Mandrakes&More
Hi everyone! I recently got this new plant, and was wondering what she is. Planta and the place I got her from seem to disagree (though I can’t remember what her original home labeled her as). Wanted some expert opinions
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Hi everyone! I recently got this new plant, and was wondering what… | Foliage Plant Haven | Planta community
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Whit_YThat looks very similar to my Sweet & Sour Peperomia
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- Mandrakes&More
Thank you for the help, it’s very appreciated!
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AdrianDefinitely a sweet and sour peperomia obtusifolia. Here’s the ID link for it https://links.getplanta.com/cs71 I’ve got one myself and she’s one of my absolute favorite plants. Would you like some care tips for it?
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- Mandrakes&More
Omg that would be amazing thank you! It’s my first time caring for this type of plant, I would love some help!
1 like - Adrian
Well peperomias are one of my favorite plants, especially for those new to houseplants or anyone with lower light environments, so I’ll share what I’ve learned from the 8 I have 😊 1. They’re really low maintenance as long as they’re in a spot they like and in well draining soil. I keep mine in straight up cactus and succulent mix, but if you’ve got a really well draining and chunky all-purpose potting mix, you can use that too. I swear by Espoma’s Organic Cactus and Succulent mix for mine. They were all originally potted in a mix of 30% all-purpose mix and 70% cactus mix, and I add in fresh cactus mix for any repots. I’d personally avoid anything miracle grow brand soil for this outside of something like perlite or orchid bark, as I’ve found that even their cactus mix isn’t well draining enough for it. The other thing with potting is that they enjoy getting a little root-bound and being more snug in their pots, so don’t move them up more than 1-2 inches larger than the size of the root ball when repotting. I’d avoid ceramic or glazed pots for this one and opt for a terra cotta pot with at least one large drainage hole or a plastic pot with multiple drainage holes. I’d avoid a self watering pot for this one and make sure that whatever pot it’s in has drainage holes, cause this one likes drying out between waterings and a self watering pot can easily kill it.
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2. The obtusifolia variety you’ve got enjoys drying out between waterings, but the other peperomia varieties with thinner leaves like caperatas prefer to only be mostly dried out between waterings. I currently wait about 14 days between waterings for mine this month, but they’ll be watered closer to every 9 days in the summer and growing seasons. The easiest way to tell if it needs water is that the leaves are gonna feel thinner and more pliable. The leaves are succulent in nature, so you’ll see when they have water that they’re firm and feel almost plasticy in texture, but when they want water they’ll be more rubbery. I use a wooden or metal bamboo/barbecue skewer to stick all the way down to the bottom of the soil, then pull it out to see if the soil is still wet. If the skewer comes out dry and the soil feels dry to the touch up top, you should be free to water it. My biggest tip when watering this one is to bottom-water it. If you’re new to bottom-watering, look up “how to bottom-water a plant” on YouTube. It’s really easy and helps the plant develop a healthy root system, and also helps prevent root rot and attracting pests to moist top soil. Peperomia with the thinner leaves really need to be bottom-watered cause they don’t like getting their leaves wet.
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3. I wouldn’t mist any varieties of peperomia, but they do enjoy a normal amount of humidity. I live in PA, so we’ve got pretty humid summers and dry winters. I pull mine from the windows in the winter and opt for a grow light to avoid it getting too cold, but I don’t use a humidifier for any of my plants. If you already use a humidifier for your plants, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to park yours closer to one in the colder months. The only problem I’ve ever had with peperomia is edema (the brown spots on your leaves are edema. Nothing to be too worried about, but if you see it continue to spread to new leaves, don’t take off the affected leaves or it’ll keep spreading. It’s not anything fungal and won’t spread to your other plants. It’s just the plant’s way of telling you the soil isn’t well-draining enough or the spot it is or was in before you bought it was drafty or inconsistent with the humidity and temperature for it), so to prevent that, avoid placing it near cold or drafty windowsills, frequently opening doors, and air vents.
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4. The last thing is lighting. They are lower-light plants, and mine can hang out just fine without any grow lights in my north windowsills in the summer, but I’ve gradually adjusted mine to west-facing and south-facing windows. Peperomia with thinner leaves are gonna want that lower light instead, or their leaves will quickly lighten from too much light. Since yours is a variegated variety, you can gradually expose it to a west or south-facing window, as variegated varieties tend to enjoy brighter light. My sweet and sour peperomia will be in my south-facing windowsills come spring, but she started off in my north windowsills when I first got her and she loved that spot just as much. Essentially, my point is yours can handle just about any light, so as long as it isn’t showing signs of needing more light, you shouldn’t have to worry about needing a grow light outside of the winter or if you don’t have any windows to work with. That’s about it. I treat mine similarly to succulents that don’t like the cold. They’re more low maintenance than half of my succulents sometimes, so they’ve become a fast favorite for me, and I’m really excited to see more people getting interested in them. My sweet and sour peperomia is hands down one of my top three favorite houseplants, so I really hope yours treats you as well as mine does 😊
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