Known for their flat coin-shaped leaves, the Peperomia Hope is a little bit different from most other succulent types which can be a little confusing when it comes to their care needs. This is why a lot of Peperomia Hope plant parents find they have quite a few issues with these plants and struggle to keep them thriving.
In this post, we will cover all of the most common problems you might face with Peperomia Hope plants, as well as how to treat the problems and stop them from causing more havoc with your plant in future.
Causes of brown leaves on a Peperomia Hope
Temperature extremes.
Drafts that come through cracks in windows or doors can be quite harmful to your Peperomia Hope and will cause brown leaves among other issues. Make sure to draft-proof any windows or doors that are within 1 metre of your Peperomia Hope or any other houseplants. If the brown leaves are occurring in summer, then it might be that your Peperomia Hope is too close to an air conditioning vent so watch out for these too. We recommend buying a thermometer to measure how the temperature changes throughout the day and across the year to ensure that your Peperomia Hope doesn’t develop brown leaves as a result of cold air.
Leaf rot.
Your Peperomia Hope may also be developing brown spots and patches if the leaves are getting wet. Damp leaves are a Peperomia Hope’s worst enemy during winter as they will begin to rot when temperatures drop, causing brown spots. You want to make sure you are watering as close to the soil as possible to avoid the leaves getting splashed. If you aren’t already, use a long narrow spouted watering can that will allow you to get past the leaves and avoid brown leaves.
Causes of yellow leaves on a Peperomia Hope
Overwatering.
Too much water is a very common reason behind yellow leaves on Peperomia Hopes so it’s a good idea to inspect the potting soil closely. Overwatering will cause damage to the root system and mean your plant will develop yellow leaves, as well as become soft and fall off. To figure out if overwatering is the reason your Peperomia Hope is turning yellow, check the moisture levels in the soil immediately. Trim away any rotten roots and adjust your watering schedule so you aren’t watering your Peperomia Hope as much as you were before.
Nutrient issues.
Peperomia Hope can also develop yellow leaves as a result of over fertilisation or a lack of nutrients. It’s a bit tricky to diagnose this one properly as both extremes can cause exactly the same issues. Peperomia Hope plants really don’t need much fertiliser so if you are fertilising more than a few times per year, we recommend cutting this out for a while. If you aren’t feeding your Peperomia Hope at all, and haven’t switched out any of the potting mix recently, then a lack of nutrients might be the cause of the yellow leaves.
Direct sunlight.
If your Peperomia Hope is getting too much bright light you’ll start to notice yellowy patches throughout the leaf. This is due to the sunlight burning the leaves which is unfortunately irreversible. Try moving your Peperomia Hope into a slightly shadier place, and if there’s no improvement move it a little further again until you find it’s the perfect spot. You can carefully trim away the burnt yellow leaves so your Peperomia Hope can focus its energy on new healthy growth.
Pests.
There is one more slightly worrying cause of yellow leaves on a Peperomia Hope; a pest infestation. We recommend isolating your plant until you can confirm pests or not as you don’t want to risk them jumping onto your other plants and causing more yellow leaves. If you do spot pests on your Peperomia Hope then you want to wash your plant down and treat it with neem oil as if not treated, they will continue to cause yellow spots on your Peperomia Hope and will slowly kill your plant.
Why is my Peperomia Hope losing leaves?
Overwatering.
Root rot can occur when you have been giving your Peperomia Hope too much water and the soil becomes waterlogged. This causes instability in the plant and often means your plant will lose some of its leaves. To figure out if overwatering is why your Peperomia Hope is losing leaves, inspect the leaves a little closer. If you see brown or black spots all over the leaf, it usually means that the plant is waterlogged. If the dry brown leaves that are falling off are towards the bottom of the plant, closest to the roots, this also indicates root rot.
Natural ageing.
If your Peperomia Hope is losing a couple of leaves every few months, then it might simply be natural ageing. It’s normal for your Peperomia Hope to lose a few of its oldest and smallest leaves so that it can focus all its energy and nutrients growing new healthy bigger leaves. Monitor how many leaves are falling off your Peperomia Hope to make sure there’s nothing else going on.
Causes of a drooping Peperomia Hope
Underwatering.
Too little water can harm your Peperomia Hope in more ways than one. It can cause dry leaves, lack of growth and nutrient deficiency. But one of the earlier signs of underwatering is a drooping plant. If you find that the stems and leaves look a little lifeless, it could be because the soil has been dry for too long. If this is the cause of your droopy Peperomia Hope, water it a little every other day for a week. Your first instinct might be to give it loads of water straight away but this can actually be harmful to your Peperomia Hope if the soil goes from one extreme to the other and can mean it droops even more.
Cold temperatures.
Another common reason why your Peperomia Hope might start to droop is temperature changes. If your Peperomia Hope is near a drafty door or window or is close to an AC vent, then this flow of cold air could be causing your drooping plant. Invest in a digital thermometer to monitor fluctuations in temperature to ensure that your plant isn’t being exposed to extremely hot or cold air and your Peperomia Hope should stop drooping.
Those are the most common problems that you will face with a Peperomia Hope, as well as how to best treat them. The key to reviving a dying Peperomia Hope is spotting the problems early before they have caused too much damage to the root system or leaves. Make sure to inspect your plants regularly and thoroughly to see if you notice any early warning signs.
To learn more about what care requirements your plant needs, check out our Peperomia Hope care guide.
