Emerald ripple peperomia

Emerald ripple peperomia: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, rosette-forming little plant, 15–20 cm tall and 20–25 cm wide.

Leaves

Heart-shaped, 3–5 cm, thick and fleshy, with deep grooves between the veins; dark green, reddish or silvery grey depending on the variety.

Stalks

Short, fleshy and pink to red; they soon rot in wet compost.

Flowers

Thin, creamy white spikes above the leaves, like mouse tails. They are inconspicuous; the plant is grown for its leaves.

Roots

Fine and shallow: a small pot is all it needs.

Plants: March–April

Why grow it?

• Stays small and compact: ideal for a windowsill, a desk or a narrow shelf.
• Unusual, deeply grooved leaves that look good all year.
• Needs little water: the fleshy leaves and stalks store water.
• Known to be non-toxic to cats and dogs.
• Easy to propagate from a leaf with a piece of stalk.

Emerald ripple peperomia: where does it grow best?

• Bright light to partial shade without direct midday sun: an east- or north-facing window, or a little back from a sunny one.
• Warm: 18–24 °C, never below 12 °C. No cold draughts.
• Normal room humidity is fine; it also does well in a bathroom with daylight.
• Too little light makes the plant floppy with long stalks; too much sun bleaches the leaves.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Sparingly or moderately

Size

0.2 m tall, 0.25 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 12 °C

Goes well with

• Chinese money plant: Also small and easy, with round leaves that contrast with the grooved foliage.
• Other peperomias: A collection of species and varieties with different leaves on one windowsill, all with the same care.
• Haworthia: A small succulent for the same bright windowsill that also needs little water.
• Nerve plant: Finely veined leaves in a bowl of small plants; it likes things a little more humid.

Emerald ripple peperomia: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, but only when the pot is really full of roots: every 2–3 years is enough.
2. Choose a small pot, no more than 2 cm wider than the old one, with a drainage hole; a shallow pot is ideal.
3. Use free-draining houseplant compost mixed with one third perlite or fine bark.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm only lightly.
5. Water a little and let any excess drain away well.

Care

Watering

Water when the top half of the compost is dry, preferably from below or around the edge of the pot, not into the heart of the plant. Never leave water in the saucer.

Feeding

From April to September, houseplant feed at half strength once a month. None in winter.

Humidity

Normal room air is fine. In very dry air a tray of pebbles and water helps.

Leaves

Brush the dust out of the grooves with a soft paintbrush; misting is not needed.

Repotting

Rarely: every 2–3 years in spring, into a pot only slightly larger.

Tip: Water around the edge of the pot rather than into the heart of the rosette, and wait until the top half of the compost is dry. That way the stalks will not rot.

Emerald ripple peperomia: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. Remove old, yellow or damaged leaves whenever you see them.

How:

• Cut yellow or damaged leaves off at the base of the stalk.
• Cut faded, brown flower spikes off at the base.
• If the plant has lost its shape, use the best leaves as cuttings for a new plant.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Leaf cuttings

From April to August, cut a healthy leaf with 2–3 cm of stalk, insert the stalk at an angle in moist cutting compost and keep it warm (20–24 °C) under plastic. After 4–8 weeks small plantlets appear at the base.

Division

When repotting, carefully divide a large plant into two or three pieces, each with its own roots.

Emerald ripple peperomia: how does it get through the winter?

• Indoors all year: it cannot take frost and already suffers below 12 °C.
• In winter give it a light spot, perhaps closer to the window, but not against cold glass.
• Give very little water and no feed in winter: cold and wet is fatal.
• Keep it away from hot radiators.

Diseases and pests

• Stem rot: Black, soft stalks at the base and a collapsing plant, caused by overwatering. Water less; take cuttings from healthy leaves if the base is already rotting.
• Leaf drop: Caused by cold, draughts or wet compost. Move it somewhere warmer and let the compost dry out first.
• Corky bumps: Brown, corky bumps on the undersides of the leaves form when the plant takes up more water than it can lose. Water less and give it more light.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts at the base of the stalks. Remove them with a cotton bud dipped in a little alcohol.

Through the year

• January: Very little water, no feed. Light spot.
• March: Repot if the pot is full of roots.
• April: Resume monthly feeding. Take leaf cuttings.
• May: Feed. Take leaf cuttings.
• June: Feed. Protect from harsh midday sun.
• July: Feed. Water when the top half is dry.
• August: Feed. Cut off faded flower spikes.
• September: Last feed.
• October: Water less.
• December: Very little water. Away from the radiator.

Did you know?

• Peperomias belong to the pepper family, like the black pepper in your kitchen; the name means ‘pepper-like’.
• The genus Peperomia has more than a thousand species, many of them small plants from tropical America.
• The species name caperata means ‘wrinkled’ and refers to the deep grooves in the leaves.