When it comes to small plants, the Baby Rubber Plant (Peperomia obtusifolia) is an excellent choice. This variety of Peperomia is adorable and charming because of its bright green foliage and simple round leaf.
But imagine if your glossy-leaved darling started sprouting long lean spikes at random… What’s going on here?
Your Peperomia obtusifolia has begun to bloom. Clusters of flowers are found on the spikes. Your plant is well enough to produce flowers.
There is no need to be concerned about the spikes, which you might think are fungi or the egg sacs of some strange insect.
Each spike is a cluster of flowers. It’s not exactly what people imagine when they think of a burst of bright blooms, but that’s exactly what your Peperomia’s leggy spikes are. They’re a good sign that your Peperomia is doing well.
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Why is my Peperomia growing spikes?
Generally, Peperomias are grown for their leaves. Watermelon Peperomia, for example, has brightly variegated leaves, while Peperomia obtusifolia, simpler sweet greenery, is in the family.
Due to their popularity as a leafy plants, it is not widely known that they produce flowers. Because their flower spikes are odorless and do not resemble any kind of flower at all, this isn’t helping matters.
Flowers are always a welcome sight. Only a well-cared-for Peperomia will bloom. When you see spikes like these, you can be sure your plant is getting the right amount of light, water, and humidity.
When Peperomia flowers appear, it’s a sign you’re doing it right because they’re so willing to die of any one thing.
Those flowers are your Peperomia’s seal of approval, which may be concerning if you weren’t expecting them. You should be proud of them because not everyone will see them.
What Are Peperomia Flower Spikes Like?
What you see on your Peperomia obtusifolia is an inflorescence, a type of bloom. It’s a cluster of tiny flowers on the end of a long stem. Here’s what to do if the stem of your peperomia gets too long.
“Long” is obviously a relative term. These structures aren’t very large in plants like Peperomia obtusifolia. These thin spikes are only four or five inches long and emerge delicately between leaf clusters.
The flower’s complex parts cluster at the tips of these spikes, often so small that they barely resemble flowers. Pale in color, they can be white, cream, or pale green.
Your oddly shaped flowers won’t have a sweet scent. In most cases, they don’t have any scent at all and leave no pollen behind. It’s not hard to see why they’re often overlooked as flowers.
During the spring, keep an eye out for these unusual structures. Even indoors, where the seasons are less obvious, Peperomia blooms simultaneously each year.
What To Do With Peperomia Flower Spikes?
No harm whatsoever is done to your plant by these flower spikes Roses and sunflowers, with their showy blooms and brilliant heads, are no different.
It’s easiest to leave them alone. They are a tribute to your skill in the garden. The Peperomia family of plants blooms even less frequently than indoor plants.
People who grow Peperomia obtusifolia may never see any flowers at all.
If you leave them alone, your plant’s strange flower spikes will remain in place for a few months before they fall off on their own. None of this is your responsibility.
You can always add some extra fertilizer to your Peperomia if you prefer. Feeding Peperomia isn’t necessary regularly, but producing blooms do.
This can be done by applying a small amount of dilute balanced liquid fertilizer. (You can see the Amazon prices here)
Can You Propagate Peperomia Flower Spikes?
Peperomia is known for its ability to propagate easily. One leaf in a tiny container of water is the beginning of many beautiful specimens.
Unfortunately, Peperomia can’t be grown from a flower stalk. Roots can’t grow from the flowers themselves, just like they can’t from cut flowers sold in stores.
Your plant can’t survive without roots. Peperomia’s inflorescences wither and die the same way as to cut flowers or roses in water.
You must include a leaf node to propagate a Peperomia. No new roots can grow without this. Taking a few leaves with a node from your Peperomia, if it is healthy enough to produce flowers, is completely safe.
Peperomia Flower Spikes: Should I Remove Them?
Your Peperomia flower spikes are completely harmless. You may be surprised by what you discover when you buy a plant solely for its leaves. Your plant has other parts, like a stem or a leaf. But they are just one of them.
They don’t need to be cut off. There isn’t much of an impact on your plant’s resources after the hard work of growing them is done.
Bees and flies aren’t attracted to these plants because they aren’t strong enough to attract them, and they are so small and unremarkable that their deaths won’t leave much of a mess behind.
However, if you truly dislike them, letting them go is not a bad idea. To remove the spikes, use a pair of clean scissors or shears.