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In their native habitat, peperomias usually thrive in partially shaded areas that are damp and moist. You can even plant them outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and 11.
Most stay pretty small, and you can find species that never grow more than a few inches tall, while others climb closer to two feet tall at maturity.
Plants in this genus might flower when they’re happy with the environmental conditions, even when they are growing indoors.
The bad news is that the flowers aren’t showy or heavily scented. They look like little spikes, and lack any petals or sepals.
Many species are edible, though you should check on your specific species to be sure. They aren’t toxic to pets such as dogs or cats.
How to Grow
Peperomias are incredibly easy to grow, but there are a few things to do to keep them looking and growing their best.
Light
Direct light is no good. Peperomias need indirect light, though plenty of it won’t hurt them, so long as direct sunlight isn’t hitting them.
Full shade isn’t ideal either. Though plants will survive in full shade, they will likely be spindly and less attractive than they could be.
Soil
Peperomias do best in water-retentive soil, which is a medium that contains some coconut coir, peat moss, vermiculite, rice husks, or some combination of these.
Tank’s-Pro Potting Mix is a good option with a mix of coco coir and compost. You can find bags available at Arbico Organics.
Water
Keep in mind that while peperomias sometimes grow in wet, tropical areas, these semi-succulents can retain water for up to several weeks.
These beauties are particularly sensitive to water-logged soil and will suffocate if you give them too much moisture.
Let the top inch of soil dry out between watering. Just stick your finger into the soil and see if it feels moist. When the top inch dries out, add more water.
When a radiator plant is stressed, it may drop its leaves. This likely means it’s receiving too little or too much sunlight, or too little or too much water.
Fertilizing
If you only repot every few years, then you’ll want to add some fertilizer in the second year after repotting.
An all-purpose houseplant fertilizer will do the job nicely. You can purchase slow-release pellets, spikes, or liquid fertilizer.
I like to set it and forget it, so I prefer something like Osmocote’s PotShots, which slowly release food for six months.
Amazon carries this handy product in 25-count packages of nuggets, or try Osmocote Plus in one-pound, two-pound, and eight-pound containers and bags of granules.
Species and Cultivars
The most common species are beetle (P. angulata), watermelon (P. argyreia), and emerald ripple peperomia (P. caperata).
These have proven over the years to be healthy, reliable growers in the average home. The baby rubber plant (P. obtusifolia) is also quite popular.
P. maculosa looks like the pepper-family plant it is, with glossy, oval-shaped leaves that end in a sharp point, and pronounced veins. They’re less common than other species, but just as lovely.
If you want to learn more about these and other species for the home, we have an entire guide dedicated to the many varieties of peperomia.
Maintenance
It’s a good idea to size up your container once every year or two, depending on how quickly the plant is growing.
The pot should extend a few inches wider than the diameter of the base of the stem. In other words, when the peperomia stems start to reach the edges of the pot, it’s time to go up a size.
The exception to this is those species that have a trailing growth habit. Let these reach the edge of the pot to contain their spread.
You can repot every few years if you desire, or just change out some of the soil to help refresh it.
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Kristine Lofgren
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