For more than a dozen years, numerous types of peperomias have been attracting the attention of indoor florists. Among them, there are many different varieties of plant, both in leaf color and in shape: both bushy, and erect, and ampelous.
One of the popular varieties is clusiifolia peperomia. It is distinguished by its fascinating decorativeness due to the unusual color of the leaves. Check Peperomia Varieties.
The features of cultivation and the basic rules for caring for this peperomia will be discussed in this article.
peperomia clusiifolia red edge Botanical description and photo
peperomia clusiifolia red edge belongs to the Pepper family, genus Peperomia. It is a large perennial herb with dense stems up to 40 cm long, ascending and rooting at the lower nodes.
The leaves are alternate, obovate with a blunt or notched apex, slightly elongated at the base, large up to 15 cm, with short petioles, dark green with a reddish tint, and a narrow dark purple border along the edge, elastic and matte. Small flowers are collected in elongated inflorescences of small size.
Reference. For the first time, a description of this genus is found in the three-volume work “Peruvian and Chilean Flora”, published in Madrid in 1794 after an expedition to the South American continent. The fundamental research was authored by Spanish botanists Ipolito Ruiz Lopez and Jose Pavon y Jimenez.
The homeland of Peperomia clusiifolia is called the tropical rainforests of Venezuela and the Antilles, where this perennial grows on a moss cushion of rocky ledges and on rotting trunks of old trees.
peperomia clusiifolia red edge care indoor
Temperature
Peperomia is a thermophilic plant and prefers room temperature. In winter, she needs a cool room. This species is especially intolerant of drafts, so keep the flower away from vents and doors. The pet is especially sensitive to the temperature of the soil.
The difference between the air temperature in the room and in the pot with soil should not exceed 1-2 degrees.
Watering
Water for irrigation is defended for at least 3 days. In the summer, the tropical guest is watered regularly with soft warm water. Between waterings, a period of time is needed to dry the soil lump.
The water accumulated in the pan after watering must be drained. In the autumn-winter period, the flowers are watered less, carefully making sure that the soil remains warm. You should be wary of cold water – delicate roots are easy to chill.
Light
To preserve the decorative properties of peperomia clusiifolia red edge, it will be necessary to keep it in conditions of bright, but diffused lighting. Important! Avoid direct burning sunlight from 12 to 16 hours in spring and summer.
Ground
A weak root system of peperomia develops in a small volume of soil, so the soil should be especially nutritious and balanced in composition. A loose, slightly acidic substrate is required for plant development. The optimal mixture for planting is turf, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1.
Pruning
To achieve spherical bushiness, it is necessary to pinch the shoot one-fifth of the length. If the plant is grown by the ampel method, the long shoots along the edges of the pot are not touched, and in the center, the stems are cut by a third.
Fertilizer
Peperomia is fed during the period of active growth from March to August once every 2 weeks with a liquid complex fertilizer for indoor plants containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It is useful to alternate fertilizing with organic and mineral fertilizers. The dose of fertilizer is taken twice less than in the instructions!
Pot
When choosing the size of the pot, take into account that the roots of peperomia love tightness, therefore, when transplanting, they leave the plant in the same pot or increase its capacity by only 10%.
For transshipment, either wide bowls or containers of standard proportions should be used. The planting container should have drainage holes and a layer of 5-6 centimeters covered with coal or expanded clay to prevent the danger of rotting delicate roots.
Transplant
A regular transplant is recommended every two to three years. For this you need:
- fill a third of the volume of the new pot with drainage;
- pour a layer of potting soil and moisten it;
- carefully remove the peperomia together with a lump of earth from the old container;
- lower the plant into a new pot and carefully add the substrate without tamping it;
- to shrink the earth, the flower needs to be watered well, and then the rest of the soil must be poured;
- be sure to drain the water from the sump.
Wintering. When keeping a plant in a city apartment, it is difficult to lower the wintering temperature to 16 degrees. Therefore, amateurs leave the tropical beauty to winter in normal room conditions, providing good lighting and refraining from feeding. The most important thing in leaving during this period is not to allow drafts and drying out of the earth clod.
Check out other varieties:
peperomia clusiifolia red edge Propagation
There are several ways to breed peperomia clusiifolia red edge in several ways:
- Apical, stem and leaf cuttings (at a soil temperature of 20-25, cuttings root easily at any time of the year, both in wet sand and in water, and after 3-4 weeks young plants can be transplanted into separate bowls).
- By dividing the bush (you need to carefully divide the root system of an adult plant so as not to damage the roots, and the divided bush is planted in smaller pots).
- Less commonly propagated by seeds (sowing is carried out in flat containers filled with a mixture of sand and soil in equal proportions. After sowing, they are covered with glass and germinated at temperatures above 24 degrees, periodically moistening the soil until the first pair of leaves appears. Seeds sprout quickly, within 2 weeks Seedlings dive into a common box at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other and put in a well-lit room).
peperomia clusiifolia red edge Bloom
Peperomias bloom most often in spring or summer, form long spike-shaped inflorescences, reminiscent of the flowering shoots of plantain. Flowers form only under conditions of short daylight hours (less than 12 hours).
Attention! To preserve the lush crown of a perennial, flower stalks are recommended to be removed at the stage of formation so that the plant does not waste energy on flowering.
If you leave the flowers, then after flowering the bush becomes less dense, begins to shed leaves, and lose some of the stems. In-room culture, peperomia seeds do not ripen.
Peperomia clusiifolia red edge Diseases and pests
Of the pests for peperomia, the danger is:
- mealybug;
- red spider mite;
- thrips and others.
Because of these insects, such plants shed their leaves and may die. Alcohol processing of the leaves helps well from the worm. Of the diseases of peperomia, root rot, leaf discoloration, scab, and others are noted.
peperomia clusiifolia red edge Similar flowers
Ivy, dracaena, philodendron, and heder are excellent neighbors for peperomia. It looks great in mixed plantings with plants that require the same conditions.
peperomia clusiifolia is an unpretentious and friendly houseplant that improves mood on cloudy autumn days, when there is not enough color around, and looks great in any interior.
