The attractive leaves of Peperomia Watermelon (Peperomia argyreia) make this one is one of the more eye-catching houseplants. Learn how to care for peperomia Watermelon, a plant that will impress everyone with its watermelon like patterned leaves.
Peperomia Watermelon got its name because of its leaf pattern resembling the skin of the watermelon. The leaves of this plant are fairly large, making the pattern stand out even more.
You’ll have friends asking you for this plant, and lucky for you, the watermelon peperomia is really easy to propagate.
Quick Summary
All the relevant info at a glance.
Plant name: Peperomia Watermelon, Peperomia argyreia
Native to: native to northern South America
Lighting: bright room with indirect sunlight
Care: frequent watering (when top level of soil is dry), average to higher humidity, average warmth
Common problems: loss of leaves, leaf rot, brown tips and edges, fairly resilient to pests
Toxicity: Considered Non-Toxic to Humans and Pets (read more here)
How To Care For Peperomia Watermelon Plant
- Bringing the plant home
- Light conditions
- Watering
- Humidity
- Cleaning
- Fertilizing
- Repotting
- Soil
- Propagation
- Toxicity Information
- Pests and other common issues
Peperomia Watermelon Care
You won’t need much to keep this plant happy and thriving. The telltale signs of trouble are easy to spot, so you will be able to act quickly if something is not optimal in your care regime.
Bringing the Plant Home
If you bought your plant in a nursery or a store, there is always a small chance it will come with some uninvited guests. Even though peperomia watermelon is usually pest-free, caution is advised. When you bring it home, place it in quarantine anyway, away from others, and regularly check for signs of pests and diseases.
Check the soil and if it is dry water the plant.
In the first few days, the plant might be stressed if the change of environmental conditions was significant enough.
If you ordered your plant online, keep in mind the leaves are extremely fragile and can get damaged and fall off during transport, no matter how carefully the plant was packed. This is physical damage to the leaves, and there is nothing wrong with the plant.
Light – Where to Place Your Plant?
Peperomia watermelon will thrive in a bright semi-shady spot (indirect sunlight). It thrives in fluorescent light too.
If it doesn’t get enough light, it can become leggy.
Watering and Misting Leaves
How often should you water your peperomia watermelon plant?
Peperomias don’t like to be over-watered nor under-watered, so a good watering routine is key. They aren’t super fussy, so not adhering to a strict watering routine won’t kill them right away.
Let the top level of soil dry out between waterings, but don’t let it dry out too much either. If you see your peperomia watermelon is dropping leaves, it’s way past optimal watering time.
Reduce the amount of water in winter.
What kind of water should you use to water a zebra plant?
Rainwater is always great; with tap water, it’s best to let it sit for a day before watering—water with tepid room temperature water.
Misting
Misting will help with keeping your plant clean. You can occasionally mist in summer or when the air is dry.
Humidity
While Peperomia Watermelon prefers slightly higher air humidity, it should grow just fine in average indoor humidity levels (making this plant a good choice for everyone).
If you live in a home with low air humidity, you can increase it by adding a humidifier in your home or, even better – adding a whole collection of plants.
Misting leaves during summer can help increase local humidity for the plant too.
Cleaning Peperomia Watermelon Leaves / Plant Maintenance and Pruning
Its large leaves can collect dust. Keep in mind the leaves are sensitive and can break off fairly easily.
Use a spray bottle to clean the plant’s leaves. Use room temperature water. You can use water with a dash of neem oil (as per instructions on the bottle).
Prune dead leaves as you see them. You can also prune leaves to maintain the desired shape of the plant or remove leggy leaves.
Do you need to fertilize Peperomia Watermelon plant?
Fertilizer is not necessary; however, it will help to keep the plant happy and encourage growth. You can add fertilizer once or twice per month, starting in spring and ending at the end of summer.
General liquid fertiliser is OK, dilute per instructions on the fertiliser box.
Repotting
Peperomias in general like to be pot bound so there is no need to repot them.
If you see your peperomia watermelon is becoming too big for its pot (which might happen in a few years), you can transfer it to a larger pot.
Soil
When you decide to repot, pick the right soil. Keep the plant happy with any soil mixture with good drainage. Premixed houseplant potting mixes should be fine.
Peperomia Watermelon Propagation
This plant is super easy to propagate and there are multiple ways you can go about it.
- propagating with leaves
- propagating with stems
You can check this peperomia watermelon propagating guide with pictures for more information.
Toxicity
Peperomia Watermelon is considered non-toxic to humans, cats, and dogs. (animal toxicity information ASPCA)
* There have been no negative health issues reported with Peperomia argyreia. Keep in mind toxicity information on plants can change. This is something that is best talked about with your veterinarian. Even with non-toxic plants, nibbling plants should be avoided, and keeping plants away from pets, especially if they like to eat them, is best.
Common Peperomia Watermelon Problems and Pests
While it’s pretty much pest free, rarely it can be infested with any of the common houseplant pests.
Dry brown tips or edges on peperomia warermelon?
Sudden drops in temperature can cause the edges and tips of the plant to dry out.
Loss of leaves?
Physical damage (if you have a cat, this can be a common occurrence as some cats like to pound the leaves with their paws). Under-watered – the plant has been without water for way too long.
Loss of leaves can also occur if the temperatures are too low (especially during winter).
Black or dark spots on peperomia watermelon leaves?
If you are starting to see spots on the leaves (underside), this can be because of a new environment’s stress.
It can also be a result of pests on the plant. Make sure you carefully inspect the plant for any signs of pets (and keep on rechecking).
Spots that are more brown could sign overwatering.
Spots can also be a sign of nutrient deficiency or a disease (viral or fungal).
Soil on my raindrop peperomia has light green blotches all around the soil that looks like eggs, what do I do?
Light green blotches sound like algae, if these are indeed blotches and not “balls” (if these are balls or other near-perfect shapes, it’s more likely to be an insect egg). Manually remove them from the soil. Algae are usually present if you are overwatering the plant and the soil is constantly moist.
I picked up one of these guys a few weeks ago. It’s trying to grow new leaves but they turn brown and die while still tiny. I can’t figure out what’s the reason behind this.
Could be overwatering? Something certainly doesn’t sit well with your plant. As you mention it’s just a few weeks (and I assume this could mean 2-3 weeks) it could be that the plant is still stressed from the change of environment and it will bounce back.