Has how to propagate watermelon peperomia been stopping you from having a few more in your indoor plant collection?
It is among the list of the easiest plants to propagate, giving you the margin of propagating as much as you want or even giving them away as gifts to dear ones.
Its attractive leaves and low-maintenance nature will leave you craving for more. Enjoy having a read about watermelon peperomia and the different methods and mediums you can use for propagation.
Contents
How To Propagate Watermelon Peperomia in Soil With a Leaf Cutting?
To propagate watermelon peperomia in soil with a leaf cutting you have to prepare the cutting, then plant it and maintain it. Many peperomia varieties can be propagated using leaves. The leaves can be full; even a piece of a leaf can propagate with just the same results.
– Prepare Your Leaf Cuttings
You can start by collecting healthy leaves for propagation. You can also use the worn-off leaves, but the growing root process may take a little longer with them. You must snip off the red stem and cut crosswise through the darker veins.
You can use a clean pair of scissors for this purpose. Some people prefer sanitizing their tools to avoid bacteria entering the cut. Bacteria have the very real potential to cause rot.
– Planting the Cuttings
Pack the soil, or potting mix, to the top of your pot and moisten the soil thoroughly. Let the water take its time to drain out. Press the soil down with your hands to ensure no water remains behind.
Next, you would want to make slits in the soil using a plastic knife, or anything with a flat edge will do the trick. It is time to plant the leaves into the slits, approximately two centimeters deep into the soil. With the cut side facing down.
Make sure that the round side of the cutting needs to be placed much deeper into the soil, as it is where new leaves will start growing. The next sections do not require the same depth as it is through the veins that the new babies will emerge. Spray at the end once again to ensure the leaves are fully pinned down.
– Placement and Maintaining Humidity Levels
After you are done planting, the pot should be placed somewhere that does not have direct sunlight. It is going to need sunlight until the leaves start showing growth. The soil must be kept moist when the cuttings have no roots in the initial stages. You can cover the pot with a plastic top to help it remain moist.
You can start watering the plant when baby leaves emerge, implying that the dome needs to be removed. The plastic top is not sealed tight to the plant and will allow a bit of air circulation. You will see droplets on the top telling you that the soil is too moist.
– Repotting the Cuttings
After a month or so, your cuttings must have grown roots. A safe way of checking is by gently tugging the leaves. If the leaves stay put, that means that they have developed roots. The leaves would have come out with the slightest tug if the propagation had failed.
Your cuttings will be ready for repotting after three months. Make sure you keep the soil surrounding the leaves and roots intact while repotting.
You can remove the plastic top now that you have potted your cuttings. Now is a good time to place them at a place that receives good light throughout the day. However, you must maintain humidity by spraying the leaves daily or placing a humidifier nearby.
How Do You Propagate Watermelon Peperomia in Soil With a Stem Cutting?
To propagate peperomia Argyreia with a stem cutting you need to once again prepare them, prepare your pot, add your cuttings and maintain them correctly. Doing it like this will give you quick results. All you need is a healthy plant to take the cutting from.
– Preparing the Stem Cuttings
Take a clean pair of scissors to behead the sprout that you get a cutting with a couple of leaves to help in the photosynthesis and just enough peperomia stem to hold an upright position when you plant it in the soil. You do not need to stress about the mother plant; it will soon re-sprout and not even look like it was once beheaded.
– Prepare Your Pot
Before diving into the process:
- Sterilize your scissors or knife with alcohol or place it in boiling water.
- Put the scissors or knife in it, then pour the sterilizing medium over it.
- After covering one side with alcohol or boiling water, turn the sharp instrument over and pour alcohol on the other.
- Take a pot, preferably one that can help with water drainage that will eventually prevent root rot.
– Add Your Stem Cuttings
It is time to add the soil mix, composed of eighty percent soil and twenty percent perlite. Please make a small hole in the soil and gently add one inch of the stem cutting.
A vetted way to speed up the process is to put a rooting hormone on the cutting. Please only add the cutting directly into the soil, or else your cutting will only be able to survive after it reaches the surface.
The hole in the soil should be at most one centimeter. Add the cutting horizontally or diagonally to ensure it is completely covered in soil, and allow the leaf to sit on the top of the pot. This will help stem growth much easier.
– Placement and Maintaining Humidity Levels
Place your potted cutting somewhere that receives bright but indirect sunlight, and let the temperature go below ten-degree celsius.
The soil needs to remain moist, so spray the plant every few days to prevent it from dying. The moist environment promotes growth. And you only need to ensure that you do not overwater it, as it can cause your cutting to rot. It usually takes about one to three months to witness evident growth.
How To Propagate Watermelon Peperomia in Water With a Stem Cutting?
To Propagate Watermelon Peperomia in Water With a Stem Cutting you should fill a jar with water, regularly replace the water and then move to soil. Most people prefer propagating in a fancy vase or a glass jar to add a decorative touch when going for water propagation.
– Filling the Jar With Water
The stem cutting is the same as what you would do when choosing to propagate in soil. Propagating in water is quite simple and does require preparing beforehand.
The water will help regulate temperature and other important biological processes within the plant, ensuring that it remains healthy and has a positive growth rate.
Since the extra space will give it room to grow, you can expect a sapling with roots to emerge within a specific period.
You need to fill a jar, preferably not with a thin neck, to give space for the plantlets to grow, with water, and add your stem cutting to ensure it is submerged halfway through. After a few weeks, you will see roots emerging, depending on the season.
– Jar Placement and Regular Replacement of Water
Make sure you place the jar in a warm spot that receives indirect sunlight, as too much such can lead to algae growth. Direct sunlight may also cause the water to overheat.
The water filled in the jar can become quite smelly after some time; therefore, it is necessary to refresh it at least once a week. But be careful not to pour down the water till the very end; leave a small amount behind and then refill it.
– Placing the Cutting In the Soil
You can allow the roots to grow until they are one inch long and then immerse them into your potting mix, or you can give the stem cutting a bit more time until you see visual root growth. The later time is more appropriate for planting it in the soil. However, this is a very delicate process because you must ensure that you put the roots and not the buds in the soil.
As soon as your plant has more, you can begin the propagation again with the mother peperomia leaf.
Frequently Asked Questions
– Which Is the Better Option to Propagate Peperomia? In Soil or Water?
Propagating peperomia in water is a cleaner option as compared to soil propagation propagating in soil. However, this is the case for propagation through stems only. Make sure your water jar is manageable with stem cuttings. Place one stem cutting in the jar at one time.
However, when talking about propagating from leaves, a much easier way to do it is in soil. Propagating in water will allow you to see the beautiful growth process and keep a close eye on your cutting.
– From Where Should a Stem Be Cut for Propagation?
A stem cutting for propagation should be taken from a healthy plant. You must ensure that your cutting includes at least one node that you can bury in the ground or water wherever you plan to propagate the plant. Having leaves on the stem is also necessary for photosynthesis.
– How Do You Prepare the Growth Medium?
To prepare a growth medium for a cutting you must go ahead and prepare as you would for any plant. First off, it needs to have well-draining soil, pick a rich potting soil and one full of soil amendments. Keep the soil moist at all times but never soaking.
– Where to Cut the Peperomia for Propagation With Petiole Cuttings?
You should cut the watermelon peperomia stem so that only about half an inch of the petiole is attached to the leaf. To do this you must first cut off a few healthy stems and then trim them to the desired length.
– Why Should I Propagate My Peperomia Plant?
You should propagate your peperomia firstly because it is the cheapest method of getting a new plant, and that is not to mention the fun you will be having. Also, by doing this you are ensuring that you continue a line of healthy plant genes and all but ensure a healthy plant.
Conclusion
You are now geared up to propagate your watermelon peperomia, using the pieces of information of different methods and cuttings from our article.
Before you leave, here is the recap of the points one more time:
- The plant loves to propagate in warm spots that do not receive direct sunlight. Maintain a temperature of ten-degree celsius while using the soil propagation method for stems.
- It would be best to prepare stem and leaf cutting differently. Leaf-cutting requires a crosswise cut, while stem cuttings do not have any such requirements besides being long and able enough to stand upright.
- While selecting pots, prefer the ones with holes to help with water drainage and prevent root rot.
- When propagating in soil, spray the soil occasionally to prevent it from getting too dry.
- When propagating in water, refill the water in the jar maximum of two times a week as it starts to give out a foul odor. The jar should have a broad neck, so the plantlets have room to grow.
Now that you have all the recommended techniques at your fingertips, you can propagate watermelon peperomia in soil and water using leaf and stem cuttings expertly. Get your cleaned cutting tools and let the propagation begin.
References
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/peperomia-argyreia/
- https://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/foliage/folnotes/pep.htm
- https://osera.org/houseplant-tips/light-watermelon-peperomia-need/
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