Baby rubber plant
Also called Peperomia, Pepper face, American rubber plant.
| Light | medium light |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 10 days in the growing season, every 18 in winter |
| Pets | Cats safe, dogs safe |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants list.
The baby rubber plant grows in the forests of Central and South America, often perched on rotting wood or in a pocket of leaf litter rather than in soil. That is worth knowing, because it explains a plant that looks like a foliage plant and behaves like a succulent. The leaves are thick and hold water, the roots are small and shallow, and the most common way one is lost is a well meaning move into a large pot of rich compost that stays wet around roots that cannot drink it. Keep it in a small pot of gritty mix, water when the top half is dry, and it is close to unkillable. It is also on the ASPCA list as non-toxic, which makes it one of the better choices for a low shelf in a house with a cat.
Ailments observed
| A soft or mushy base to the stem | Rot from a pot that stays wet, which is the usual way this plant is lost. Take healthy cuttings, let them dry for a day, and start again in a smaller pot of free draining mix. |
|---|---|
| Leaves falling off | A cold draught, or compost that dried out completely. Keep it above 13 degrees and water before the pot is bone dry. |
| White or yellow markings fading to plain green | Too little light on a variegated form. Move it nearer a window, out of direct sun. |
Questions from the margin
How often should I water a peperomia?
Roughly every ten days in the growing season and every two to three weeks in winter, once the top half of the compost is dry. The thick leaves are a water store and the roots are small, so it is far easier to drown than to dry out.
Filed underPlants that will not poison the cat, Plants for a bedroom, Plants that forgive a beginner
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