My little pepperomia apparently likes having “not too much, and not too little” water, according to Planta. However, does it like being either a bit more on the dry side, or a bit less on the not so dry side …🤨! (This is a bit confusing, and I hope you understand what I’m saying.) So, what about my little pepperomia… how should I water it? Is it better to keep it on the dry side, or the moist side of said, “normal” needs? TIA!
My peperomia obtusifolia is in a self watering pot and the soil seems to always be a little damp.
1 j'aime TXS for your post! How long have you had it in a self watering pot? TIA!
0 J'aime A year and a half. Just repotted her into a larger self watering pot as well. The white pot is what she came in. This is the 2.3 year progression. Both pots on Amazon. Black pot is the newest
Just wondering, why is half the plant inside the pot? In picture 2?
1 j'aime That’s the angle and you can remove the inner pot from the outer pot. It just sits a little low
1 j'aime Ohhh, ok.
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I’ve found mine likes to almost completely dry out, but peperomia with thicker leaves like those in the obtusifolia and clusifolia varieties prefer completely drying out between waterings. I’d recommend using a toothpick or wooden barbecue/bamboo skewer to stick it into the soil, and when it’s almost completely dry with only a little moisture sticking to the toothpick or skewer, it should be safe to water. I currently water mine every 12-14 days, and make sure to bottom water it, cause anything in the caperata or thinner leaf variety of peperomia doesn’t like getting the leaves wet. Hope this helps!
4 J'aime TXS for your post; it was most helpful! I almost always water by spraying my plants off, since most of them seem to like a shower to get clean, 🙄! I didn’t even think about its tender leaves, and the possible problems moisture could cause; so, thanks for the warning. I guess mine will no longer be getting showers… 🤭! PS. I will use a wooden stake to measure moisture in the soil, and will bottom water, as you suggested. Again, TXS
1 j'aime The toothpick trick totally works. Maybe bottom feeding is key since that’s how my self watering pots work
2 J'aime Love a good baking tip coming in handy with houseplants 😉 great for not overcooking brownies, even better for preventing overwatering peperomias. And plastic or metal skewers might work too. I just use the wooden ones since the soil seems to stick to them the easiest, so I consider them the best way of getting a sample of the soil and it’s easy to feel if the soil still has any moisture from feeling the skewer.
3 J'aime Yes, your explanation was very informative, and I learned something new… like don’t water your pepperomia until it’s almost dry! TXS!
1 j'aime No problem! Love the red coloring to the undersides of your Santorini’s leaves. I’ve got a peperomia frost named Bibi (Bimori, technically) but I’ll definitely have to see if my local nursery has any other types of caperatas around 👀
So the last peperomia i added, and Astrid the app had me watering like once a month, so I had to keep adjusting. Most of mine... I think i have 5 or 6 now. I'm watering about once a week. So in humid WA they are still slightly damp when I water
1 j'aime Who in the heck is Astrid? I’ve looked all through the apps; I did see some very interesting ones…😳, but nothing to do with plants, that I could find. So, do you know something, I don’t know? If so, could you please enlighten me… 🙄? TIA! PS. And thanks for the pepperomia advice! So, they do like to stay dry?!
0 J'aime From Watson's garden store, this one seems to be doing fine. And it does dry out more than say the pilea. My other one that has similar leaf shapes.. mmm piccolo i think it is. That one also dries out more before watering.
Now I get it! Astrid is the name of your new pepperomia! She’s very pretty with her lime coloration; I may have to get one…😍!
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Once it gets bigger you can tell by the leaves, the ones on the bottom will start dropping when it's time to water. I don't let mine dry out the second they do they start dropping leaves.
1 j'aime Just to clarify, when your pepperomia starts to dry out, do the leaves drop off or droop? TIA!
0 J'aime droop as in sag! autocorrect was fighting me there sorry. if they droop for too long they will fall off
1 j'aime I despise AutoCorrect, 🤬! It makes me say things, I wouldn’t ordinarily say, 😣! However, TXS for clarifying your info for me!
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