Proper care for dwarf pepper, Peperomia obtusifolia

The Peperomia obtusifolia is available in a wide variety of leaf colors: pure green leaves, with yellow-green foliage or also white-green spotted or striped variants, some of which have a red border are. The growth forms are also slightly different. Some dwarf peppers grow strictly upright, others tend to spread in a creeping manner, while others, with their slightly hanging shoots, are perfect for hanging baskets. Although the herbaceous plant is quite robust, it makes certain demands on its watering. Only with the right watering behavior can the peperomy also thrive and represent an enrichment for the hobby gardener.

Short profile

• botanical name: Peperomia obtusifolia
• other names: Peperomia, Pepperface, Ornamental Pepper, Fleshy Peperomia, Magnolia Leafy Pepperface
• belongs to 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 spadix between early summer and autumn
• Growth height: about 15 to 30 cm

Varieties and Occurrence

The dwarf pepper, botanically Peperomia, belongs to the pepper family and, with over 1500 species, is found almost everywhere in the tropical regions of the world. Most Peperomia species are perennial herbaceous plants of variable size and appearance growing as epiphytes on larger trees, some also terrestrial. Most ornamental peppers are native to the rainforests or cloud forests of Central America. Some types of dwarf pepper can store water and are therefore among the succulent plants. One of the best-known and most popular types of dwarf pepper is Peperomia obtusifolia, also known as fleshy Peperomia. This species impresses with its blunt, round, fleshy leaves, there are varieties with green or colored leaves.

• Peperomia obtusifolia 'Alba': Young leaves are light lemon yellow, later turning a little darker
• Peperomia obtusifolia 'Albo marginata': grey-green leaves with silvery white edges
• Peperomia obtusifolia 'Greengold': cream spots on grey-green leaves
• Peperomia obtusifolia 'Variegata': light yellow or cream bands on green foliage
• Peperomia obtusifolia 'Minima': dwarf form with leaves of only 3 cm

Location

The location for a fleshy dwarf pepper should be as bright as possible, but not in full sun. Since the distinctive ornamental leaf plant occurs in many different leaf colors, the following rule applies here: 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 it gets a place that is protected from the midday sun. All peperomias require a warm climate all year round and do not tolerate cold temperatures.

• Light requirements: sunny to very light semi-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 southern window
• green-leaved varieties better on an east or west window

Pour

Peperomias do not tolerate wet roots, as most species grow epiphytically and therefore do not have a well-developed root system, as they do not have permanent access to the water in the soil. Their stems or leaves are more or less succulent or thickened to prevent the substrate from drying out. Waterlogging causes signs of rot in a short time. Watering too intensively is one of the most common care mistakes and is the cause of the plants dying. Therefore, the dwarf pepper is regularly watered with a little water, about once a week is usually sufficient. Alternatively, the plant can also be watered 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.

Fertilize

The Peperomia obtusifolia is fertilized regularly during the growth period between April and August three to four weeks with commercially available green plant fertilizer in a weakly concentrated form over the irrigation water. Too much nutrition causes soft and unnatural growth. The result is often that the plant later 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 examine the root growth. 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 watered. Then the fresh substrate connects better with the root ball. Peperomia obtusifolia does well in shallow pots or hanging baskets.

• 3 parts commercial potting soil
• part sand
• 1 part peat soil
• 1 part chippings, lava granules or fine expanded clay granules
• 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 to ensure good air and water permeability. From pot diameters of more than 15 cm, it makes sense to add coarse lava rock, expanded clay or some orchid substrate (coarse bark).

Care

The dwarf pepper is not particularly care-intensive. Some varieties prefer high humidity, which is why the herbaceous plants are happy about an occasional spraying with room-warm, soft water. However, this is usually only necessary in the winter months when the heating dries out the air.

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, since the succulent stalks can easily be broken out by hand. If the pepper face becomes too big for the windowsill, it can be cut back in the spring.

• to do this, cut the ends of the shoots
• remove lateral shoots
• Remove any diseased or wilted leaves and flowers

multiply

Although some species of pepperface (especially the annual varieties) propagate by seed, the usual procedure is vegetative propagation by cuttings. There are about a dozen varieties of Peperomia obtusifolia cultivated as houseplants. These can easily be divided into two groups: variegated varieties and unvaried varieties.

head cuttings

Modified cultivars are propagated by head cuttings, as they lose their special characteristics with leaf cuttings. One of the most common variegated varieties is the Peperomia magnoliifolia, which according to the latest school of thought also belongs to the fleshy peperomias. There are also varieties with red-yellow margins or cream-white variegated leaves. Pure green varieties can also be propagated via top cuttings.

• Timing: spring or early summer
• Choose a shoot tip with good color development
• Length: at least two pairs of leaves and growing tip (about 7 cm)
• remove the lower pair of leaves
• Cut off 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
• alternative plant bowl
• Planting distance (in bowls): at least 3 cm
• Make a hole in the substrate with a wooden skewer or pen
• Insert cutting
• Depth: maximum to just below the first pair of leaves
• Press the soil lightly
• just pour lightly
• Place plant pot in clear plastic bag
• Support with wooden skewers if necessary
• Temperature: around 18 degrees
• no direct sun
• alternatively first root in a glass with water

In summer, the cutting is placed in a warm, bright 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 plant bowl on a window sill over 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 form, they are separated into 9 cm pots and cared for like full-grown specimens.

leaf cuttings

Unmodified varieties (i.e. green-leaved species) can also be propagated by leaf cuttings. To do this, a healthy, strong leaf is cut as low as possible on the shoot, without damaging the shoot itself unduly. This works best with a clean razor blade.

• Substrate: cactus soil, potting soil or a mixture of peat and sand
• Press the leaf lightly into the ground with the stem
• Keep soil only slightly moist
• wet substrate causes leaf rot
• put in clear plastic bag for the first two weeks
• set up warm and bright
• no direct sun

As soon as small plants have formed on the edge of the leaf that have sufficient roots, they can be separated and planted in loose substrate. Since the Peperomia obtusifolia does not form 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.

hibernate

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. The temperatures should not fall 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. Fertilization is stopped from September and only slowly started again in April. The amount of irrigation water is also slightly reduced.

diseases and pests

Parasites are rare on Fleshy Peperomy. The main causes of plant disease and death are fungi, bacteria or viruses caused by excessive amounts of water, as well as rotting of the plant due to waterlogging.

• Fight scale insects with soap-alcohol lye
• Rinse off spider mites in the shower
• fading leaves: mostly caused by too intense sun exposure
• stunted growth and wilted appearance: multiple causes possible. Occurs when the plant is too cold, has been watered too much, or the substrate is poorly permeable to air
• lower leaves become lighter: mostly nutrient deficiency of nitrogen or potassium
• Plant loses leaves: often a sign of excessive amounts of fertilizer, fresh soil necessary
• Spots on the leaves: Overwatering or water on the leaves

If there is a suspicion that the roots are rotting due to overwatering, the plant should be removed from the container over newspaper and the soil shaken off. If the roots are not yet visible, they can be carefully freed from the remaining soil under the shower. This makes it easier to determine which parts of the root are dead or rotten. Cut off all diseased or wilted parts of the plant and plant the healthy parts of the Peperomia 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 low-maintenance plants that are ideal for beginners or those gardeners who like to forget about their plants. Peparomia obtusifolia also forgives one or the other care mistake, as long as it is not kept too wet. Waterlogging is one of the care mistakes that mean the certain death of the plant.

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