The leaves of my pilea peperomioides have turned into a light green color recently and has white dots and I’m not sure what the problem is. The soil does stay wet for a while but it’s been growing in this pot since March and had not had a root rot problem. One of the leaves started getting this brown spot too. Is this a sign of overwatering? I’m thinking it might be root-bound too as it’s growing two plantlets too and had some roots poking out of the drainage hole. #help!!
I’m suspecting from the looks of it that the leaves are lightening from being in too bright a lighting situation and that the browning is edema, which can happen from changes in the humidity or temperate to the environment the plant is in, or poorly draining soil. I would guess soil if the soil takes a while to dry out, especially if the soil is Miracle Grow brand. If it is edema, don’t remove the affected leaf until the edema stops spreading, or it will only spread to new foliage on the plant. I would check the roots for any distress and try repotting it in a cactus and succulent mix to improve the drainage. It’ll help the plant dry out faster to lower the chance of overwatering, root rot, and hopefully stop the edema. I swear by Espoma’s Organic Cactus and Succulent Mix for my peperomias. If you want to reduce the risk of shock from repotting, cover the roots liberally with Bonide’s Rooting Hormone Powder before placing it in a pot with new soil. The other thing you might want to consider is the size of the pot. Peperomias like being more snug in their pots, and getting rootbound between repottings. If the pot is a glazed ceramic pot, it might be holding excess moisture that makes it take longer for your plant to dry out too. I’d opt for something no more than 1-2 inches wider in diameter than the width of the plant’s root ball. A terra cotta pot with at least one large drainage hole or a plastic pot with multiple drainage holes should work great for this plant. As for the white dots, those are normal. It’s how the plant naturally expels excess minerals, so there’s no need to be alarmed by that. It might suggest that there’s excess salts it’s trying to shed if you’re using tap water to water it, though. Hope this helps!
1 me gusta Thank you so much!! This was super helpful. I actually am using Miracle Gro soil but I actually used the cactus potting mix! I unfortunately already cut off the affected leaf :/ I’m curious to know why it’s better to leave it on and if I cut it off it would rather spread to new foliage? I guess the size of the pot might not be the problem but I guess I’ll consider repotting this into a terracotta pot! Thanks again!
1 me gusta The way edema works is that until the problem causing it is solved, it’ll just keep affecting new leaves. Even the cactus mix isn’t well-draining, so I’m 99% sure that’s probably what’s causing the problem for you. Your pilea will probably be much happier once in a better draining soil. As long as you use a cactus mix that’s any other brand than Miracle Grow, your pilea should start to improve. And no problem 😉 happy to help
1 me gusta Got it thanks so much! Do you have any soil brands you would recommend? I guess that’s what I get for using a cheap brand🥲
0 Me gusta Espoma! Their Organic Cactus and Succulent Mix is perfect for peperomias 👍 I get mine at Ace Hardware or my local plant nurseries. They’re around the same price or less than Miracle Grow where I live.
1 me gusta Thank you I’ll check it out!
1 me gusta
i had mine in a window that gets strong sun and leaves started to yellow. Put it under grow light & it's completely perked up.
1 me gusta Got it thanks! Maybe I should do that too
0 Me gusta