Learn how to propagate Watermelon Peperomia, one of the more gorgeous peperomias there is. There are so many things to love about this plant; it’s wonderful looking, easy to take care of, friendly to pets and kids, and insanely easy to propagate. All the mentioned reasons make this one perfect for sharing with your friends.
How to Propagate Watermelon Peperomia
There are multiple ways you can go about propagating Peperomia Argyreia, and you can choose whichever works best for you. We’ll show you our favorite way to propagate in detail.
- cutting leaves in half and planting them in soil
- planting whole leaves with petiole in soil (or water)
- propagating cutlets in water
1. Easiest Propagating Watermelon Peperomia method (cut leaves)
Advantage of this easy method is that you can get up to 6 plantlets from one leaf.
What you need:
- leaf
- sharp, sterile scissors or knife
- potting soil (or any other soil suitable for this type of plants)
- pot or a container (we love using see clear plastic containers as this makes it easier to monitor humidity as well as root growth)
- plastic bag (or a clear glass container you can place over the pot)
- water (rainwater or tap water that you had in a jar overnight – at least)
This is by far our favorite way to propagate watermelon peperomia, it requires a little patience as you wait for the plant to grow, but it is so rewarding. And the number of baby plants you get from this method is well worth the wait.
When it comes to this plant, a broken off leaf, especially if you have pets, can be quite a common thing and you can use that leaf to multiply your plant. Alternatively, you can also cut a healthy leaf straight from the plant.
Time to propagate your Peperomia Watermelon
- Cut the leaf in half, above the petiole.
2. Place soil in pot/container(s).
3. Place the leaf halves into the soil (the part where the leaf is cut inside the soil). Add more soil to secure the leaves. Ideally, with the leaf half that has the petiole, you will want the petiole to be submerged in the soil – however, it should propagate just fine if it is just above the soil.
4. Add a small amount of water – you want the soil to be lightly moist but not overwatered.
5. Cover the pot with a clear plastic bag, making a nice warm and humid habitat for the plant. As long as the soil is moist and you see condensed water on the bag/plastic container, you don’t need to add more water. We added only a couple of water drops per two weeks as needed.
6. Place in a warm, moderately bright (not direct sunlight) spot and let the waiting begin. It is completely normal to look for roots every 5 minutes. We all do that.
7. You should expect to see small roots in about 2-4 weeks and the first baby plant in about 3-5 weeks. The petiole one should sprout first (one baby plant).
And anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks afterward, depending on conditions) you should see baby plants sprouting from the top half of the leaf (you can expect up to 5 baby plants per leaf here).
8. When baby plants are big enough, you can transfer them to regular pots (potting soil) and enjoy their further growth. Be careful not to damage the roots when you repot.
Planting your propagated peperomia watermelon plantlet
1. Fill the pot with planting soil suitable for peperomia plants (not all the way to the top).
2. Remove the leaf from the soil. Do it carefully not to damage the roots (leave the soil stuck to the roots, do not remove it).
3. Remove the leaf. With the plantlet that grew from the petiole, we cut off the leaf. With the other half of the leaf, the plantlets should be easy to break off the leaf.
4. Place the plantlet with soil into the pot.
5. Top off with soil. Water if necessary.
6. Optional: place a clear plastic bag over the plant for a couple of days.
Success
The chance of success with this method is extremely high. There is a chance of stress to the plant when it’s time to repot it. Also, the leaf rotting during the process can happen – the reason for this can be the leaf was already damaged before you started the propagation process, or the environment wasn’t to its liking – chances for this are minimal, though.
2. Planting Leaves in Soil
This method has a high success rate too, and you will get one plant per one leaf. The advantage of this method is that you can plant the leaf straight into the pot you will have your plant in – no need to repot at the end of the propagating process.
What you need:
- leaf
- sharp, sterile scissors or knife
- potting soil (or any other soil suitable for this type of plants)
- pot
- plastic bag (or a clear glass container you can place over the pot)
- water (rainwater or tap water that you had in a jar overnight – at least)
- Prepare the pot – add potting soil into the pot. Add water. The soil should be moist.
2. Cut a healthy leaf from the mother plant. The petiole on the leaf should be as long as your finger is wide.
3. Place the leaf on top of the soil, with the petiole facing downward – touching the soil.
4. Cover with a clear plastic bag and place in a warm spot with indirect light. Check humidity levels as days and weeks pass (there should be signs of condensation on the bag) and add water when needed.
5. Wait for the roots to sprout – you should start seeing roots anywhere from 2-4 weeks from the beginning of your watermelon peperomia propagation.
3. Cuttings Propagating in Water
Our least favorite way to propagate peperomia watermelon. In our experience not always successful and slower than the other two methods.
- Place the stem with leaf and intact petiole in water.
- Wait and hope they don’t rot.
- Change the water occasionally.
- The first sign of root growth should appear in a month or two.
- After a while, the little stems and leaves will apear.
- Plant the baby plant in potting soil.
And then???? When propagating in water do you plant as soon as roots develop? How deep?
When propagating in water, when the roots grow, the leaves and stems will soon follow. Wait for those to appear and then plant the new growth in soil (with the growth above the soil).
Do you use rooting powder? I don’t have any and don’t know whether it is worthwhile to buy some.
No, not really. I’ve tried it with different plants and for most, it doesn’t really make a huge difference. These will grow roots really quickly so there really is no need.