If you are looking for a colourful, special plant that is easy to care for, the Peperomia verticillata Red Log is something for you. This indoor plant has nice double colouring in its leaves. The front has a beautiful dark green colour while the back of the leaf is red. Place the plant in a well-lit position where it will get enough light but avoid full sunlight. It will do well when watered once a week with a little water. This beautiful plant is originally from Bolivia.
The Peperomia family is a very large plant family of about 500 ornamental foliage plants and is related to the pepper plant. Most Peperomia variations originally come from the Amazon basin of South America, where they grow in warm and shaded conditions. Peperomias are easy to care for and suitable for most rooms in the home. Most plants produce a flower of a striking colour or small bell or spike flower.
Allow the soil to dry completely before watering again. This will greatly help prevent roots from rotting aka root rot.
Peperomia often grows in jungle or rainforest environments, and because of that, it’s a plant that can often handle low-light conditions. It naturally will turn towards a light source, so when keeping it as a houseplant, it needs to be turned to encourage even growth patterns. Smaller-leaved varieties tend to grow in the lowest light conditions. The larger the leaves, the more light the peperomia may need, increasing to a medium light requirement. However, for most species, direct sunlight can cause sunburning to the leaves and other damage.
Since so many peperomia plants grow in loose soils or moss/humus in the wild, it’s really important to provide similar soils for your houseplants. A sandy, well-drained soil can work well. So can houseplant potting soil with extra perlite blended in.A soil mix like a 50/50 mix of peat moss & perlite, is simple and reliable for rooting and growing peperomia plants.
Fertilizing your indoor peperomia should be done more frequently during the spring/summer months than the fall/winter months. Peperomia tends to do much of its growing during the spring and summer, and some varieties rest to rejuvenate during the cooler months. A balanced liquid plant food every 3 weeks is good for the spring or summer.
If you'd like to propagate your Verticillata, use this instruction. Cut off leaf along with a little stem Stick several leaf cuttings in one pot Press or tamp soil down around cuttings after watering Cover pot with a plastic bag or “soda bottle” – put several holes in bag or soda bottle Leave pot in normal room temperature Remove plastic bag or soda bottle regularly for fresh air and prevent rotting New plants will start growing from leaf base When plants are rooted well and big enough they can be repotted into individual pots
