainwater harvesting.

Watering according to the seasons

Watering the soil is a delicate affair. Some people advise on the number of times you should water the plant in different seasons, but it is challenging to make an accurate prediction. The lack of clarity is because the weather in different seasons is different in various places. Some places experience hotter summers than others, while others experience warmer winters. Weather patterns, even in the exact location, are not clear-cut. One summer can be sweltering while the other one turns out to be pretty cool. Due to evaporation, the plant will need more frequent watering in the warmer summer.

Therefore, the best way to water is to do a moisture test on the pottage. You only water when the substrate has no moisture from the previous watering, and you can tell there is no moisture by sticking your fingers in the soil. If there is no moisture in the first two inches, you will know it is time to water. You will learn your plant’s rhythm for the season after watering it a few times. Then you will notice that your estimates on when you need to water will get more and more accurate. You rarely need water in winter, but you should watch the plant to see if it needs water. Please give it a drink once when you deem it necessary.

Fertilizer

Rapid effect chemical fertilizers are not suitable for Peperomia pepperspot because it is an epiphyte that is not well adapted for nutrient uptake through the roots. Slow-release organic fertilizer is the best option, and you should include it in the pottage when potting or repotting.

Also, you should feed it with organic fertilizer once per month in spring and summer, which are the growing months. Avoid feeding the plant in winter because that is its dormant season, and the fertilizer would be a waste. A liquid organic fertilizer that is triple drained is the best to use in this case.

Repotting

Repotting is not highly recommended because you will break the stems when doing it, and it is also likely to stress the plant. It may be necessary to repot a plant for any or all of the following three reasons.

1. The plant has grown too big for the pot.
2. The soil has lost its permeability.
3. The soil has become too lean for the plant.

The Coin and Strings is a small plant whose roots usually don’t grow too long, and the first reason is likely to apply.

Your substrate loses its permeability, and the soil becomes too lean for the plant. These two reasons the more likely to necessitate repotting for this plant. As you water the soil and the plant’s roots grow, some of the bigger particles in the substrate break down. Spaces in your pottage become smaller and smaller, reducing the openings through which additional water is meant to escape. Your plant is likely to suffer from the root rot when this happens.

How to Repot Peperomia Pepperspot

The plant is likely to have grown to cover the pot and basket, so you should gently move the stems from their different locations over the pot, being careful not to break them. Move the stems and bind them together on top of the pot to expose the soil. Take a dull knife or a flat stick and run it around the pot where it comes to contact with the soil. This move will loosen the soil and make it easy to remove it from the pot.

Hold the pot in one hand and turn it upside down and hold the plant’s roots with the other hand. The best step should be to remove as much soil as possible from the roots and plant the plant in the new pottage. Water the new plant and give it the best possible conditions to thrive.

Pest and diseases

This plant is a fleshy succulent sap-sucking bug such as mealybugs, and aphids are prone to attack it. You can remove these pests on the plant by spraying liquid soap mixed with water on the plant. Organic pesticides such as neem oil are recommended for use against these pests.

One should also have a routine check on your plant, especially on the underside of leaves, as this is where the pests start their attack. When found, make sure to pinch off the affected leaf.

Also, read

• Pest Control For Succulents – Protecting Your Succulents By Getting Rid Of Bugs & Pests

Pruning and Grooming

You get to see the full beauty of this vine when you grow it in a hanging basket. The vines grow and cover the basket exposing the green foliage and the brown-red vines. Placing the plant in a good basket is the first step of grooming. Growing the plant in a growing basket made of moss is a great idea. Such a pot allows the plant’s vines to wrap around it. The moss provides nourishment that makes an epiphyte as Peperomia pepperspot thrive.

You will know you need to prune your Peperomia pepperspot when you notice it is overgrown or leggy. Prune the tree using a disinfected pruner or knife to prevent the blade from infecting the remaining plant. You should target your pruning to shape the plant and make it look great. The best time to trim is spring’s beginning, the growing month. Pruning at the beginning of spring gives you the leeway to be aggressive with the pruning because the plant will have the time to recover throughout the growing period.

Propagation of Peperomia Pepperspot

Propagating Peperomia Pepperspot in Water

1. Cut a part of your plant’s stem with a sharp, sterilized knife. The cutting should be two inches long with at least two leaves. If you want to use a leaf, pull out a leaf from your Peperomia pepperspot plant at the base. You should remove the leaf with the stalk that connects it to the stem.

The following steps apply equally whether you propagate by leaf or by stem.

2. Allow your leaf or stem cutting to dry by keeping it under a warm shaded place for two to three days.
3. Get a tight-necked bottle, vase, or test tube and fill it with water. Take the stem cutting or leaf and put it into the bottle without dipping it into the water, allowing a little space. The reason to allow the distance between the stem/leaf and water is that the roots will come out faster as the cutting tries to bridge the gap between itself and the water.

Keep the bottleneck thin to keep your cutting from getting submerged in water.

Before putting the plant in water, you might find that the lower section where you want the roots to appear has been hardened so much that water might find it hard to seep through due to dried-up sap. You can cut off a small section of it on the rooting side to make it more sensitive.

4. Ensure you change the water every two weeks to keep it fresh until the rooting is complete and the plant is ready to be moved. You can allow it to continue growing in water if you don’t want to move it.

This plant can be propagated by leaf cuttings and stem cuttings in soil or water. You can also propagate it using seeds.

You need the following things you need before you start.

1. A sharp cutting tool such as a knife or hand pruner
2. Alcohol wipes, methylated or surgical spirit, and cotton wool
3. Three-inch pots depending on the number of plants you want to propagate
4. well-draining soil

Take the following steps for successful propagation.

1. Take your cutting tool, and wipe it with alcohol wipes or otherwise sterilize it. Sterilizing the instrument is an integral part of the process as it ensures neither the daughter nor mother plant gets infected with any disease that might be on the tool.
2. Cut one of the spreading branches at the base with your now sterilized tool. The cutting should have one or two nodes on it.
3. Please wait a few days for it to be callous to reduce the cutting rotting possibility.
4. Plant the Peperomia pepperspot in well-draining soil and water lightly. It would help if you were vigilant not to let the mud completely dry while avoiding overwatering.

Ground Layering

1. Break up the top two inches of the soil in the pot.
2. Take one of the vines proceeding from the plant and apply the rooting hormone to some nodes.
3. Place the stem/vine on the now broken soil and fox them in position using hairpins. Be careful while positioning it to keep it from snapping.
4. Keep the plant in that position for a few weeks. When the roots sprout from the nodes, you will notice. Cut off the new plant and allow it to grow separately.

Final Thought

This beautiful plant is one of the easiest to care for. The best way to grow the plant is using hanging baskets since it gives you the best view of this plant’s beauty.