Peperomia Hope Complete Plant Care Guide

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Peperomia Hope is a great option for beginner indoor gardeners who want an easy plant that trails and hangs beautifully.

Main care tips for Peperomia Hope.

Water. Peperomia Hope prefer to be kept slightly moist in the summer and dryer in the winter. I let my plant almost completely dry out in the winter and water it more often in the summer.
Light. This plant thrives in high or medium light conditions. No direct sunlight. A south, east, or west facing window is best.
Fertilizer. Fertilizer during growing season and pause during the dormant (winter) months.
Humidity. Though it’s said this plant likes higher humidity, I have this plant growing in a low humidity area in my home (about 30% humidity) and it’s doing great and spitting out new growth.

Now let’s dig a little deeper so you know how to make sure your Peperomia Hope not only survives but thrives in its new home.

Light

Peperomia Hope thrive in bright filtered light. Place your plant near a south, west, or east facing window and it will be happy. If placed very close to a south facing window, I recommend using a sheer curtain to turn the sunlight into filtered sunlight.

Placing your plant in adequate sunlight ensures that it will grow full and keep it’s beautiful color. This plant tends to get leggy if it’s placed in a dark corner.

If you don’t have sufficient lighting in the home, plant grow lights are a great idea. I use T5 Barrina plant grow lights and run them on a timer for 13 hours a day. I love using plant grow lights because they give me the option to put plants in my house in areas where there is no sunlight.

Water

Water your Peperomia Hope thoroughly once it’s thirsty and let the excess water escape out of the drainage hole in your pot.

If you’re not sure when to water, check the soil by placing your pointy finger in about two inches.

I find that it’s much easier to check if my Peperomia Hope is thirsty by using a moisture meter or holding the plant in my hands. If the pot is very light, this most likely means my plant is on the dryer side and needs a thorough watering.

Since Peperomia Hope’s usually come in very small pots and tend to be on the fuller side, it’s hard to stick your finger in to check the soil. So these tips can help until your Peperomia Hope is large enough to use the finger test.

Water your plant with room temperature water and if possible, filtered water or water treated through a reverse osmosis system. Most houseplants do not care for tap water due to the chlorine and flouride in tap water.

Soil

Make sure your soil mix is well aerated by using something like perlite, coco coir or orchid bark. I use perlite to create better drainage in my plants because it’s easy and widely accessible.

I keep things super basic in my house by using a soil mixture of 3 parts all purpose potting soil and 2 parts perlite. With Peperomia Hope’s, I tend to throw a bit more perlite in just to create a soil mixture that is even more well-draining. For fertilizer you can mix in worm castings.

You can also use pre-made potting mix like Fox Farm Ocean Forest. This is a blend of high quality ingredients that has everything your plants needs to grow healthy in the home.

Temperature

Peperomia Hope do well in any home that is between temperatures of 60°F to 90°F (15°C to 32°C).

Do not place this plant in a drafty area (vents, doors, or windows).

Fertilizer

Peperomia Hope’s should be fertilized during it’s active growth season. If you are using a non-organic, synthetic fertilizer, it’s always recommended to dilute the recipe in half because of how strong the N-P-K ratios are. If you are using an organic fertilizer, you typically do not have to worry about diluting the recipe because the N-P-K ratio is so low.

If you’re looking for the easiest fertilizing method possible, I recommend using slow release granules to fertilize your plants. I use Earth Medicine’s slow release granules for all of my plants in soil. I use Earth Medicine’s soilless/leca fertilizer for my hydroponic plants (plants growing in water).

I follow the directions for the slow release fertilizer and put the instructed amount into each plant. This fertilizer isn’t harsh so if I put too much, it’s not going to hurt my plants. I do this once a month in growing season (which is almost year-round for me). Every time I water, the granules fertilize my plants.

You can also opt for a liquid fertilizer like Blue Butterfly that feeds every time you water your plant.

Like most houseplants, pause fertilizing in the winter months when the plant is not actively growing. Where I live, my houseplants grow year-round so I feed my plant fertilizer year-round.

Humidity

Peperomia Hope prefer higher humidity levels above 50%, but like I mentioned earlier, I have mine in an area about 30%.

Raise the humidity in your home with these easy to apply tips.

Arrange high humidity plants together. When you group high humidity plants near each other, this creates a humid microclimate. These high humidity plants release moisture around each other through transpiration.
High-humidity plants will thrive in your bathroom depending on the sunlight situation in your bathroom. I even place plants in my shower and once I’m done in the shower, I keep my bathroom door closed to keep the humidity in the bathroom around for longer.
Place pebble trays under your plants. I purchased small rocks at a hardware store and placed them on a planter tray. Put enough water in the tray until it hits the planter bottom. The water will evaporate around the plant. Water pebble trays when they are on the emptier side.
Mist your plants. Some people say this doesn’t help, but I live in the desert in a very dry climate so I continue to do it.
Get a high-quality humidifier and run it daily near your houseplants.

Propagation

Propagating a Peperomia Hope is easy but I find it takes a long time, so be patient. Cut the leaves with the petiole attached and let them callous for a day or two and stick them back in your main plant to create a fuller plant.

You can also cut off part of the stem that has a node and place it in water and it will eventually root in about 5 weeks. Place it in very bright light and make sure to rotate the plant so all parts of the plant are getting adequate sun. I wouldn’t worry about replacing the water, just top off the water every time it needs it.

When propagating any plant, it’s almost always better to propagate 2 cuttings instead of 1. This increases your chances of the plant actually rooting and taking off.

Peperomia Hope Common Questions

Is Peperomia Hope rare?

Peperomia Hope are available almost anywhere online and available in many big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. I often see them at Lowes selling for around $15 for a 4 inch pot.

How much is a Peperomia Hope?

Peperomia Hope are affordable plants. You can get a small 4 inch pot for under $10 or a large trailing plant in a 6 inch pot for $50. You can find this plant at big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot, small independently own plant shops, Etsy, and Facebook Marketplace.

Is Peperomia Hope hard to care for?

As long as you give your plant adequate water and sunlight, it will be happy and grow. This is an easy to care for plant and can even live with some neglect.

How do you care for Peperomia Hope?

Your Peperomia Hope will thrive in bright indirect sunlight with a little bit of humidity, adequate watering and make sure to never let the plant completely dry out.

Should you mist Peperomia hope?

This depends on your environment. Some people don’t mist at all if they live in high humidity climates like Texas or other humid states. In dryer climates like the desert states, you can mist your Peperomia Hope daily.

Do Peperomia hope like to be root bound?

These plants can live a long healthy life in a smaller pot so you do not need to worry about repotting this plant often.

Is Peperomia Hope a fast grower?

This plant grows quite slowly so don’t expect it to trail around your house like a Pothos.

How big do Peperomia Hope get?

Peperomia Hope are slow growers and the leaves typically do not get larger than 2 inches across. This is a great plant to hang as it trails beautifully.

How do I make my Peperomia Hope larger?

Hope’s are slow growers, so make sure to care for it properly so it grows at normal speed. If you place this plant in low light conditions, it will not only grow at a much slower rate, but will grow leggy and not as bushy.

Fertilize once a month using a diluted fertilizer or slow release fertilizer during growing season.

Do Peperomia Hope climb?

These plants enjoy trailing down a planter so it’s a perfect plant to hang in your house.

Do Peperomia Hope bloom?

Yes, but you may find that this plant will not bloom in your home. It’s harder for houseplants to bloom inside homes due to lack of light intensity. If you want to increase your chances of blooming, place your Peperomia Hope in a spot with a good amount of sunlight.

How do you propagate Peperomia Hope?

When I bring a new plants home, I cut off a stem and propagate it in case the main plant dies on me. I don’t typically do this with Peperomia Hope’s because they are so slow to propagate and sometimes the propagation doesn’t even work.

Can I water my plant using tap water?

I do not use tap water on my houseplants because our tap water is filled with minerals and properties that hurt our houseplants. We instead use a reverse osmosis system and water our houseplants using that system.

This system cost $200 and we bought it for ourselves because our drinking water tasted terrible, but now our plants also benefit from it.

Another great option is letting your tap water sit out for 12 hours before using it. Depending on where you live, your tap water may be just fine.

Why is my Peperomia Hope leggy?

If your plant does not receive adequate bright indirect sunlight, it will grow leggy as it is searching for sunlight. It’s best to keep this plant near a south, west, or east facing window.

You can also prune your plant to encourage growth. I know this is the last thing you want to do especially for a slow growing houseplant, but pruning is key to active growth. Pruning sends a message to the plant to grow new plant material.

Why is my Peperomia Hope wrinkling?

If you have your plant in poor lighting, you may find Peperomia Hope wrinkling.

Is the Peperomia Hope toxic to pets?

No, this plant is not toxic to pets. ASPCA considers this plant not toxic to pets. You can get more information on toxic and pet-friendly plants at ASPCA here.

Common pests

Peperomia Hope is a plant that tends to get mealy bugs. Mealy bugs feed on plant juices and typically easy to get rid of. It’s important to take action as soon as you see them so they don’t spread onto your other plants.

Get rid of mealy bug by getting a cotton swab and dabbing it into 70% rubbing alcohol. Get all of the mealy bug off the plant with the rubbing alcohol. Make sure to check underneath all of the leaves and deep in crevices where mealy bugs hangout.

Other common pests for this plant include spider mites, scale, and aphids. These pests can hurt your plant which is why prevention is key.

To help prevent any pest infestations on your plant, here’s what to do.

If possible, inspect your plant before purchasing at the plant store. If you’re buying a plant online, inspect your plant away from your other plants.
Regularly check your plants for pests. This is also a great time to clean your plants.
Cut off dead leaves.

If your houseplant has any kind of pest on it, quarantine the plant immediately. Clean off the pest with rubbing alcohol.

You can also put Bonide Systemic granules on the soil of your plant. Every time you water, the systemic will bleed into the soil and go into the root system. Captain Jack’s is also another great option for getting rid of houseplant pests.

Bonide Systemic Granules are a great way to get rid of unwanted pests.

How to prevent pests

As a preventative, you can use Bonide Systemic which is a powder that you sprinkle on top of your houseplants soil. I use a stick to push down the systemic deeper into the soil and then I do a light watering.

I clean all of my plants with a homemade solution of 1 part 70% rubbing alcohol to 6 parts water and a few drops of Doctor Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap. I put this mixture in a spray bottle and a large container so it’s always ready. I clean my plants monthly with this mixture.

When cleaning and taking care of your plants, you naturally check for pests and the health of the plant which helps the chances of your plant thriving in your home.

Common issues

Yellowing leaves: If your Peperomia Hope has yellow leaves, you may be overeating your plant.

Wrinkly leaves: If your Peperomia Hope has wrinkly leaves, move it to a spot getting better sunlight.

Key Points To Remember

Keep your Peperomia Hope in well draining soil near bright indirect light. Make sure the soil stays moist and do not let it get bone dry. Make your plant even fuller by placing Peperomia Hope cuttings back in the same pot.

Your plant is going to thrive with these tips.