14 Reasons for Peperomia Drooping Leaves and How to Fix Them

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Drooping leaves in Peperomia have a soft, floopy feel and are caused by improper feeding, too little light, low humidity, incorrect watering, extreme temperatures, exposure to direct sunlight, pests and diseases among others.

Peperomia are easy-care, popular plants which easily adapt to a wide range of growing conditions. Generally Peperomia grow best in medium to bright indirect light, warm and humid conditions, and moderately moist, rich, well-drained soil coupled with regular feeding in the growing season. Read more on how to grow and care for Peperomia (Radiator Plants)

However, if the growing conditions are not right, Peperomias will develop some problems. Wilting and droopy leaves is a common problem where the leaves lose their turgidy (stiffness), wilt and droop downwards.

The reasons for Peperomia droopy leaves are many and varied. We have herebelow outlined for you 14 reasons why your Peperomia's leaves are droopy and their remedies.

14 Reasons why Peperomia leaves are wilting and drooping

1. Underfeeding

Underfeeding your Peperomia implies that the plant is not getting the nutrients need for growth and energy. Inadequate nutrients in the actively growing tips causes nutrients to be withdrawn from the older lower leaves which begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Feed your Peperomia at least once monthly during the growing season with a balanced, liquid fertilizer. Take care not to underfeed and follow the instructions on the label of the plant food.

2. Overfeeding

Overfeeding Peperomia will cause the roots to die due to fertilizer burn. When the roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves. Since the leaves water loss is greater that the replacement, the leaves wilt and droop.

Solutions

Take care not to overfeed your Peperomia. Follow the instructions on the label of the plant food to avoid overfeeding. Regularly flush out the salts from the soil by running a stream of water through the soil until it comes out through the drainage holes and repeat the process several times. Learn how to feed houseplants.

3. Low Humidity

Peperomia will grow in ordinary room humidity but a humid environment is necessary for lush growth especially where the temperatures are high.

Too low humidity (little air moisture) causes dehydration of the leaves which causes the leaves to lose their turgidity and therefore wilt and droop.

Peperomia thrive in humidity between 50& and 80%. Use a hygrometer to monitor the humidity for the optimum growth of your plant.

Solutions

Set the pot on a wet pebble tray or use a cool mist humidifier to raise humidity. You may also grow your Peperomia in a well-lit bathroom, kitchen, laundy area and other moist areas in the home. The compact Peperomias can be grown in a closed terrarium as high humidity can be maintained inside a terrarium. Check out these techniques on how to increase humidity for houseplants.

4. Poor Quality Soil

Poor quality soil does not drain easily and therefore it easily becomes compacted or soggy which can negatively impact the growth of the plant. Peperomia requires loose, free-draining soil that does not hold excessive amounts of water. Soggy soil can lead to root-rot and death of the plant.

Solutions

Pot your Peperomia in good quality soil that is loose, free-draining and rich in organic matter. Cactus and succulents soil is ideal for the succulent Peperomias while all purpose potting mix is great for non-succulent Peperomias.

5. Too Little Light

Peperomia requires adequate light to make food that is required for energy and growth. Insufficient light implies that the plant cannot make enough food for energy and growth.

In an attempt to save energy, the Peperomia leaves begin to die and this begins with wilting and drooping leaves. This way, the energy available is saved for the plant's vital functions inorder to keep alive.

Solutions

Cut back the stems to rejuvenate growth and move your Peperomia to a brighter spot where it will receive medium to bright indirect light or instal a grow light if you do not have adequate lighting in your home. Take a look at these full spectrum grow lights on Amazon.

Regularly clean the Peperomia leaves by damp wiping with a soft cloth to ensure that it absorbs enough light for photosynthesis. Check out this guide on understanding light for houseplants.

6. Extremely Hot Temperatures

Peperomia plants require average temperatures of 15-26⁰C to thrive. Extreme hot temperatures (above the upper range) will cause excessive loss of water from the leaves which leads to wilting and droopy leaves.

Solutions

Keep the Peperomia away from hot drafts like hot surfaces, hot vents and other hot areas to prevent extremely high temperatures. Maintain an average warmth of 15-26⁰C. Usually, a room temperature that is comfortable for you is ideal for the plant. Check out this guide on understanding temperature for houseplants.

7. Underwatering

Underwatering Peperomia implies that there is too little moisture in the soil. As such, there is no water in the soil for the plant to take up to the leaves and other parts. Therefore, water lost by the leaves cannot be replaced. Thus, the leaves lose their turgity, become floopy and droopy.

Solutions

Thoroughly water the Peperomia immediately and it should perk up. Thereafter, water the plant liberally during the growing season and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Reduce watering in the cold season but do not allow the soil to dry out completely. Learn more on how to water indoor plants the correct way.

8. Overwatering

Overwatering results in excess water in the soil (soggy soil). Too much water in the soil reduces the oxygen concentration in rootzone which can cause the roots to die.

When roots die, they cannot take up water to the upper parts of the plant including the stems and leaves. These parts lose their turgidy (firmness), therefore, the leaves wilt and droop downwards.

Solutions

To avoid getting soggy soil, ensure that the pot for your Peperomia has a drainage hole and that the soil is loose and free-draining. In addition, decrease watering in the cold season to maintain the soil barely moist as growth is minimal at this time.

9. Accumulation of Salts in the Soil

Excess soluble salts in the soil from the water or excess feeding will prevent the Peperomia roots from taking up water due to the high concentration of salts.

Plant roots absorb water by osmosis, therefore the high concentration in the soil prevents water from moving from the soil into the plant system. As such, since the leaves water loss is greater than the replacement, they lose their firmness, wilt and droop.

Solutions

Regularly flush out the salts from the Peperomia soil by running a stream of water through the soil until it comes out through the drainage holes and repeat the process several times.

10. Pest Infestations

Peperomia are prone to spider mites, whiteflies, scale insects and mealy bugs. These pests attack the new growth from where they suck the plant sap. This causes the Peperomia to become dehydrated and results in wilting and drooping leaves.

Solutions

Regularly inspect your Peperomia for these pests and take timely control measures. Treat the plant for the pests with neem Oil or insecticidal soap as per the manufacturer's recommendations.

To discourage pests infestation, regularly clean the leaves by damp wiping with a soft cloth. In addition, increase humidity to discourage pest infestations, by setting the pot on a wet pebble tray.

11. Root-rot Disease

Peperomia plants are prone to root-rot which is prevalent in soggy soil. The disease is characterized by wilted, discolored leaves, corky swellings under the leaves, drooping leaves which eventually drop.

When the soil is soggy, the oxygen concentration in the soil is reduced which causes the roots to die. Once the roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves. The leaves begin to wilt, droop and eventually drop.

Solutions

Carefully slip the Peperomia out of its pot and inspect the roots. Brown-black mushy roots indicate root-rot, trim them off and treat the healthy roots with a fungicidal solution.

Disinfect the pot or use a fresh pot to repot the plant in fresh free-draining soil. Do not water the Peperomia immediately and keep it dry for some time before resuming watering. Read more on how to treat root-rot in houseplants.

12. Root Bound Plant

If a plant is root bound, the roots have filled the pot and there is very little soil to hold water when you water your Peperomia. Therefore, there is no water for the plant to take up to the leaves. The leaves loss their stiffness and they wilt and droop.

Solutions

Check the bottom of the pot for roots growing through the drainage hole. Repot the plant into a pot one size larger than the current one. You may divide a large plant into several sections and pot the sections in individual pots to propagate new plants.

13. Repotting Shock

Repotting your Peperomia will cause it some shock which may lead to some leaves wilting and drooping before it can adjust the new growing conditions.

Solutions

To minimize repotting shock for your Peperomia, water the plant thoroughly one day before repotting. A well hydrated plant experiences less shock and is easier to divide.

Do not make too many changes at once. For instance, after repotting, maintain the plant in the same location until it is well established before moving it to a new location.

14. Hot Direct Sunlight

Too hot direct sunlight on Peperomia leaves will cause drastic water loss. This will in turn cause the leaves to loose their firmness and thereby begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Thoroughly water the Peperomia immediately and it should recover. Move the plant to a more shadier spot or instal a light curtain to filter direct sunlight from reaching the leaves.

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