Peperomia Species, Ivy-Leaf Pepper, Platinum Pepper, Silver-Leaf Pepper

This plant, native to Brazil, grows well in a brightly-lit terrarium where temperature and humidity can be easily controlled. In an ordin...Read Moreary living room, however, this species is much more demanding in its requirements and often fails to survive for more than a couple of weeks. In my experience, the most successful way to grow this species is in a small aquarium as sold for fish-keeping (hence the commonly applied term fish-tank garden), with a fitted glass lid. The aquarium should be filled with a peat-based mix (composed of peat, sand, and mulch) to a depth that would allow for sufficient drainage and should be illuminated with a fluorescent light fixture. A solid lid will help control the level of humidity in the terrarium and, once established, the plant will need infrequent waterings. If such conditions are provided, then one should have little difficulty in growing these tropical gems. However, they are not as easy to grow as many other tropical houseplants are, including the more popular P. obtusifolia and thus, I rate my experience with them to be neutral. On a separate note, I would also like to indicate how incredibly easy it is to propagate these plants from leaf cuttings (comprising the whole leaf + stalk), with the first roots appearing in a little less than a month. Once rooted, however, it may take several years before the newly developed plantlets attain the size of their parent plant.