Peperomia has more than 900 species of plants with magnificent decoration in the form of leaves of various shades and shapes.
But against the background of such beauty, Peperomia has completely nondescript inflorescences and fruits.
Peperomia in its natural habitat grows in the hot tropical countries of America and India, belongs to the pepper family and is found in the form of annual as well as perennial plants belonging to the shrub species.
At home, you can grow up to 50 types of peperomia.
To decorate your own housing, you can choose the following types of peperomia:
Ampel shape with hanging long stems from a pot.
Bush-shaped, neatly flaunting on the windowsill.
Succulent variants of this plant.
Peperomia and features of its cultivation at home
Features of growing a flower at home:
Location and light - all types of Peperomia do not accept a sharp decrease in air temperature, which is why in winter they are kept at 20 - 22 degrees, not less. These plants can grow only in well-lit places, although penumbra is also an exception, as well as rooms with artificial lighting.
Watering - plants like moderate. After watering, the soil must be dried.
Humidity is moderate.
Reproduction - leafy and stem cuttings.
A transplant is rare once every few years.
Peperomia and home care for this tropical plant
Peperomia - care for this plant must be carried out based on its tropical origin.
Lighting
The leaves of Peperomia are green and colorful. From this color and how much the plant needs light on the windowsill where it is located. A plant with variegated leaves needs bright light, but not direct rays of the sun - it is afraid of them. With a lack of lighting, the leaves of Peperomia begin to turn green, and the plant loses its certain peculiarity and personality.
Peperonias with green leaves like dim light and partial shade.
Therefore, Peperomia must be placed correctly - a plant with variegated leaves on the southern windowsill, flooded with sunbeams, and with green leaves in the shade, further from the sun.
If there are no shady places in the house, then it is possible to produce a kind of barrier between the plant and the sun in the form of a tulle or paper curtain.
Temperature
Peperomia does not tolerate drafts at all. The plant will not grow on the balcony or with the open window. The optimum temperature at which the plant will feel good is 20-22 degrees heat.
Important! Maintain soil temperature. The roots of this plant are thin and short, so they absolutely can not stand the cold. And if Peperomia lost the luster of the leaves, and they began to deform, then the plant is cold and not comfortable. Therefore, it is simply necessary that the temperature regime of the soil at Peperomia be within 18-20 degrees.
Watering
Peperomia is not a lover of plentiful watering. Only in hot weather the plant may need a little more water than usual, but nevertheless, it is better not to fill the Peperomia. You can not allow the water to stagnate in the ground, the plant is afraid of excessive moisture.
As a result of the water overflow, the stem softens, leaves - the pride of Peperonia can turn black and fall.
You need to save the flower immediately, as soon as the first signs of the disease appear, excluding watering completely (for a week), until the substrate completely dries.
Humidity
Peperomia is not a finicky plant, and can develop well in dry air. But in order for the plant to be decorated with healthy and green leaves, it is necessary to spray and irrigate it with water during the hot season.
Important! Some species of this plant literally cannot tolerate spraying, for example, Peperomia (gray-haired).
Transfer
Peperomia and care for this plant also implies a properly made transplant.
Peperomia should be transplanted at least once a year in a new pot. If the plant has reached the age of three, then it must be transplanted every 24 months.
The new pot should be twice as wide as its predecessor, the depth of the tank for Peperomia and its root system is not important, because the roots of the plant are not particularly long.
The soil mixture for this plant should be well-loosened and permeable to moisture, consisting of sand, leafy soil and peat. Drainage required!
Peperomia and methods of reproduction of this plant at home
Peperonia can be propagated in several ways. It is only necessary to decide which method is preferred for the grower or just a lover of this exotic plant.
Seed propagation
The seed method of propagation is rather complicated, since it involves the purchase of seed in certain stores. And there is no absolute certainty in the quality of purchased seeds.
Acquired seeds, in no hurry, need to be laid out on containers in the soil, consisting of sheet earth and sand, and then cover them with glass over them. Thus, a certain greenhouse effect is obtained, which is so necessary for the seedlings of this plant.
The climate of the room in which the seeds of Peperomia should grow should be close to the natural habitat of this plant at least 25 degrees.
It is necessary to spill the soil with a strainer, eliminating any jets of water.
Dive seedlings after the appearance of the first two leaves. You can dive sprouts into drawers at a distance of 2 cm from each other, exposed on the windowsill of a curtained window.
After the plants get stronger, they must be planted in separate pots.
Propagation by cuttings
The top or the stalk with several knots must be placed in a moistened mixture consisting of peat, sand and earth, or just before the roots appear in water. The root system, therefore, will grow and develop in about a month.
After Peperomia, you can already transplant into separate pots.
Reproduction from the leaf
New and strong leaves with small cuttings must be placed in a substrate consisting of peat and sand, and on top for better rooting of the plant, create a greenhouse for it, covering the container with leaves and glass.
The first roots when using this method of reproduction appear already on the 10th day, and the plant is completely rooted on the 25th day.
Peperomia and home care for it, especially during the breeding season, requires the grower to follow the rules for growing this plant in order to grow a strong and beautiful plant that delights the eyes of lovers of tropical and at the same time decorative flowers.
Important! Peperomia has an incomparable useful property - the release of volatile products into the atmosphere, so that the air masses of the room where it lives are completely cleared of the presence of many harmful pathogenic bacteria that cause illnesses, especially in children.
