Have you ever wondered about propagating Raindrop Peperomia plants? What exactly are the different propagation techniques out there? And how do commercial and amateur methods compare? That’s what we’ll be exploring in this article. Our goal is to provide you with all the information you need to successfully propagate your Peperomia polybotrya plants. We’ll be covering the different methods, the pros and cons of each, and offering tips and tricks for the best results.
First, let’s take a closer look at our star plant.
About Raindrop Peperomia
Get ready to add some tropical style to your home with this beautiful and easy-to-care-for plant. Raindrop Peperomia (also known as Tear Drop Peperomia) is recognizable by its distinctive tear-drop shaped leaves. With such gorgeous leaves and a compact 30cm/12in height at maturity, it’s no wonder why this South American native is such a popular indoor plant.
Raindrop Peperomia (Peperomia polybotrya) is a member of the Piperaceae family and is a herbaceous perennial. Peperomia varieties are often called radiator plants. For Raindrop Peperomia, its common name most likely originates from the leaf shape. Considering that Raindrop Peperomia effectively purifies heavy metals from wastewater, I like to think that it gets it’s name for making wastewater as pure as raindrops.
You might also see Peperomia polybotrya called the Coin-Leaf Peperomia. This, along with the similarities in appearance, is why it is often confused with the Chinese Money plant (Pilea peperomioides). Chinese Money plant has distinctly round leaves whereas a Peperomia Raindrop plant has heart-shaped leaves. It’s hardest to tell the difference if you are looking at a juvenile plant, as Raindrop Peperomia leaves are more rounded in a young plant. If the leaf has a pointy tip on it, and the stem is smooth green and fleshy rather than brown and rough, it’s a Raindrop Peperomia.
As tropical plants, Peperomia live in humid conditions in their native environment. The good news is that their fleshy stems and leaves allow them to store water so that they can also tolerate periods of dryness. If you tend to be a neglectful plant parent or are away from home a lot then Peperomia plants will fit in well with your lifestyle.
How to propagate Raindrop Peperomia
Now, why is propagation important for Peperomia polybotrya and other plants? Well, for starters, by creating new plants from existing ones, we can have back-up plants to maintain our collections. We can also trade or gift our new plants with our indoor-plant loving pals. And for some plant enthusiasts, propagation can even be a source of income! Propagating plants helps to maintain and expand plant populations. This isn’t so important for commercially produced varieties like Raindrop Peperomia, but for rarer plants it is critical.
What’s the best way to propagate Raindrop Peperomia? The most successful technique for propagating Peperomias is division, followed by layering. The more common methods, stem cuttings and leaf cuttings, are less successful but produce more plants. Tissue culture, which is a highly specialized technique used in the nursery industry, has the highest failure rate. However, as it needs only a tiny bit of plant tissue to grow a new plant, it is capable of producing hundreds of plants from just a few leaves.
Leaf cuttings and tissue culture produce a plant that has lots of foliage, while stem cuttings produce a leggier plant.
Division
Division is a less common form of propagation for Coin Leaf Peperomia. This method involves separating the parent plant into multiple smaller plants, each with its own root system. The advantage of division is that you get a stronger and more mature plant rather than having to start from stem or leaf cuttings. As it already has lots of roots it is highly likely to survive the division process.
You will need a parent plant with multiple stems at the base of the plant. An ideal time to divide your Peperomia is when you are repotting it. This is best just as you are coming into the spring growing season.
How to propagate a Raindrop Peperomia by division
- Remove the plant from the pot and gently brush or wash away as much of the potting soil as you can.
- Select the plantlet that you want to divide. Starting with the leaves, work your way down the plant easing it away from the parent plant. Tease the roots apart, cutting them with sterilized scissors or secateurs if needed. Repeat for each plantlet that you want to separate.
- Re-pot each divided plant into a new or disinfected small pot, fill with new potting mix and water it with a dilute seaweed tonic to help prevent transplant shock.
- Repot the parent plant and treat it with seaweed tonic as well. You don’t need to add fertilizer as it will already be present in the potting mix if you have used new mix. If you decide not to use new mix wait at least 6 weeks before you add fertilizer so that the plant can recover before you try to stimulate it to put on new growth.
If any leaves have broken off during the division you can keep them and use them as a propagation material to make even more plants. The leaf cutting method is the easiest, but they will be suitable to use for tissue culture as well.
Stem cuttings
Stem cuttings can be quite successful, especially when taken from healthy, mature plants. To propagate Raindrop Peperomia through stem cuttings, select a stem and cut it from the parent plant. Make the cut just below a leaf node. If you have a long stem you might be able to get two or three cuttings from it. Each one will need at least one but preferably two or three leaf nodes.
You now have the option to place it in a jar of water, where it will grow roots, or to plant it directly into a growing medium. If you are using a growing medium, you can also choose to coat the cut end of the stem in a rooting hormone gel or powder to promote root production.
Propagating a Raindrop Peperomia stem cutting in potting soil
- Fill the pot with a fresh seed raising or potting mix and use a pencil to make a hole wider than the stem.
- Apply the rooting hormone and then gently poke the stem into the hole, trying not to dislodge any of the rooting hormone. Press the potting mix around the stem to support it.
- Place the pot where it will receive bright indirect light and maintain an ideal temperature range between 60-75°F. Keep the soil moist and provide a humid environment, preferably between 70-80%.
Propagating a Raindrop Peperomia stem cutting in water
- If you are going to root the stem cutting in water, half fill a jar with rainwater, distilled water or filtered water.
- Place a few skewers or chopsticks, or stretch tape or elastic bands across the top of the jar in a grid pattern, these will help to support the stem.
- Put the stem cutting in the jar so that at least an inch or 2.5 cm of stem is sitting underwater.
- Change the water at least every three days.
- You will see tiny new roots start to emerge within 1-4 weeks. Once the roots are at least 2 inches or 5 cm long you can transplant your cutting into a pot.
- To do this put a layer of fresh high quality potting mix in the pot.
- Then while holding the stem cutting over the pot and the roots sitting loosely on the base of potting mix, sprinkle potting mix in among the roots. Add a little at a time and tap the pot to help it settle.
- Once you cover the roots you can top up the rest of the pot and give it a water with dilute seaweed solution. This will help to prevent transplant shock.
- You will need to maintain moist soil and warmer temperatures for your plant while it gets settled. Once it gets growing it will be able to tolerate cooler temperatures and periods of dryness.
Layering
Layering is a form of stem cutting propagation that encourage the roots to form on the stem before the stem is detached from the parent plant.
- To layer your peperomia plant, make an angled cut 1/4 way through the stem between two leaf nodes and brush it with a rooting hormone powder or gel.
- Take a moistened ball of sphagnum moss and wrap it all around the stem, and then wrap the moss in clear cling film. Within a few weeks you will start to see roots growing into the moss.
- When you can see a loot of roots cut the stem off above the lower node.
- Remove the cling film and leaving the sphagnum moss and root ball intact, transplant your new plant into a clean pot. The pot should be twice as wide as the root ball. Make sure that it has drainage holes to prevent excess water pooling around the roots.
- Raindrop Peperomia is one of the taller Peperomia varieties so you may need to provide a stake to support it. When the new roots grow out into the pot enough to support the plant independently you can remove the stake.
Leaf cuttings
This is a slower propagation method but will produce more plants than stem cuttings. This is simply because the parent plant has more leaves than stems. Commercial growers prefer leaf cuttings or tissue culture propagation techniques as the resulting plants are more attractive than those taken from stem cuttings. This method is ideal if you want to grow an attractive compact plant with lots of foliage. It has a relatively high success rate and is a cost-effective option.
They key to success with leaf cuttings is maintaining high humidity levels – around 80%. I either invert a glass bowl over the cuttings or place them in a large clear plastic storage container. This lets in plenty of light but retains the moisture in the air.
Other ways to maintain humidity are to seal the pot in a large Ziploc plastic bag, regular misting, ideally through an automated misting system. A less common method is subterranean irrigation of an inert growing medium, such as Leca or clay balls. Note that this level of humidity is only necessary while propagating your Peperomia. Once you have an actively growing plant it doesn’t need nearly as much humidity. Mine sit around 50% and do just fine.
Expert opinions about using growth stimulators or rooting hormones for leaf cuttings vary. Some research finds them beneficial while other research found that they had no effect on the propagation success rate. I like to use a hormone rooting powder because it might help, and at worst case it does nothing. It won’t have a negative effect on the plants or the propagation success rate.
How to propagate Raindrop Peperomia with leaf cuttings
- To propagate Raindrop Peperomia through leaf cuttings, select a healthy, mature leaf and cut it from the parent plant.
- Take each leaf and bury 1/3 in a mixture of 50% perlite and 50% vermiculite if misting, or 100% Leca or clay if using subterranean irrigation.
- If you are using potting soil add some sphagnum or peat moss to help with water retention. Bury 1/3 of the leaf and then place in a plastic container, bag or under an inverted glass bowl to seal in moisture and maintain humidity.
- Over time, roots will develop from the base of the leaf and tiny new leaves will emerge. The average time for plantlet generation from leaf cuttings is 118 days.
Raindrop Peperomias that are propagated from leaf cuttings will need a few months to grow into strong little plants before you pot them up. They are too fragile early in their development so give them time to grow strong healthy leaves before you disrupt them.
You can also propagate leaf cuttings in water, but this works better for stem cuttings. It has a lower success rate as the roots are prone to damage when you transplant each leaf cutting into potting soil. It’s better to start your cuttings directly into a growing medium so that you reduce root damage.
Tissue culture (commercial propagation technique)
Tissue culture is a laboratory-based method that involves growing small sections of a plant in a controlled environment. This technique is often used for plants that are difficult to propagate through other methods, and it has a high success rate.
In the case of Raindrop Peperomia, tiny sections of the plant’s leaves or petioles are grown in a sterile environment using specialized equipment. The equipment controls the growing environment temperature, humidity and light. Both intensity and duration of light can be programmed with grow lights. Given the equipment needed this method is more expensive than other methods. However, when you spread the cost over the number of plants produced, it is viable for large-scale commercial propagation.
The most important factor for success with tissue culture is to have a completely sterile working environment. If bacteria, viruses or fungi are present your propagation is likely to fail. Follow these step by step instructions if you want to try it at home. Make sure you read and understand all the instructions before you start.
How to propagate Raindrop Peperomia via tissue culture
You will need:
- Plant tissue (about 5-10 leaves)
- Murashige Skoog (MS) growing medium
- 1 L sterile distilled water
- agar agar
- rooting hormone
- Pressure cooker
- 60-70 growing tubes
- Large clear plastic storage container (you need to see through it) or glass aquarium
- Clear plastic sheet
- Forceps or tweezers, scalpel and blades
- Small plastic (food) storage container and lid
- 70% alcohol solution
Preparation
Prepare approximately 800ml of MS solution as directed then add 1 g agar agar per 100ml of MS solution. Heat it slowly and stir to dissolve the agar agar.
Pour the medium into the growing tubes to a depth of 4cm or 15 mL, sit the lids on top but don’t tighten them.
Sterilize the growing tubes and medium in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes, allow them to cool and then tighten the lids.
You will use the plastic storage container or aquarium as your sterile working environment. Scrub the inside thoroughly with a 30% bleach solution, making sure you are working in a well ventilated environment and wearing a mask and gloves. Stand it upside down on a clean counter covered with paper towels to dry.
When the container/aquarium is dry, tape the clear plastic sheet over the opening. Cut two holes in it, about 1/3 from one of the long edges. This will be where you put your gloved hands through to work in the sterile field. You’ll also need to pass your equipment and plant samples through the holes. Keep them as small as possible or you risk airborne bacteria, fungi and viruses entering your working environment. Reinforce the edge of the holes with tape so that they don’t tear when you are moving your hands.
Sterilize your forceps, tweezers, scalpel and blades by wrapping them in aluminum foil and processing them in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes, an oven at 350 F or 180C for 15 minutes, or by dipping them in 10% bleach solution and rinsing them in sterile water.
Tissue culture
Sterilize the plant tissue by gently washing it in a solution of detergent and water for about 20 minutes. Then place it in a container of 10% bleach solution and shake it for a minute, then leave it to sit for 10-20 minutes. Drain the bleach solution out by opening the lid a little and tipping the solution out without letting any of the plant material out.
Wearing sterile gloves, spray the outside surfaces of plant tissue containers, sterile water container, the capped growing tubes and the tweezers/forceps, scalpel and blades with alcohol. Spray each gloved hand and rub them together, and then pass each item through the holes into the workspace. It is critically important that you don’t touch anything outside the container after this step. If you do, re-sterilize your gloved hands by spraying and rubbing with alcohol solution.
Open the plant tissue container and add some sterile water. Swish the water to gently rinse the plant tissue then pour off the water and repeat 2-3 times so that there is no trace of bleach remaining on the plant tissue.
Remove the plant tissue (leaves) and using the scalpel cut them into squares about 1-1.5cm wide. Pale areas may have been damaged by bleach so discard them.
Take the tweezers or forceps and place a section of plant tissue into the growing tube, laying it flat on the surface of the growing medium. Put the cap back on each tube.
When you have finished preparing all of the tubes remove them from the sterile workspace and stand them upright in a bright location where they will receive at least 12 hours of light per day. You can supplement with fluorescent lights or grow lights if needed. Keep the temperature between 60-75°F (15-24° C).
Growing the plant tissue
You should see new shoots developing within a few weeks, and once shoots start to form you’ll need to transplant into rooting medium. This requires the same sterile process just performed. Use the forceps to remove the plant tissue from the growing tube and using two pairs of forceps gently pull the specimen apart to isolate each growing shoot.
To make rooting medium use the same recipe as above but after the agar agar has dissolved add rooting hormone as directed on the packaging. Gently press each shoot into the rooting medium so that the plant tissue has good coverage. Roots will develop after 2-4 weeks. They can stay at 12 hours of light or increase to 16 hours per day.
To transplant into potting soil gently rinse the agar solution an pot into a clean seed-raising mix, or very fine light potting mix. Your plants are used to a very humid environment and are still sensitive, so try to transition them to a normal environment slowly. Cover them with a plastic dome or tent for the first week, and then slowly open or remove the cover over a period of a few weeks so that the plants can adapt to drier air. Make sure they keep getting 12-16 hours of light a day while they establish.
Critical success factors for propagating Raindrop Peperomia
Soil and Water Requirements: Raindrop Peperomia prefers a well-draining soil that is moist but not wet. Overwatering can lead to root rot, so it is important to allow the soil to dry out slightly between watering. A quality potting mix is recommended for establishing plants following both commercial and amateur propagation techniques.
Lighting and Temperature: Raindrop Peperomia prefers indirect bright light and warm temperatures between 60-80 °F (15-27 °C). A 12 or even 16 hour photoperiod (hours per day the plant is exposed to light) will give the best results. At an absolute minimum you need an 8 hour photoperiod.
Humidity: Leaf cuttings have a much higher rate of success if grown in a humid environment (80%). This is also true of tissue culture techniques. Stem cuttings can be successful with lower humidity (60-80%).
Propagation Timeline: Raindrop Peperomia is a slow-growing plant, and the timeline for propagation can vary. On average, it can take several weeks to several months for roots to develop and new growth to emerge.
Tips for establishing new Peperomia plants
Direct sunlight can scorch the leaves, so it is important to only allow direct sunlight for brief periods. This is especially important for plants grown from leaf cuttings or tissue culture.
Use a liquid fertilizer, diluted to half strength once per month once your propagated plants are showing signs of active new growth.
In conclusion, Division and stem cuttings have the highest success rate but produces fewer plants. Leaf cuttings and tissue culture have a lower success rate but are the best way to produce more plants and more attractive plants. Leaf cuttings and tissue culture are slower propagation techniques, and in the case of tissue culture, require specialist materials and equipment.
By learning about the different techniques for Peperomia polybutrya propagation and comparing commercial and amateur methods, you’ll be on your way to creating a beautiful and thriving peperomia collection in no time. With these 5 failproof techniques you can easily grow new plants and share the love with friends and family. Happy propagating!
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References
Baldos, O. C., & Corpuz, A. K. (2019). Propagation of arid land peperomia (Peperomia blanda var. floribunda) via leaf cuttings. Native Plants Journal, 20(1), 25-30.
Chang, G., Zhang, M., Ma, M., Gao, T., & Zhao, Y. (2014). Removal ability of Peperomia polybotrya on chromium and iron ions in wastewater. Environmental Science & Technology (China), 37(10), 77-80.
Chinonge, K. R. (1983). The effect of N⁶ benzyl-adenine and indole butyric acid on the propagation of Peperomia argyreia cv” Watermelon” and P. caperata cv” Emerald Ripple” (Doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University).
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