How to Propagate Peperomia from Leaf and Stem Cuttings

Three methods, and when each is worth using

Peperomia is one of the easiest houseplants to increase, because it roots from a leaf as readily as from a stem. Which method to use depends on the shape of the plant you have and how quickly you want a presentable result.

Take cuttings in the growing season, while the room is above about 68F (20C). Cuttings taken into a cold room sit for months and are far more likely to rot than to root.

Leaf cuttings, which give the most plants

A peperomia leaf carries dormant tissue at the base of its stalk that will produce both roots and a new shoot. The critical point is that the shoot comes from the very base of the leaf stalk, so that base must be in contact with the medium. A leaf laid flat on the surface roots and then sits there for a year doing nothing.

1. Choose a mature leaf, not the newest Take a firm, fully expanded leaf from partway down the plant, with about half an inch (1 cm) of stalk attached. Very young leaves have too little stored energy and old, dull leaves are slow to respond.
2. Cut cleanly and let it dry briefly Use a sharp blade and leave the cut end in the air for an hour or two until the surface is no longer wet. Pushing a freshly cut, damp stalk into compost is the main cause of it going black.
3. Insert the stalk at an angle Push the stalk into damp, gritty potting mix so the leaf blade is tilted at about 45 degrees and its base sits just at the surface. Firm the mix around it so it cannot rock.
4. Halve a large leaf if you like On a large leaf, cutting straight across the middle and inserting the lower half cut side down works, and often produces several shoots along the cut. Discard the tip half.
5. Keep it warm and bright, and barely damp Bright shade, above 68F (20C), and compost that is just moist. A clear cover raises the humidity and helps, but vent it daily or the stalk rots.

What to expect and when

Leaf cuttings test your patience because nothing visible happens for a long time while roots form underground. Resist the urge to lift them and look; disturbing a leaf cutting at three weeks sets it back to the beginning.

The original leaf staying green and firm is the sign that all is well, even with no shoot in sight. A leaf that goes soft or translucent has rotted and will not recover.

Stem cuttings and division, for a quicker result

A stem tip cutting is the fastest route to a plant that already looks like a plant. Cut a tip with three or four pairs of leaves just below a node, strip the lowest pair, let the cut dry for an hour, then insert it in damp gritty potting mix with that bare node buried. Roots form in two to four weeks in a warm room, and the cutting keeps its existing leaves throughout, so there is no waiting period with nothing to look at.

Stem cuttings also root in water, and it is satisfying to watch, but water roots are structurally different from soil roots and a proportion of them die when the cutting is potted. With a plant this prone to base rot, rooting straight into compost is the safer choice.

Division suits an older plant that has formed several separate crowns pushing up from the compost. Tip it out, tease the crowns apart by hand keeping roots with each, and pot each piece into the smallest container its roots will fit. Water once and keep it on the dry side for a fortnight while the broken roots seal.

When cuttings fail

Failures with peperomia cuttings almost always trace back to one of four causes, and all four are avoidable once identified. Take five or six cuttings rather than one, and the differences between them tell you which problem you have.

Write the date you inserted each batch on the label. Leaf cuttings take so long that guessing from memory is impossible, and knowing that a batch is only ten weeks old stops you throwing away cuttings that are working perfectly well.