Learn how to propagate Peperomia and get new plants for free.
That cute little plant with the wrinkled leaves sitting on your desk? It’s a peperomia. We’re going to talk about how to propagate the peperomia so you can have more of them without spending a lot of money. You can keep them or give them away.
Native to South America Rain Forests, Peperomia are epiphytes, which means that they grow on rotten wood in their natural rainforest environment. You might not have rotten wood around your house, so your peperomia can be planted in a container with potting soil. For a different look, you could have it growing on a moss-covered post as a hanging plant.
There are over 1,000 known species of peperomia with thick, fleshy leaves. You might think these little plants are succulents because of their thick leaves, but they prefer more humidity than succulents do. They are from the tropical rainforests where humidity is very high.
Common Peperomia Plants
These little plants have many names including Platinum Peperomia, Silver leaf Peperomia, and Ivy leaf Peperomia. And peperomia are such good candidates for propagation that you can have several new ones without spending any money and little effort.
The most common varieties that you can easily get include:
- Ripple Peperomia (P. Caperata) has heart-shaped leaves that are wrinkled with a bit of red, purple, or orange and dark veins throughout them.
- Watermelon Peperomia (P. Argyreia) has oval leaves with a silvery pattern on its leaves.
- Baby Rubber Plant (P. Obtusifolia) has an upright growth pattern and dark green rounded leaves.
- Red Edge Peperomia (P. Argyreia) has dark green leaves with red-purple color along the edges.
Peperomia Make Great Houseplants
Peperomia make great houseplants as they are easy to care for, adapt well to a variety of conditions, and are available in many leaf shapes and colors. They can grow to 12 inches wide and 8 inches tall, depending on which variety you get. And, they are non-toxic to dogs and cats!
Peperomia make perfect plants for your desk at work, and won’t crowd out your paperwork.
Place them in an area that receives light to moderate light. Since they can also flourish under artificial light, they make ideal candidates for a desk-top plant.
They like steadily moist soil, but not soggy. Don’t overwater your peperomia!
Peperomia thrive when slightly rootbound, so plant them in a smaller pot using rich potting soil.
Propagating Peperomia
Propagating peperomia is very easy using leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, or division. Whatever method you choose, once you get started, before you know it, you’ll have baby peperomias!
But take note!
A variegated peperomia can only be propagated from stem cuttings in soil or water, NOT a leaf cutting
Leaf cuttings will result in the loss of the variegation and the new baby plant will be a solid color
What You’ll Need:
- Sharp Shears or knife
- Small Trowel or Transplanting Shovel
- Containers for Water
- Small pots for Planting
- Water
- Potting mix
Water Propagating Peperomia Leaf Cutting
- Cut a large, healthy leaf and include a little bit of the stem
- Dip the cut end into rooting hormone
- Place it in a container or jar with water covering the cut end
- In about six weeks, tiny white roots will start to show
- Transplant the cutting with roots into a small pot with drainage holes
- Use a good, well-draining potting mix
- Keep the baby plant in a humid environment
- Keep the soil moist but not too wet as it could cause mold
- Once it gets established, you can plant it in the pot it will live in
Soil Propagating of Peperomia Leaf Cutting
- Cut a large leaf with the stem
- Bury the cutting in seedling starting soil, cut end down
- Place it in a warm, bright area until it starts to grow
- Transplant the cutting with roots into a container with drainage holes
- Use well-draining soil
- Keep the baby plant in a humid environment
- Keep the soil moist but not too wet as it could cause mold
- Once it gets established, you can plant it in the pot it will live in
Propagating Peperomia by Stem Cuttings
- Take a stem cutting with a few leaves or cut off a stalk (this works with types like watermelon or red-edged)
- Dip the cut end in rooting hormone powder
- Plant it in well-draining potting soil
- Make a “greenhouse” using a sealed bag, pop bottle, water bottle, or salad green container with lid
- Put the new plant in its “greenhouse”
- Open the container every week or so for fresh air
- The new roots will develop in a few weeks
- Once it gets established, transplant the new plant into a pot with drainage holes
Transplanting Your Baby Peperomia
Once it gets established, you can plant the baby plant in the pot it will live in. Peperomia all have shallow root systems so be careful when you transplant the babies into their pots.
Transplant into different pots using a well-draining potting mix
- Transplant the cutting with roots into a container with drainage holes
- Use a light, well-draining potting mix to plant them in
- Keep the baby plant in a humid environment
- Keep the soil moist but not too wet as it could cause mold
- Place your new plant in a warm, bright location. Don’t place in direct sunlight.
Baby Peperomia Are Ready To Go!
Now you know how to propagate the peperomia! Did you find it easy to propagate them and add more plants to your collection? Which one is your favorite peperomia?
Available at Amazon, there is an item that has three different peperomias on the same order.
Here’s a post that lists easy houseplants to help you learn about available easy houseplants and make some choices about what plant to bring home next.