Types And Cultivation Of Bushy Peperomia

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

The horoscopic plants of the Cancer zodiac sign (June 22 - July 22) include the following: modest agraonema, Mason's begonia, hybrid fuchsia, wavy cotyledon, Kalanchoe, aloe agave, young, grass calamus, adorable dieffenbachia, agave and bushy peperomias.

Experts subdivide the species (and there are more than 1000 of them) of the genus Peperomia (the family of peppers Piperaceae) conditionally into bushy, erect and ampelous.

The place of their natural origin, according to scientists, is the subtropical and tropical regions of South America and the East Indies. In the wild, some types of peperomia are terrestrial (they can be found at the bases of trees), others grow in crevices of rocks or directly on trees, like epiphytes.

According to some authors, the name "peperomia" comes from a combination of the Greek words "pepri" ("pepper") and "omos" ("the same", "similar") - by the resemblance to pepper. Other experts believe that it is taken from the ancient Indian "pipiflam" - "peppercorn": if you rub the leaves with your fingers, the smell of pepper appears.

Peperomias are perennial evergreen herbaceous low (15-50 cm) plants with white-green peduncles similar to mouse tails. Because of this similarity of peduncles, peperomia was nicknamed "a plant with rat tails."

Fruits (dry berries) crumble after ripening (even with a slight touch). These plants have slightly succulent leaves, varied in shape, color and structure.

In indoor floriculture, about 50 types of peperomia are used, among which the most common and of great interest is the group of bush-like perennial low-growing herbaceous plants grown for beautiful foliage (there is no smell in flowers, with the exception of rare species, for example, in Fraser's peperomia (P.fraseri), rounded inflorescences are very fragrant).

According to many gardeners, silver peperomia (P. argyreia E. Morr. = P. sandersii), whose homeland is Venezuela and Brazil, is one of the most beautiful representatives of this genus. The shortened reddish stems that bear successive contiguous smooth leathery thyroid, almost oval-shaped leaves 6-9 cm long and 5-8 cm wide with a short pointed apex give a particularly attractive appearance to the plant.

They are found on long (about 10 cm) dark purple juicy petioles, slightly exceeding the size of the leaf blade. On the lower side, the leaves are pinkish-red, on the upper side - green with wide bright silver stripes, diverging rays (as if arcs) from the base of the leaf along the veins. The British often call this type "watermelon peperomia", because they see in the color of the leaf a resemblance to the color of a watermelon.

In appearance, ivy peperomia (P.griseoargentea = P.hederifolia Hort) is very similar to silvery peperomia. She has rounded-ovate (bluntly pointed at the top, heart-shaped or corymbose at the base) silvery-green leaves 5-7 cm long with a metallic sheen, collected in a rosette.

The leaves have 7-9 arched veins located on long petioles, also exceeding the length of the leaf blade. There are several varieties with darker leaves. A dwarf form is also found in culture.

Peperomiya wrinkled (P.caperata = P.caperate Yuncker) a native of Brazil, with fans and flowers of other plants is more common in this group; blooms in the winter-spring season for more than two months. This is a graceful miniature plant with a dense rosette of small (1.5-2.5 cm) corrugated (with a wrinkled surface) dark green heart-shaped leaves (dark-colored veins seem to be immersed in their tissue).

The leaves contrast sharply with the graceful pure white spike-shaped inflorescences up to 13-15 cm high, towering above them thanks to delicate and juicy petioles of red or pink color. Inflorescences appear between April and December.

The varieties Little Fantasy and var are quite popular among florists. egata (with white leaf edges). Also known is the variegated form of wrinkled peperomia.

Bush peperomias are transplanted very carefully so as not to damage the delicate root system. Transplant time is early spring. The soil substrate is prepared from a mixture of leaf, humus, peat soil and sand (ratio 2: 2: 2: 1). They have a small root system, so they choose small pots or shallow bowls.

Bushy peperomias are quite shade-tolerant, but their leaves cannot stand direct light: because of this, they become lethargic and lifeless. But it is undesirable to choose too dark corners for keeping plants: the leaves fade. Therefore, for the normal life of peperomia, it is necessary to choose a place with good illumination.

They normally tolerate a relatively wide range of room temperature (only not sudden changes), so they do not need specific conditions of detention. In the summertime, the optimal daytime temperature is 15 … 18 ° C (the maximum temperature is 24 ° C, the temperature can drop to 12 ° C).

Watering regularly - 2-3 times a week with soft and warm water. It must be remembered that these plants have a supply of water in their leaves, therefore, with excessive watering and waterlogging of the soil, leaves fall off and the root system easily rots.

But the high humidity of the air will not hurt their foliage (especially at a high room temperature). It can be provided to the plant by placing the pot on a pallet of wet pebbles and spraying it periodically.

Top dressing - from May to September - is carried out with solutions of complex mineral fertilizers (every 2-3 weeks) that do not contain calcium. It is important to do them after abundant watering so as not to burn the roots.

In winter, the content is at 16 ° C (not lower than 13 ° C) and extremely moderate watering, the soil is not allowed to dry out prematurely: excess moisture - the death of the plant. In general, these plants are quite successful in adapting to any conditions except winter drafts.

After two or three years, randomly growing plants are formed, then it is better to form them as new specimens. Some hobbyists try to lengthen their lifespan by pruning only to remove diseased or damaged leaves, but this is not the best option.

Peperomia is best propagated by apical cuttings in spring - early summer. The cut surface of cuttings (5-8 cm long with 1-2 leaves) is treated with hormones for root growth, and then placed in a mixture of peat and sand (1: 1) in a humid atmosphere and 18 … 21 ° C.

When purchasing a plant in a retail network, they choose an instance with beautiful floral patterns on the leaves. Make sure that fragile leaves and stems are intact and that there are no brown spots (rot) at the base of the stems.

In the absence of proper attention and care of these plants, they can get sick. Unexpected leaf fall usually indicates a delay in watering, so water as soon as the soil dries up a little (but before the leaves begin to wilt).

Experts explain the appearance of brown spots on the tips and edges of leaves by a sharp drop in temperature, so the plant is protected from drafts. If the leaves appear lethargic and faded, you should check for rot spots on the stems or on the underside of the leaves. Usually this phenomenon is observed in winter with excessive soil moisture.

It is not difficult for compact peperomia plants to find a place even in a small room (by the way, they love the atmosphere of a clean kitchen oversaturated with vapors). They are very supportive of the humid atmosphere created by other plants, and they feel comfortable in mixed plantings with dracaena, ivy, philodendron and ficus.

On peperomia, the appearance of pests is possible - spider mites, mealybugs and nematodes. The appearance of a spider mite is possible on the underside of leaves at low humidity in a warm room.

The settling of a plant with mobile individuals of this pest is determined using a magnifying glass, as well as by the presence of a thin delicate cobweb, excrement and empty molted skins of a tick. With severe damage, the leaves turn yellow. The flower grower needs to remove such leaves, and the remaining ones should be treated with insecticides (0.2% aqueous solution of neorone or actellik).

The mealybug is found by the abundance of small whitish lumps, similar to cotton wool, on the soil surface. If you look at them through a magnifying glass, you can see that they are living creatures (females).

The plant will need to be transplanted into a fresh soil substrate, trying not to transfer the pest individuals there, and then shedding the ground with solutions of the above insecticides. But the best option in this case is to plant a new healthy cutting.