The Peperomia Rosso, also known as Peperomia Caperata Rosso, is a tropical succulent and a commonly grown houseplant. This plant is native to Central and South America and is known for it’s unique look. The Rosso plant has dark green leaves, with red veins running through the leaves and red stems. However, this plant is most notorious for the vibrant red underside of its leaves. With it’s small size and beautiful leaves, this plant makes a wonderful addition to most indoor spaces. In this article, we will go over the general care of this wonderful plant to keep it thriving in your home.
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How to care for a Peperomia Rosso?
Caring for a Peperomia Rosso plant is generally very easy and low maintenance. The key aspects of care are light, planter requirements, temperature, humidity, soil, fertilization, watering, pruning, and addressing common issues such as pests. If the plant gets these essential needs properly addressed, it will be a healthy plant that will live within your house for a long time. This plant is perfect for a small space due to the fact that it stays a compact and petite size.
Light and Planter Requirements
The Peperomia Rosso plant prefers medium light but can tolerate low light conditions as well. This plant will do best with indirect light and partial shade conditions. You want to be careful not to put this plant in direct sunlight because it can cause leaf burn and stress the plant. In extremely low light conditions, the plant will lose some of the vibrancy to it’s wonderful colors. In extreme cases, its leaves may begin yellowing from a lack of light. So, be sure to place it near a window, in a well lit room, or give it some time under a grow light.
Due to the small size of the plant, you should not have to repot it very often. This type of plant also likes to be a little rootbound in it’s containers. Due to this, you will only need to up the size of its pot by an inch or two every 2 or 3 years. You should check your pot for roots coming out of the drainage holes at the bottom. This is a tell tale sign of when you need to repot this plant because it is getting too rootbound. Repotting should be optimally done at the beginning of the warm growing season, which is generally in the spring.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements
The Peperomia Rosso does best in temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees, so it should do well in most houses. You will want to avoid putting this plant anywhere that will cause it to experience extreme temperature changes. Be sure to keep this plant away from any heating or cooling sources.
Optimally, this plant prefers to be in locations with decently high humidity levels. To keep the plant happy, you can place it near a humidifier, pebble tray, or in a well lit bathroom. This will keep your plant happy and thriving.
Soil and Fertilization Requirements
The Peperomia Rosso prefers a well draining soil that will allow for good watering, without waterlogging at the roots. Many widely available potting soils will work just fine for this plant. You can choose to add additional perlite or sand to the soil to aid in drainage. Succulent soil is also a great option as well for the Rosso plant because of the excellent drainage that it offers.
You do not need to typically fertilize this plant because it can get most of what it needs from the soil it’s in. However, it can benefit from being fertilized during the warmer months of the year, typically from spring to fall. It is generally recommended to provide a slow releasing, granular fertilizer in the spring. This will provide your plant will plenty of nutrients throughout the entirety of the growing season. Choose a balanced fertilizer, paying attention to its NPK value (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium). Nitrogen can be a little higher than phosphorus or potassium but balance is key.
Watering Requirements
This plant does not like to be over or under watered. Make sure that you allow the soil to dry out between watering, allowing the top inch or two of soil to become dry. Maintaining a watering schedule is essential to keeping this plant happy. You will want to water this plant once every 10 to 14 days.
Make sure to water this plant thoroughly, providing plenty of water into the soil. You will want to see the water run out of the drainage holes at the bottom. Remove the excess water that drains from the bottom after watering.
Pruning and Maintaining
Pruning the Peperomia Rosso is not needed very often, since this is a small plant that will be only about 10 inches tall and does not grow quickly. You will need to limit the amount you prune at one time to prevent stressing the plant. First, before removing any dead or damaged leaves, you should clean and disinfect your scissors from any previous use. This will prevent any disease transfer from previous pruning. Trim the leaves that you want to get rid of by cutting at the base of the leaf stem.
Common Issues and Pests
Some of the common pests that like to damage this plant are spider mites, whiteflies, fungus gnats and mealybugs. If you keep this plant indoors, you will likely not experience problems with any of these pests. However, this plant is susceptible to experiencing root rot if the soil is left too wet or waterlogged for too long.
You may experience issues with the leaves turning yellow if the plant is not getting enough nutrients from the soil or is suffering from a lack of adequate light. If this occurs, you may want to provide an appropriate fertilizer or place your plant in a more well lit location.
Are Peperomia Rosso Plants Toxic?
This plant is safe for both humans and animals. According to the ASPCA, there are not any toxicity warnings for dogs, cats, or horses and this plant is completely nontoxic. However, this plant is not meant to be consumed, so it is best if you try to keep animals and children from eating the plant.
Article Sources:
Peperomia caperata. North Carolina University Extension
