Piper Ornatum Care Indoors is an easy task if you follow the right tips and tricks! View the post below to learn growing Ornamental Pepper Vine.
If you want a quirky little plant indoors that stands out with its shiny veined leaves, then keep on reading to know all about Piper Ornatum Care Indoors!
USDA Zones: 8-11
Soil pH: Slightly acidic to Neutral (6.1 – 7)
Learn about Spider Plant Care Indoors here
Piper Ornatum Plant Information
Endemic to Indonesia, this sprawling vining shrub has a low-growth habit. Also popular as Celebes Pepper, the plant features heart or teardrop-shaped glossy olive green mottled leaves with silver to pink venation as you see in the nerve plant.
Ornamental Pepper Vine looks great as a houseplant when planted in a hanging basket or allowed to dangle down or trained to climb up using a moss pole or trellis. Piper Ornatum also looks beautiful in terrariums as it loves humidity.
Check Out Ways To Increase Humidity For Houseplants That Work here
Propagating Piper Ornatum
Piper Ornatum can be propagated easily through stem cuttings. For this, take a 5 to 7 inches long cutting by making a cut below the node; a node would be tiny bumps you’ll see in the stem, and this is where the new roots will emerge. Plant it in a pot filled with your usual potting mix. Moisten the soil, and keep it where it gets plenty of dappled light.
The cutting will form new growth in 3-5 weeks. However, while you take cutting, make sure the weather is warm and suitable for propagation.
Learn about the One Secret to Grow Any Plant From a Cutting here
Requirements for Growing Piper Ornatum
Light
Its light requirements are similar to black pepper or betel leaf plant or consider anthurium when it comes to houseplants. If you’ve ever grown any of these, this would be similar.
Piper Ornatum won’t mind staying in a bit of shade, but the color and shine on the foliage won’t be that bright and deep. To ensure it looks the best–keep it where it can bask in some morning sun for 3-4 hours. This will give it the best color.
Also, keep it safe from the harsh afternoon sun. A location that receives filtered sunlight is best for growing this plant–either indoors or outdoors.
Soil
For best results, use well-draining soil, as Piper Ornatum hates to sit in a waterlogged growing medium. You can utilize the normal potting soil you use for other indoor plants.
The pH level could be between acidic to alkaline or anywhere between 6 to 7; add lime if the soil is too acidic and sulfur if alkaline.
Learn How to Check Your Soil pH at Home here
Watering Ornamental Pepper Plant
When it comes to hydration, do remember that Ornamental Piper Vine is sensitive to overwatering but also prefers a slightly moist growing medium. But to be on the safer side, it’s better to follow this simple houseplant rule of watering when the topsoil turns dry to the touch; while doing this, make sure the soil never becomes completely dry.
If you notice leaves are turning yellow with mushiness, it indicates the plant is overwatered, and brown and papery foliage indicates the plant is running dry.
Temperature and Humidity
Piper Ornatum Vine plant enjoys warm, humid surroundings with stable temperatures as it is a tropical climate plant. The perfect temperature range for the plant is between 65-90 F (18-32 C). Don’t allow its surroundings to drop below 50 F (10 C).
To raise the humidity during dry air season, keep its pot on a pebble tray filled with water or use a humidifier.
Piper Ornatum Care
Fertilizer
This plant is not a heavy feeder, so you don’t need to fertilize it frequently. You can use any balanced liquid fertilizer with equal N-P-K and dilute it to one-fourth of its recommended strength and feed it once in a few weeks.
The application of Epsom salt every once in a while is also beneficial. Dilute half a teaspoon of it in 600 ml water, and use it to water this and other houseplants.
And, when the nighttime temperature starts going down, stop feeding the plant until the warm weather perks up.
Check out How To Make Bone Meal Fertilizer At Home here
Re-potting
When you find the pot filled with roots more than the volume of the soil or poking from the drainage holes of the planter, re-pot Piper Ornatum. A one-size bigger or 1 or 2 inches bigger container than the previous one would be the best.
And the best time to do this is in the spring or summer. Be extra careful and do not disturb the roots or break the root ball while re-potting, and use fresh potting soil.
Pests and Diseases
The most common disease that infects it is root rot due to overwatering. Be careful of aphids and spider mites as they can pose a threat to the plant.
Toxicity
Piper Ornatum has been used as a folk medicine in the Indian subcontinent for treating different diseases, but do not use it without consultation with your medical practitioner.
Also, this plant is mildly toxic to pets and may cause drooling, nausea or vomiting if eaten in excess quantities. So, keep it out of the reach of dogs and cats.
