How to grow Chinese evergreen

Soil selection

Peperomia requires the soil to be rich in humus, loose, fertile and well-drained. You can choose 7 parts of leaf soil and 3 parts of river sand, add a small amount of base fertilizer to make culture soil, or mix 6 parts of peat soil, 4 parts of perlite and a small amount of base fertilizer. When planting, you usually buy potted plants directly without mixing soil. All you need to do is have a basic understanding of the composition of the soil.

Temperature requirements

Peperomia likes warm, humid, semi-shady environment and is resistant to high temperatures. The suitable temperature for its growth is about 25 ℃. It can grow normally at 10 to 15 ℃ in winter, but will stop growing below 10 ℃, be harmed below 5 ℃, and will freeze to death below 0 ℃. It is not easy to grow a small pot of bean green leaves.

Lighting requirements

Chinese evergreen is relatively shade-tolerant and can be grown indoors in a place with bright scattered light in all seasons. It can be exposed to more light in spring and autumn. In winter, it can be placed near the south window sill to get more sunlight. In summer, it can be placed on the north windowsill with appropriate shading. When the light is appropriate, the leaves are bright in color. When the light is too strong or too dark, the leaves will lose their bright colors.

Watering method

When watering, the soil in the pot should be kept at a suitable level of dryness and wetness. During the growth process, spring and autumn are the peak seasons for growth and development, so more water should be used. The weather is hot in summer, but the plant grows slowly due to the high temperature. You can water it once in the morning or evening. The stems and leaves are easy to rot due to high temperature and humidity. It depends on the weather and potting soil. The soil in the pot should be slightly dry, because its stems and leaves are fleshy and too wet can easily cause the roots to rot. Especially in winter due to the low temperature, the plant is in a dormant state, so the soil in the pot should be dry.

Fertilization method

The culture soil of Chinese evergreen is usually renewed every 2 to 3 years. During the growth period, apply decomposed liquid fertilizer or nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer once every 15 to 20 days, with the concentration of 15 % to 20 % for cake fertilizer and 0.2 % to 0.3 % for nitrogen and phosphorus compound fertilizer. If you do not know how to fertilize, you can reduce the nitrogen fertilizer to make the spots on the leaves more obvious.

Precautions

Don’t be fooled by the cuteness of the small pot of Chinese evergreen, that’s because it is well taken care of. If you are half-hearted in your care, it will also grow too tall. So trim it in time. When the Chinese evergreen grows to about 10 cm, it is necessary to pinch the top to promote the sprouting of side branches and make the plant fuller.

In daily management, pay attention to moderate light and appropriate fertilizer and water. When the sunlight is not too strong, the potted plants can be placed outdoors. However, it cannot be exposed to direct sunlight in the summer, especially should not be placed in a sunny place, otherwise the branches and leaves will turn yellow.