Peperomia looking a little sad...

So far my first three weeks with houseplants is off to a bad start....

I bought a peperomia incana a few weeks ago and repotted it because it was very root bound. I don't think the soil is draining well on any of my plants (I think mold may actually be growing- like a thin hairy white film and sometimes yellow, seed-sized clumps??) and now leaves are falling off of the peperomia (they don't discolor, they just fall off). New growth on my calathea died but the adult leaves still look okay and my marble queen hasn't show any signs yet.... Anyways, my questions would be:

1. Is that mold growing on my soil? And what do I do about it? Do I need to repot and add something to the soil? I don't think it is the drainage hole because there is just a piece of screen over the large drainage hole on the bottom of the pots.
2. Would the peperomia leaves falling off (without discoloring) be a result of poor drainage or of something else?

Thanks!

Any chance you can post a picture (or pictures) showing the plant and the stuff on the soil? White stuff on the soil can be salt deposits especially if you have hard water, but it could be mold too. Generally when there's mold there's too much water, and if a plant is being affected by too much water and/or mold, the leaves will discolor before they fall off. What sort of soil/potting mix did you use to fill the containers? If you repotted them recently and used good quality potting mix then you shouldn't be having problems with drainage and too much moisture unless you put the plant in a pot that's way too big for it or you're watering too often. But when this is happening you'll usually see the leaves discolor and then fall off, often the whole plant will wilt a bit too.

I used Miracle Gro regular potting mix that feeds the plants for 3 months. I repotted them 3 weeks ago and haven't watered ever since then because the soil is still moist. How can you tell if the pot is too big? I don't think this is the case because I just bought one size bigger than the pot they came in... None of the plants are wilting at all and are not discolored. I'll try to get pictures up soon but my camera is charging. (We have a baby so the camera is in constant use).

A pot one size bigger than what they were in is the usual guideline so I don't think that's the problem. And I use MG potting mix all the time and I've never had problems with it so I don't think that's it either. It seems sort of strange that the potting mix would still be wet enough after 3 weeks that you don't need to water it again, I wonder if you didn't get it way too wet at first and that's what caused the possible mold? I still don't know why the leaves would just drop off rather than discoloring first, but honestly I've never grown peperomia so perhaps they react differently than some other plants to having too much water around.

I definitely got it way too wet the first time I watered them. I blocked the drainage hole too much and the water didn't drain. Fortunately, the drainage hole is big on the bottom so I could stick my finger in there and dislodge the piece of broken pot blocking the hole and replaced it with screen. I haven't watered since because I haven't had to so I am not sure how well the screen will work or if the broken piece of pot has found its way back to the hole. I left the pot piece in there because I figured it would be too much for the plant to be repotted and them immediately unpotted and repotted again.

Haha... talk about a beginner....

If I recall correctly, P. incana is a very 'succulent' peperomia and needs a very loose, well-draining soil but also because of it's leaf structure, a lot of light.
I think they 'sucker' us by telling us that Peperomias need 'medium' light, as I've found that most of them really need 'high light' when grown indoors.

IMHO, that MG soil needs amending with Perlite or another additive to help aeration.

Good luck...hope it recovers...its' a totally fascinating plant.

Thanks! I just watered my plants and the soil is draining well now. I moved the peperomia to my sunniest window next to all of my cacti. Hopefully she will be happier there!

You probably thought of this, but if you had the plant growing in lower light, be sure to move it to the brighter light gradually so the plant doesn't burn with the sudden direct light. (Ü)

Thanks, I didn't know that. Just learning as I go... that is why I lovethis site. The peperomia was next to the bright window but not directly in front of it so I think, in this case, it isn't too sudden of a move. But it is good to know for the sake of plants I may have to move in the future!

Good - glad to have helped.
Sometimes when you mention something like that people are offended because they already knew it...but I guess we all didn't know these things at one point or another!

I think you're right....the move shouldn't burn the plant, then.

I sure hope it recovers nicely for you...it's such a unique plant!

So I moved the peperomia and it perked right up! It's looking very strong and healthy again and I see some new growth. Thanks everyone!

You know i have a trailing peperomia and i had it hanging in my front window where it gets the morning sun..but about a month ago i put it out the front porch and it gets lots of indirect light and it is growing like gangbusters. I just went out and took a pic of it real quick. I water it really good like once a week with the water hose. It seems to like it real real.

Hope your having better luck with yours.


Char