How to Grow & Care for Peperomia Obtusifolia ‘Baby Rubber Plant’ (2024)

Are you considering growing a little houseplant in your indoor garden? As a beginner, it would be great to keep Peperomia Obtusifolia, also a baby rubber plant in your home garden as it is a low-maintenance and fast-growing plant. So, What are you waiting for? Baby Rubber Plant will grow not only as a friendly plant but also as an attractive one. 

Wait! There is more to know about the baby rubber plant. So, let’s proceed to gain some more information regarding Peperomia Obtusifolia.

 

	Quick information
Other Names	Baby rubber plant, American rubber plant, Pepper face plant, etc
Type of plant	Perennial
Soil used	Well-drained soil, loamy and rich soil
Water requirements	Only when the top layer is dry
Repotting	After 5 years
Color of flower	Produces white-colored flowers
Native area	South America

Growing Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Baby Rubber Plant

Do you know it feels amazing when you give plants as a gift or present to your friends or family? So why not this little cute indoor plant that is eye catchy? It is easy to propagate Peperomia Obtusifolia either from the leaf propagation method or stem cuttings. Even you can grow it with the help of seeds. We will throw light on both segments. 

Via seeds

Step 1- Firstly, you have to buy seeds from a good seller who will give you a reasonable price around $1- $2. 

Step 2- Take your container and add good potting mix to it. 

Step 3- Then, dig a hole in the soil and add the seeds to it. 

Step 4– Make sure to water the plant when it is dry and do not overwater. 

Step 5- You have to cover the top with the help of any plastic sheet.

Step 6- Keep the pot in the spot where they receive a good amount of bright and indirect sunlight. 

Step 7- When you will observe sprouts, then it is time to let them into the open air. 

Step 8- Last but not least, after observing its roots, pot them to their permanent spot in any container.

Propagation 

It is easy to propagate Peperomia Obtusifolia either from the leaf propagation method or stem cuttings. Let’s throw some light on both of them:

Leaf propagation: 

Step 1- One of the steps is to take a leaf from the plant with a part of the stem on it. 

Step 2- Take a well-drained pot.

Step 3- Put some fresh and loamy soil in the pot. 

Step 4- Now, you have to make sure not to overwater the plant. 

Step 5- Also, cover the stem half with the lid and let your plant grow. 

Stem cuttings: 

Step 1- At first, you have to take off a fresh stem of about 4 inches long. 

Step 2- Choose the right pot for your plant about 5-6 inches deep so that the plant grows without any stress on the roots. 

Step 3- Additionally, you can make use of the rooting hormone to dip the cutting into it. 

Step 4– Let the potting mix of the plant be moist and warm. 

Step 5– When you will see its roots, then you can shift the plant to its permanent place in any desired pot. 

Caring for Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Baby Rubber Plant‘

Now, as you know about the growing process of baby rubber plants. it is the right time to know about the caring tips for your plant so that the plant grows healthier without coming in contact with any diseases. Let’s proceed:

Sunlight requirements 

• Just like other plants, it needs a good amount of natural and bright sunlight. 
• Make sure to keep them away from hot and direct sunlight as it can make the leaves burn. 
• For keeping the color of the leaves bright, you have to keep them in indirect sunlight. 
• Early morning sunlight can provide it with good growing conditions. 
• They can suit best in the east-facing window. 

Watering requirements

• Being the low maintenance plant, they are not demanding like other houseplants. 
• Water rubber plants once a week to see their growth. 
• Do not water them if the top layer of the soil is wet or moist. 
• Water them until half of the top layer of the soil is dry out. 
• In the time summer, water them after one to two weeks, and in the winter, water them after every two weeks. 

Fertilizer requirements 

• These plants are not heavy feeders. 
• You can provide them with fertilizer once time in a month. 
• Make sure to use all-purpose diluted fertilizer which will be easily available.
• Baby rubber plants will grow amazingly if you feed them with fertilizer at the time of spring and summer. 
• Try not to over-fertilize your plant as it can harm the roots of the plant. 

Soil requirements 

• They grow in the soil with a pH level of 6 to 6.6. 
• They tend to grow in well-drained soil with a good amount of nutrients to it. 
• For avoiding root rot, provide them with moist soil. 
• Peat and perlite or sand will suit best for the baby rubber plant. 
• Add some amount of compost to it for desirable results. 

Temperature and humidity requirements 

•  For baby rubber plants, a room temperature of 65°F to 75°F is sufficient to grow.
• Just make sure to keep them away from the air conditioner and cold drafts etc. 
• You can sometimes keep them outside for sunlight to grow and in winter, let them in. 
• Mist the plants after some days to keep the plants well. 
• These plants grow in well-humid conditions where there is high humidity. 

Pruning requirements 

• It is sufficient to pinch off the tips of the stem for more growth. 
• You have to prune off the plants for maintaining their shape. 
• Make sure to remove all the dead and brown-colored leaves from the plant. 
• You have to trim off the baby rubber plant to encourage its growth. 

Some of the problems of Peperomia Obtusifolia

Besides their beauty and fast-growing capacity, baby rubber plant are prone to some of the problems. They face problems because of the mistakes of Gardner. So, you should be aware of the problems of Peperomia Obtusifolia and also the ways to prevent them. 

Pests 

One of the issues of Peperomia Obtusifolia is pest infestation. Pests roam around the plants to suck their fluid and satisfy their hunger. 

So, you have to wipe off the plant with the neem oil solution or another home remedy to clean the plant and prevent pest infestation. 

Diseases

Though you are taking care of your plants and feeding them with their requirements, sometimes they come in contact with some the diseases like root rot, Botrytis, ringspot, etc. They develop yellow-colored leaves, brown spots on the leaves, etc. 

This can be prevented with the help of avoiding overwatering, by pruning off the leaves, and removing the dead leaves from the plant. 

Falling off leaves 

Last but not leaves, another problem of the baby rubber plant is the drooping of the leaves. Is it fair to let the beautiful and bloomy leaves fall? 

Not, so you need to prevent it by not feeding it with more water, fertilizer, sunlight, etc. 

Wrapping up the context 

I hope you are clear with the guide to Grow & Care for Peperomia Obtusifolia ‘Baby Rubber Plant’. It is one of the evergreen plants that is everyone’s favorite choice. Also, I too grew this plant and i am happy with the results of the baby rubber plant. So, it is recommended to add this to your collection of plants to enjoy its benefits. For any queries related to the growing and care of the baby rubber plant, scroll down the whole guide. 

Thanks for reading! Happy gardening! 

FAQs