Sharing is caring !
This is a utter beginner ’s usher to growing and caring for the watermelon peperomia plant .
Therefore , if you ’ve ever wonder how to impart these beautiful plants to your indoor plant collection , this is the gross place to start your inquiry .
With patterns on the parting resemble watermelon rind , it ’s doubtlessly one of the most optic - becharm houseplant in existence .
Citrullus vulgaris peperomia plants ( Peperomia argyreia ) , antecedently eff asPeperomia sandersii , are stuffy relatives of true pitch-black pepper ( Piper nigrum ) and distant relatives to the pop pothos plants , and just as soft to turn and hold indoors .
In today ’s mail service , we ’re going to talk about everything you need to know to successfully grow and deal for these plants include where to buy Citrullus vulgaris peperomia plants , their propagation , and the rough-cut problems to watch out for .
Sounds helpful ?
Let ’s begin with a abbreviated introduction toPeperomia argyreia .
Introduction to Watermelon Peperomia Plants (Identification)
Plant description
Peperomia argyreiais a tropical metal money of recurrent plant with evergreen plant foliage .
It belongs to the family Piperaceae , along with other usual plant such as black pepper and kava .
Peperomia argyreiaderives its name from the Grecian word “ argyros ” meaning silver , which name to the shine pattern on the leave .
The flora grows a lush , green stem that can reach up to 6 - 8 inches in top with an equal spread , however , multiple stems growing from a unmarried origin system of rules are quite common too .
These upright stems sustenance ovate or lancelike leave of absence that measure around 2 - 3 inches in duration and grow in whorl along the stem .
The leaves of the watermelon industrial plant are thick , shiny , and variegated green with silver streaks running through them , which together pass on the industrial plant its classifiable facial expression which resembles the surface of a watermelon .
Each round , glossy , fleshy folio that grows to 3.5 ” long is beautifully striped with green and silver in a manner reminiscent of the watermelon vine rind . leafage stanch are an attractive red . While the industrial plant will now and again grow some interesting flower , it ’s mainly appreciated because of the folio .
These plants have been around for many years and remain as democratic as ever due to their unique flower shapes and variegated leaves .
Plant profile (noteworthy characteristics)
vulgar Name(s):Watermelon peperomia , Watemelon industrial plant , Watermelon begonia , Peperomia Sandersii
Botanical Name : Peperomia argyreiapreviously do it asPeperomia sandersii
mob : Piperaceae
USDA Hardiness Zones:10 - 12
Maintenance : soft
Mature height:6 to 8 inches tall
Mature spread:6 to 8 inches broad
Growing habit : tumid and bushy
Blooming : Seasonal flowering with a white - creamshowy bloom spikewhich is undistinguished .
aboriginal area : South America
How to Easily Identify the Watermelon Peperomia
Toxicity
Peperomia argyreiais non - toxic to humans and brute , however , ingest large quantities can cause stomach irritation .
The saphead in its leaves may cause pelt discomfort when touched or ingested , so it ’s ripe to handle the plant life with horticulture baseball glove .
Where to buyPeperomia argyreiaplants
Peperomia argyreia is wide uncommitted in nurseries and garden center , especially in areas that have a ardent climate year - orotund , such as Florida or California .
you may also buy watermelon peperomia plants online from various retailers and plant distributor . A good example isAmazon.com . We ’ll keep update this section of the article from time to time with more sellers .
Therefore , if you have any peperomia flora distributors in mind you could divvy up them so that we can update them .
How to propagate Peperomia plants
propagate Peperomia argyreia is easy and can be done by taking cuttings of the stem or farewell , rooting them in weewee , soil , or a potting mix for succulents .
The root on these plants root quite well .
However , if you choose to start plant propagation from an ethereal radical cutting ( a leafy branch ) , it ’s best to let the cold shoulder stop dry out and calloused before inserting it in the potting mix .
This ensures that no sap remains on the surface of the industrial plant which may inhibit root maturation when enclose to soil or water .
If you want to get the best results , expend anappropriate root hormoneto give your plantlet a good head start and boost overall works growth and development .
Also , it ’s crucial to apply equipment such as shears or scissor hold that you ’ve soundly sterilized to keep off any infection .
Select an appropriate potting mix
Peperomias like a light potting mix since their ascendant are often prone to waste . Therefore , it ’s vital to select appropriate potting soil .
If possible amend your potting mix with some orchid barque , worm compost , and coco coir alternatively of peat moss . Coco coir can hold water without sacrifice aeration which is cardinal when it comes to drainage .
If all this sounds too complicated for you , anycommercial cactus mix(succulent and cacti potting mix ) will still work OK .
Whatever you decide , do n’t use garden soil or surface soil because it contains too much organic matter which run to the development of mold and fungus when let out to high humidness . These conditions will facilitate ascendant rot in your peperomia plant life .
Expose your Plants to bright indirect sunlight
If you ’re planning to uprise your peperomia indoors , keep in nous that the plants require a lot of bright indirect sun .
However , be deliberate not to unwrap the works to direct sunlight because the leaves may cut . Besides , while other case of peperomias thrive in hopeful light , too much of it will pressure the watermelon begonia to pass the variegated color .
Furthermore , these plants cantolerate low lightfor several months without any noticeable strain .
Ideally , it ’s best to place it in an East - facing window or another location where it will receive three or more hours of morning sunshine .
If you desire to grow the plants outdoor , verify you grow them under the refinement or where the sunshine is strain . Here ’s a list of othershade - loving perennial .
Watering your watermelon begonia
It ’s significant to pass on the dirt slightly dry between watering , which stand for avoid frequent waterings .
If you ’re growing Citrullus vulgaris peperomia plants in a lowly container , it ’s best to let the soil dry out entirely before re - lacrimation .
On the other bridge player , if you observe that leave are looking droopy , it ’s meter to give your plant a thorough swallow – which means until you see weewee come out of the drainage holes .
Temperature and Humidity
Peperomia argyreiais a tropic plant that grows well in warm indoor conditions ( middling way temperature of 15C - 28C or 60F - 82 F ) .
Peperomias are sore to freezing temperatures . Hence , if you take your plant alfresco during strong weather , take it in as soon as nighttime temperatures drop to 60 to 65 F.
Although these plant require high humidness level ( > 50 % ) and gain from misting the leafage regularly , most modal indoor humidness will be sufficient for them to thrive .
However , if you suspect your indoor humidity is right smart too small , you may increase it by grouping the plants together , localise them in or near your bathroom , placing the plant in a saucer full of wet pebble , or using anindoor plant humidifier .
Applying fertilizer
Citrullus vulgaris peperomia plants can be feed once every calendar month during their active emergence period ( natural spring and summertime ) with a standard houseplant fertilizer .
you’re able to also use rude organic fertilizers , such as compost or manure tea .
However , it ’s best to manoeuvre readable of semisynthetic fertilizers because the high-pitched amount of salt they check may damage the plant .
Repotting Watermelon Peperomia
Peperomia argyreiadoesn’t take frequent repotting .
you may move your plant life into a larger container once every two year or if you notice the base come up out the drainage hole , but otherwise it ’s not necessary because peperomias like to be kitty - truss .
Cleaning the leaves
It ’s important to wipe the leave frequently with a besotted cloth to take away junk and filth that can damage their glossy surface .
Pests and Diseases Control
Mealybugs , spider mites , andwhitefliesare the most coarse plague that affectPeperomia genus Argyreia . When a plant is infested with these bugs , it ’s right to isolate it from the other flora in your accumulation to avoid any further counterpane .
gratefully , except for the periodic root rotting , these industrial plant are not susceptible to disease . you could pull off root rot by followinggood watering practices .
Common problems growing watermelon peperomia plants
1. Watermelon peperomia drooping leaves
If you observe that the leaves of your plants are look sagging , 80 % of the time it ’s because the potting soil miss wet as a result of under - watering .
You may need to check the potting mix if it ’s dry and water where necessary . However , if there is sufficient wet present in the mix , then your Citrullus vulgaris begonia may be suffering from root rot as a result of overwatering .
In such a caseful , you need to debunk your plant to sufficient aeration to turn on the mix to dry up . For instance , bring your plants out-of-door if the conditions are contributive .
2. Watermelon peperomia leaves curling
curve of the parting in peperomias could mean several matter . The first and most common is the deficiency of sufficient water in the soil . The 2nd intellect is vulnerability to down loose levels for a prolonged period .
The last and often accompanied with distorted leaves is either an flak by germ or a deficiency or both . For illustration , if your peperomias are suffering from calcium and magnesium , they will attempt to communicate with you by curl their farewell .
Apply a balanced houseplant plant food rich in Calcium and Magnesium where possible .
3. Brown spots on the leaves
There are a lot of contradicting explanation out there on why there are browned spots on the leaves of watermelon peperomia .
I ’ll , therefore , attempt to explain this as best as I can .
For starting motor , in rare cases the dark-brown spots form in a ring - alike manner , then the works could be suffering from peperomia hoop spot which is triggered by a virus transmitted in unhealthy cuttings during propagation .
The other disease could be leaf spot cause by leaving urine on the leaf aerofoil for too long .
If that ’s the instance , discard all the affected plants and propagate fresh ones from healthy plant press cutting .
Overwatering or severe underwatering could also make the leaf on your peperomia to develop brown spots .
4. Peperomia leaves fading
If you comment that the watermelon - like diversification on leaves is beginning to fade , it intend that you ’re exposing your peperomia plants to too much hopeful sunshine .
To correct this trouble , commit the plant where they can have shining indirect sunshine preferably the morning sun .
5. Peperomia leaves yellowing and dying
Yellowing of the leaves is almost always a issue of too much H2O in the dirt . If it persist , the leaves will fall off the plant and eventually die .
To correct this problem , cut off the yellow folio sparingly since they do n’t look that good anyway . Go easy on lacrimation and if the plant life is adversely affected cut off the salubrious part and re - propagate to start afresh .
This way , you could store your give out watermelon peperomia .
6. Watermelon peperomia leaves splitting
As already established , peperomia are humidness - loving plants . But they just do n’t bang the humidity , instead , they need it to thrive and maintain those beautiful leave of absence .
If they do n’t get enough humidness especially when breathing is high-pitched , the leaves dry out out and then split . Frequent misting of the leaves when the weather is hot will help to prevent this job .
Besides , you’re able to increase humidity around the plants by grouping them , placing them in or near yourbathroom , placing the plant in a discus full of wet pebbles , or using anindoor flora humidifier .
Conclusion
While watermelon vine peperomia is quite a breath - taking plant that is easy to grow and give care for , most the great unwashed especially first - clock time owners find it hard to keep the plant in top chassis .
However , with this guide , you ’ll be able to not only loose your unripened ovolo but enjoy while at it . If you have to blank out everything you ’ve read in today ’s post , remember these 3 things :
That ’s it !
I hope you ’ve enjoyed reading this clause as much as I enjoyed writing . In which typeface , I ’d revalue it if you could share with your internal circle .
