May's Plant Of The Month: Peperomia Argyreia

PEPEROMIA ARGYREIA

Watermelon Peperomia/Peperomia Sandia

Watermelon Peperomia

This month's pick for our Plant Of the Month is one of the cutest plants we have in our shop, the peperomia argyreia, or better known as the watermelon peperomia. The watermelon peperomia is a small plant that  is native to South America and is popular for its  fleshy silver and green foliage that closely resembles a watermelon.  This plant does produce flowers but they are not very showy and not the most attractive part of the plant. This plant is easy to care for and will grow well indoors making it a good choice for your indoor plant collection.  

Watermelon peperomias enjoy plenty of bright to medium indirect sunlight, but avoid giving them direct sunlight.    Place your peperomia near a window that gets indirect light throughout the day.  Too much light will cause the plant to lose it's striking colour contrast.

Keep watering consistant. Do not overwater as this can cause damage to the roots.  Avoid underwatering as well as this can stress the plant and cause it to wilt.   Water the peperomia once the first few centimeters of the topsoil is dry to the touch, or about once per week in summer months, and less during rainy season. 

Use a  good quality, well draining soil to pot your peperomia.    They also like a mixture of peat moss and perlite in the soil as it drains well and helps to hold some moisture. Because of the peperomia's tendency to suffer from root rot, we recommend that you repot it in a relatively small pot. This will allow the soil to dry out faster and reduce the risk of root rot.

Fertilize this plant with a diluted liquid fertilizer during the growing period in summer about once per month.  

Peperomias are sensitive to temperature changes. They prefer tropical climates with warmer temperatures and high humidity levels. Lack of humidity or cold can cause the leaves to curl. One tip to increase humidity is to place the potted peperomia atop some wet stones or clay pebbles.

The watermelon peperomia is a slow growing plant and does not require repotting very often, about every 3-4 years. This plant remains relatively small, reaching a maximum height of 30cm.

You can propagate your peperomias in water or in soil quite easily. Simply cut a stem and place it in a glass jar with water or in a small pot with soil. You should see roots beginning to form within 2 weeks.

​This plant is non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Get your peperomia argyreia today!

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