Peperomia plants are great because they look really nice and they’re not overly hard to care for. You should have a good experience with these plants if you choose to buy them.
If you already own peperomia plants, you should already know how neat they look. Your plant might not look as good as you want it to, though.
Sometimes peperomia plants grow in unusual ways if you’re not careful. The plant might become rather leggy and this will harm its aesthetic appeal.
What can you do about leggy peperomia plants? Read on to learn how to handle this issue the right way.
What Causes These Plants to Become Leggy?
The most common thing that causes peperomia plants to become leggy is improper lighting conditions. Your peperomia plant might be in a spot where it isn’t receiving enough sunlight.
There are a few other potential issues that you’ll learn about later, but you’re likely dealing with a sunlight issue.
Under normal conditions, peperomia plants should look bushy. When you put these plants in locations where they don’t get enough sunlight, they’ll start to experience leggy growth. Thus, the best way to fix this issue is to change the lighting situation.
Don’t put your houseplants in a spot where they won’t receive enough sunlight. It causes the plants to grow strangely because they must attempt to reach out to the light.
Typically, these plants will do best when exposed to bright sunlight. However, direct sunlight is too harsh for peperomia plants.
If you want things to go well, it’s going to be best to find a spot where your plant can receive bright indirect sunlight. You might need to filter the light from a bright window to protect the plant depending on the situation.
When the plant receives enough sunlight, it’ll be able to grow in a normal fashion. The plant should have the typical bushy growth rather than experiencing leggy growth.
Simply be more careful to put your plant in a good spot for sunlight. Doing so will make the plant look much nicer.
Fertilization Issues
Fertilization issues can also cause peperomia plants to experience leggy growth. When you use fertilizer on these plants, it’s important to do so sparingly.
Sometimes using a bit too much fertilizer will make the plants grow too much. It could cause them to grow unusually and that will lead to the plants having a leggy look rather than a bushy one.
Generally, peperomia plants are very light feeders. This means that you have to use just a bit of fertilizer to get the intended results.
Excessive feeding can wind up causing issues with legginess. People sometimes make the mistake of using too much fertilizer when they’re hoping to make the plant grow larger.
Fertilizing the peperomia plant will indeed lead to faster growth, but it’ll also make the plant weaker overall. The stems of the plant will be taller than normal, but they’ll be far weaker than they should be.
As you can tell, using too much fertilizer is a poor choice. It’s fine to fertilize these plants, but you need to do so responsibly.
If you continue to fertilize the plant too much, it’ll cause the leaves to fall off. It’s said that the leaves may never grow back when this occurs.
Be sure to use fertilizer responsibly if you decide to use it at all. Some say that it’s best to simply avoid fertilizing these plants.
When you use fertilizer, be sure to follow the instructions. Don’t just improvise and use however much fertilizer you think seems appropriate.
It’s often better to dilute the fertilizer even more than normal. It’ll be safer to avoid using strong fertilizer.
Temperature Problems
Temperature problems can also cause leggy growth to occur. Sometimes peperomia plants will become stressed when they experience temperature fluctuations.
When plants get stressed they aren’t able to put energy toward new growth properly. It can lead to these plants having weak stems that will grow long while having only a few leaves on them.
This will cause the leggy look that you want to avoid. It’s imperative to avoid temperature fluctuation issues in your home.
It shouldn’t be hard to keep the temperature steady when caring for peperomia plants as houseplants. If this problem is causing the legginess, it’s likely that you have your plants positioned in a bad spot.
For instance, you could have your peperomia plant positioned near a vent or a drafty window. It could be somewhere in your house where the temperature isn’t steady.
Is your plant too close to an air conditioning unit? If it is, you’re going to want to find a better spot where the temperature will be stable.
Look for a location in your house where the temperature will be very steady. Look out for any types of vents that might cause the temperature to go up and down. Simply putting your plant in an appropriate spot in your home will be enough to solve this problem.
Now that you know that temperature fluctuations can be a big issue, you’ll have an easier time protecting your plant.
Prune the Plant
Pruning the plant is one of the most common ways to solve issues with leggy growth. You might want to prune your peperomia plant semi-regularly anyway.
You can easily use pruning as a way to get rid of overgrowth, and it can also be used to get rid of unhealthy sections of the plant.
When you see stems that are stretching out, it’s best to prune them away. Trim the plant and try to get rid of all of the unhealthy bits that you see.
Most experts say that you should trim a little bit at a time. It’s likely healthier for the plant to get a trim here and there rather than having you cut away large sections of the plant at once. You should be okay if you prune no more than 20% of the plant at once. This seems to be just fine.
Pruning too much can actually cause the peperomia plant to experience stress. You want to avoid issues like this since it can lead to more issues with weak growth.
It’s also good to know that pruning can lead to new growth when done right. Prune the plant semi-regularly and you can get rid of old growth to make way for healthy new growth.
Overall, your peperomia plant will look a lot better if you focus on trimming it when necessary. It’s a good way to stop legginess and you can even use it to prevent issues with leggy growth.
Remember to use sharp pruning shears when pruning these plants. You also need to sterilize the shears before you get started for safety purposes.
Keep an eye on your plant and simply prune it when necessary. You’ll be pleased with how your plant looks if you do so.
Propagation
Propagation is a way to combat issues with legginess. When you’re pruning the plant, you can take cuttings and propagate them.
This will allow you to create new peperomia plants that you can enjoy. Propagating peperomia plants can be a very satisfying process, and it isn’t all that hard to do once you get used to it.
Take some of the healthiest cuttings that you have and put them in a jar of water. Change the water weekly or when the water starts to look a bit dirty.
Adding a bit of fertilizer to the water can help this process. As time passes, you’ll start to notice root growth.
Typically, it takes a few weeks for root growth to start. You should wait until the roots have grown to one or two inches before taking the plant out and putting it in the soil.
Final Thoughts
You should have a much better idea of what causes peperomia plants to become leggy now. It’s usually related to issues with the plant not getting enough light.
However, it can also happen due to temperature issues. Temperature fluctuations are bad for the plant and will lead to strange growth issues.
Fertilizer issues can also be problematic when it comes to leggy growth. Using too much fertilizer can cause this type of growth. Always use fertilizer sparingly and be sure not to use fertilizer more often than you’re supposed to.
You must be careful or these problems will become a regular thing. Don’t place your peperomia plants too close to a vent.
You don’t want them to be next to heating vents or air conditioning units. It’s also not wise to have the plants be next to drafty windows. Be careful when choosing a spot for your houseplant.
Make sure that the plant gets plenty of indirect sunlight. This will ensure that the plant has the best chance of growing to be bushy and beautiful.
If you follow all of this advice, you won’t have a problem getting your plant to look the way you want it to. Be careful and have fun taking care of your plant.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.