The Peperomia obtusifolia is available in a wide variety of leaf colors: pure green leaves, with yellow-green foliage or white-green spotted or striped variants, some of which are bordered in red are. The growth forms also differ slightly. Some dwarf peppers grow strictly upright, others tend to creep, while others, with their slightly hanging shoots, are perfect as a hanging plant. Although the herbaceous plant is quite robust, it makes certain demands on its watering. Only with the right watering behavior can the peperomia flourish and be an enrichment for the hobby gardener.
Short profile
- botanical name: Peperomia obtusifolia
- Other Names: Peperomy, Pepper Face, Ornamental Pepper, Fleshy Peperomy, Magnolia Leaf Pepper Face
- belongs to the plant genus of the pepper family (Piperaceae)
- evergreen herbaceous plant
- Leaves: fleshy, shiny, mostly elliptical in shape with a blunt tip
- Shoots are often purple in color
- whitish bulbs between early summer and autumn
- Height: about 15 to 30 cm
Varieties and occurrences
The dwarf pepper, botanically Peperomia, belongs to the pepper family and is distributed almost everywhere in the tropical regions of the world with over 1500 species. Most of the Peperomia species grow as perennial herbaceous plants of different size and appearance as epiphytes on larger trees, some also terrestrially. Most of the ornamental peppers are native to the rainforests or cloud forests of Central America. Some species of dwarf pepper can store water and are therefore considered to be succulent plants. One of the best-known and most popular types of dwarf pepper is Peperomia obtusifolia, also known as fleshy peperomy. This species impresses with its blunt, round, fleshy leaves, there are varieties with green or colored leaves.
- Peperomia obtusifolia 'Alba': young leaves in light lemon yellow, later turning a little darker
- Peperomia obtusifolia 'Albo marginata': gray-green leaves with silvery white edges
- Peperomia obtusifolia 'Greengold': cream-colored spots on gray-green leaves
- Peperomia obtusifolia 'Variegata': light yellow or cream colored bands on green foliage
- Peperomia obtusifolia 'Minima': dwarf form with only 3 cm large leaves
Location
The location for a meaty dwarf pepper should be as light as possible, but not in full sun. Since the distinctive decorative leaf plant comes in many different leaf colors, the following rule applies: the more colorful the foliage,
the lighter the plant should be. Green varieties do not tolerate quite as much sun as variegated peperomia varieties. In summer, the ornamental pepper can be placed outside on the terrace or balcony as an alternative to its usual place in the apartment. The condition for this is that the temperatures no longer drop significantly below 15 degrees (especially at night) and that it has a place protected from the midday sun. All peperomies need a warm climate all year round and cannot tolerate cold temperatures.- Light requirement: sunny to very light partial shade
- no direct midday sun in summer
- Temperature: 18 to 24 degrees
- does not tolerate strong temperature fluctuations
- free from drafts
- like high humidity
- Red-leaved varieties also on the shaded south window
- green-leaved varieties better on the east or west window
to water
Peperomia do not tolerate wet roots, because most species grow epiphytically and therefore do not have a pronounced root system, as they do not have permanent access to the water in the soil. Their stems or leaves are more or less juicy or fleshy thickened in order to counteract the drying out of the substrate. Waterlogging causes signs of putrefaction in a short time. Too intensive watering is one of the most common care mistakes and is the cause of the plants to die. That is why the dwarf pepper is poured regularly with little water, about once a week is usually sufficient. Alternatively, the plant can also be watered thoroughly every two to three weeks. Excess water must be removed from the coaster after five minutes. The substrate should always be able to dry out well between the individual watering intervals.
Tip: It's best to pour the water into the saucer so that the leaves don't get wet.
Fertilize
The Peperomia obtusifolia is regularly fertilized in the growing season between April and August three to four weeks with commercially available green plant fertilizer in weakly concentrated form over the Irrigation water. Too much nutrients cause soft and unnatural growth. Often the result is that the plant no longer has sufficient stability and the tissue collapses.
Substrate / repotting
The substrate for the dwarf pepper should be well permeable to air and water. Since the plants do not have a pronounced root system, relatively small planters are sufficient. Therefore, the peperomy rarely needs to be repotted. It is best to carefully pull the pepper face out of the plant pot every spring and the root growth
appraised. If the soil is not yet visibly rooted, no repotting is necessary. Only when roots can be seen on the outside of the ball does the plant need a slightly larger container and more substrate. Before repotting, the dwarf pepper should be poured. Then the fresh substrate bonds better with the root ball. Peperomia obtusifolia gets along well with flat bowls or hanging baskets.- 3 parts of standard potting soil
- Part sand
- 1 part peat soil
- 1 part grit, lava granulate or fine expanded clay granulate
- alternatively, commercially available cactus soil with peat moss
- First fill in a drainage layer
The larger the pot for the pepper face, the coarser the substrate should be granulated to ensure good permeability for air and water. From a vessel diameter of over 15 cm, it is therefore advisable to add coarse lava rock, expanded clay or some orchid substrate (coarse bark).
Tip: If the pepper face does not grow well despite regular watering, it is likely that not enough air will get to the roots. A coarser substrate can help.
care
The dwarf pepper is not particularly maintenance-intensive. Some varieties prefer high humidity, which is why the herbaceous plants are happy to be sprayed with room-warm, soft water from time to time. However, this is usually only necessary in the winter months when the heating dries out the air.
Tip: The leaves of the slightly succulent plant have stomata on the top. Leaf shine spray will clog these openings, causing the leaves to turn black.
Cut
The dwarf pepper is one of the "easy care" plants that require little care. A regular cut does not have to be carried out on the fleshy plant. Wilted leaves or inflorescences should be removed regularly. No tools are usually required for this, as the juicy stems can easily be broken out by hand. If the pepper face becomes too big for the windowsill, it can be cut back in spring.
- to do this, cut the ends of the shoots
- Remove lateral shoots
- remove any diseased or withered leaves and flowers
Multiply
Although some types of pepper face (especially the annual varieties) reproduce from seeds, the common procedure is vegetative reproduction from cuttings. There are about a dozen varieties of Peperomia obtusifolia that are grown as house plants. These can easily be divided into two groups: variegated varieties and unchanged varieties.
1. Head cuttings
Modified cultivars are propagated by head cuttings, since leaf cuttings lose their special characteristics. One of the most common variegated foliage varieties is Peperomia magnoliifolia, which, according to the latest doctrines, is also one of the fleshy peperomias. There are also varieties with red-yellow edged or creamy white variegated leaves. Pure green varieties can also be propagated using head cuttings.
- Time: spring or early summer
- Select shoot tip with good color development
- Length: at least two pairs of leaves and a growing tip (about 7 cm)
- remove the lower pair of leaves
- Cut the shoot just below the lower eye
- (below the removed leaves)
- use a sharp, clean knife
- Substrate: Mixture of peat or peat moss, sand and perlite
- Pot size: maximum 9 cm
- alternatively plant bowl
- Plant spacing (in bowls): at least 3 cm
- make a hole in the substrate with a wooden skewer or pencil
- Insert cutting
- Depth: maximum to just below the first pair of leaves
- Press the earth lightly
- water only lightly
- Place the plant pot in a transparent plastic bag
- if necessary, support with wooden skewers
- Temperature: around 18 degrees
- no direct sun
- alternatively, first root in a glass of water
In summer, the cutting is placed in a warm, light place in the room for rooting. Direct sunlight must be avoided at all costs. In the winter months, it has proven useful to place the planter on a window sill above the heater, as the soil should be nice and warm for the roots to develop. If the young plants show the first signs of growth after about five weeks and new leaves are formed, they can be separated into 9 cm pots and cared for like fully grown specimens.
2. Leaf cuttings
Unchanged varieties (i.e. green-leaved species) can also be propagated by leaf cuttings. To do this, a healthy, strong leaf is cut as deep as possible on the shoot without unduly damaging the shoot itself. This works best with a clean razor blade.
- Substrate: cactus soil, potting soil or a mixture of peat and sand
- Press the leaf with the stem lightly into the soil
- Keep the soil only slightly moist
- wet substrate causes the leaf to rot
- put in a clear plastic bag for the first two weeks
- place warm and bright
- no direct sun
As soon as small plants that are sufficiently rooted have formed on the leaf margin, they can be separated and planted in loose substrate. Since the Peperomia obtusifolia does not have a pronounced root system, relatively small planters are sufficient. It is important to fill in a drainage layer right at the beginning so that no waterlogging occurs.
Overwinter
The dwarf pepper is an evergreen plant that usually does not hibernate. Therefore the care does not differ significantly from that in the other months. Temperatures should not drop below 18 degrees even in the cold season, otherwise there is a risk of damage from the cold. Due to the low light supply, the plant grows much more slowly from mid-November. From September fertilization is stopped and only slowly started again in April. The quantities of irrigation water are also slightly reduced.
Diseases and pests
Parasites are rarely found on the Fleshy Peperomy. The main causes for the disease and death of the plant are fungi, bacteria or viruses, which are caused by excessive amounts of water, as well as rotting of the plant due to waterlogging.
- Fight scale insects with soapy water
- Rinse spider mites in the shower
- fading leaves: mostly caused by excessive exposure to sunlight
- Inhibited growth and withered appearance: several possible causes. Occurs when the plant is too cold, has been too much watered or the substrate is poorly air permeable
- lower leaves become lighter: mostly lack of nutrients in nitrogen or potassium
- Plant loses leaves: often a sign of excessive fertilization, fresh soil is necessary
- Spots on the leaves: overwatering or water on the leaves
If it is suspected that the roots are rotting due to overwatering, the plant should be taken out of the container over newspaper and the soil should be shaken off. If the roots are not yet visible, the remaining soil can be carefully removed from them under the shower. This makes it easier to determine which parts of the root are dead or rotten. Cut off any diseased or withered parts of the plant and place the healthy parts of the peperomy in fresh, coarse-grained substrate. As a rule, the dwarf pepper grows vigorously again within a short time.
Conclusion
The dwarf pepper is one of the easy-care plant species that are ideal for beginners or those gardeners who like to forget about their plants. Peparomia obtusifolia forgives one or the other care mistake if it is not kept too wet. Waterlogging is one of the care mistakes that mean the certain death of the plant.