Peperomia care: light, water and which one to buy
A peperomia grows well in bright, indirect light, in a free-draining mix that partly dries out between waterings. Overwatering is what kills it, through root rot, and deep shade makes it straggly. This page covers placement, watering, compost, a bushier plant, which peperomia to buy, growing it outside and pet safety.
- Bright, indirect light: an east- or west-facing windowsill, out of summer sun.
- Let the compost partly dry out between waterings, and water less in winter.
- Use rainwater or filtered water; RHS says peperomias are sensitive to fluoride.
What a peperomia is
Peperomia is a genus of over a thousand species in the pepper family, native to the forest understory of Central and South America, Clemson says. The one this page leads with, Peperomia obtusifolia, the baby rubber plant, ranges from Florida to tropical America according to NC State. It is an upright evergreen with glossy, cupped leaves 8 to 15 cm long, almost as thick as a succulent’s, on stems usually tinged pink.
Those thick leaves and stems store water, which is why the care below is closer to a succulent than to a fern, and why overwatering, not underwatering, is the common way to lose one. Easy house plants that forgive neglect covers more plants that cope with being forgotten, and the plant care guide has every other species on the site.
Types of peperomia, from obtusifolia to string of turtles
RHS sorts peperomias into upright, horizontal and trailing kinds, and the care is close across all of them. The upright ones, like obtusifolia, the watermelon peperomia and the ripple peperomia, make a compact plant; the trailing ones, like string of turtles and creeping buttons, hang over the edge of a pot the way a string of hearts does.
RHS adds one difference: the succulent-leaved kinds want a cactus compost and slightly cooler winters, no lower than 10°C.
| Variety | What it looks like | Habit | Suits a pocket? |
|---|
| Peperomia obtusifolia | Glossy, cupped green leaves, pink-tinged stems | Upright | Yes |
| Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Variegata’ | Glossy green leaves with cream variegation | Upright | Yes |
| Peperomia argyreia (watermelon peperomia) | Silvery striped leaves on reddish stems | Upright, compact | Yes |
| Peperomia caperata (ripple peperomia) | Rippled, corrugated green or red leaves | Upright, compact | Yes |
| Peperomia clusiifolia (red-edged peperomia) | Glossy rounded leaves edged in red | Upright | Yes |
| Peperomia polybotrya (raindrop peperomia) | Shiny green leaves shaped like teardrops | Upright | Yes |
| Peperomia prostrata (string of turtles) | Tiny round variegated leaves like turtle shells | Trailing | Yes, it hangs over the edge |
| Peperomia rotundifolia (creeping buttons) | Small round leaves, like string of turtles | Trailing | Yes, it hangs over the edge |
| Peperomia quadrangularis (beetle peperomia) | Fleshy, striped leaves | Trailing | Yes, it hangs over the edge |
| Peperomia serpens (cupid peperomia) | Heart-shaped leaves | Trailing | Yes, it hangs over the edge |
Does a peperomia need sun or shade?
Bright, indirect or filtered light, without summer sun. RHS calls an east- or west-facing windowsill perfect and warns that direct summer sun scorches the leaves; Clemson grows it by an east- or south-facing window, and NC State says it takes dappled sun or a few hours of direct light.
It copes with less, but not with deep shade. Clemson says it tolerates fairly low light near a large north-facing window, which puts it among the plants for a low light room. RHS says deep shade gives weak, straggly growth.
How often to water a peperomia
Water when the compost has partly dried out, checked with a finger, not on a set day. RHS says to let it partly dry out between waterings and to water less in winter when growth slows, and Clemson lets the soil dry out between waterings. NC State says it tolerates neither wet soil nor very dry soil, so the aim is in between.
Overwatering is the risk. NC State says it yellows the leaves and can lead to root rot, Clemson says it makes the leaves drop, and RHS says wet roots rot, the leaves yellow and drop, and the plant can collapse. RHS also says peperomias are sensitive to fluoride in tap water and uses rainwater or filtered water at room temperature. What yellow leaves are telling you sorts out the other causes of yellowing.
Humidity and warmth for a peperomia
Ordinary room humidity is enough. NC State says obtusifolia prefers medium to low humidity, and RHS says most peperomias like humid air but adapt to the drier air of most homes. If the leaves brown, RHS stands the pot on a wide tray of damp gravel, and Clemson adds a humidifier in winter.
Keep it warm and steady. RHS grows peperomias at 18 to 30°C and keeps them away from cold draughts and radiators, which dry the leaves.
Compost, feeding and repotting a peperomia
Use a free-draining, airy mix. RHS mixes two parts peat-free ericaceous compost with one part perlite and one part medium orchid bark, and cactus compost for the succulent kinds; Clemson uses a well-drained potting mix or a cactus mix.
Feed lightly while it grows. RHS feeds every two weeks from April to October with a half-strength liquid fertiliser, and Clemson feeds only while it is actively growing, with a low-strength liquid or a slow-release feed. RHS repots every 2 to 3 years in spring, once the roots are densely packed, into a pot only a few centimetres larger than the root ball, to avoid waterlogging.
How to make a peperomia bushy
Cut back the long stems. RHS prunes straggly or overly long stems to encourage bushier growth, and removes dead leaves and stems to keep the plant tidy. The pieces you cut are the stem cuttings for the propagation steps below.
Then fix the light, or the stems stretch again. RHS ties straggly growth to excessive shade, so a peperomia that has gone leggy needs a brighter spot as well as the cut.
Can a peperomia go outside?
Only in the warm months, unless the climate is frost-free. NC State rates obtusifolia for USDA zones 10 to 12, and the RHS entry gives it a hardiness of H1B, a minimum of 10 to 15°C, and says it can go outside in summer. Clemson moves peperomias outdoors once nights stay at 16°C or above.
Is a peperomia safe for cats and dogs?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Peperomia obtusifolia, the baby rubber plant, as non-toxic to dogs and cats, and its cat list also names the ripple, watermelon, red-edged, string of turtles, creeping buttons and cupid peperomias as non-toxic. Clemson says most peperomias are considered safe for pets.
Non-toxic is not the same as unappealing, and a chewed plant looks chewed, so a shelf or a wall keeps it intact. For a trailing plant with the same verdict, the ASPCA lists the spider plant as non-toxic too.
A peperomia on the wall
NC State says obtusifolia is used as a desktop plant, and the same compact habit suits a wall pocket at eye level, where the leaf pattern of the watermelon or ripple kinds is easy to see. The trailing kinds hang over the edge instead. Hanging plants that last indoors covers where a trailing plant keeps its leaves, and living wall systems, compared the other ways to put plants on a wall.
A pocket stands proud of the wall with air on every side, so the substrate dries from more directions than a pot on a shelf does, which suits a plant that wants to partly dry between waterings. The Medium pocket holds 1.8 litres of substrate, about what a 15 cm pot takes, and RHS keeps peperomias in pots only a little larger than the root ball. Keep it off a wall with summer sun or a radiator below.
The board hangs by a slot near its top on one wall hook, so the wall side is one screw, one plug and one drilled hole. Treat the filled weight like a heavy framed picture: plasterboard takes an expanding plug, brick a standard one, and a tiled wall needs a tile bit before the masonry bit. The mounting guide goes through it step by step.
- Fill the pocket halfway with an airy mix of compost, perlite and orchid bark.
- Ease the plant out of its pot, keeping the root ball whole.
- Set it at the depth it grew before, top up loosely and firm gently.
- Water with rainwater or filtered water until it drains, then let it partly dry.
Peperomia problems and how to fix them
| What you see | Why | The fix |
|---|
| Yellow leaves, then leaves dropping | Overwatering and root rot | Let it partly dry between waterings and repot into fresh, free-draining mix. |
| Whole plant collapsing, wet compost | Root rot | Repot into fresh mix, trim soft roots and water less. |
| Long, weak, straggly stems | Too much shade | Move it brighter and cut the long stems back. |
| Scorched patches on the leaves | Direct summer sun | Move it back from the window into bright, indirect light. |
| Browning leaves | Dry air, a radiator nearby, or fluoride in the water | Move it from the radiator, use a damp gravel tray and filtered water. |
| White cotton, webbing or tiny white flies | Mealybugs, spider mites or whiteflies | Wipe or rinse the leaves and keep it apart from other plants. |
How to propagate a peperomia
Clemson propagates peperomias from stem cuttings and leaf cuttings, and says some root easily in water; NC State lists leaf and stem cuttings for obtusifolia. Mealybugs are one of the pests RHS, Clemson and NC State name, so check cuttings before potting them; how to get rid of mealybugs covers the white cotton in the leaf joints.
- For a stem cutting, cut 8 to 13 cm of stem, as Clemson does, and dip the end in rooting hormone.
- Insert it in gritty, free-draining compost, or stand it in water in bright, indirect light and pot it once rooted.
- For a leaf cutting, take a leaf with at least 2.5 cm of its stalk and set the stalk in moist compost.
- New plants form at the base of the stalk; pot them on once they have leaves of their own.
- Keep cuttings warm and in bright, indirect light, with the compost only just moist.
Is a peperomia a succulent?
Some kinds come close. NC State says obtusifolia’s leaves are almost as thick as a succulent’s, and RHS grows the succulent-leaved kinds in cactus compost.
Does a peperomia flower?
Yes, though not showily. NC State describes tiny, petal-less flowers crowded on a cream spike 9 to 13 cm long, and RHS says flowering is erratic, mainly in late summer.
How big does a Peperomia obtusifolia get?
The sources differ. NC State gives up to 60 cm tall, while the RHS plant entry gives about 25 cm.
Why is Peperomia obtusifolia called a baby rubber plant?
Its thick, glossy leaves look like a small rubber plant’s. NC State, the ASPCA and the RHS plant entry use the name for obtusifolia, while the RHS growing guide gives it to the red-edged Peperomia clusiifolia.
Is a peperomia related to black pepper?
They share a family. NC State places peperomia in the Piperaceae, the pepper family, which is also where black pepper belongs.
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