How To Propagate Peperomia Obtusifolia (Baby Rubber Plant)

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Tropical Peperomia obtusifolia is an evergreen herbaceous plant with glossy green, cupped, oval leaves with slightly pink highlights. Many caring for this easy-growing plant want to share it with others. That is why they ask – how to propagate Peperomia obtusifolia?

Propagating Peperomia ObtusifoliaPin

Peperomia obtusifolia (pep-eh-ROH-mee-ah ob-too-sih-FOH-lee-ah) commonly called: 

  • American Rubber Plant
  • Oval Leaf Peperomia
  • Baby Rubber Plant
  • Rhynchophorum
  • Pepper Face

The plant usually stays under 2″ feet high and prefers the usual houseplant conditions.

However, it does well with consistent warmth, bright, indirect sunlight, low humidity, well-draining soil, and soak and dry watering.


For these reasons, it’s easy to have great success growing the American Rubber Plant, and it is also easy to propagate.

In this article, we discuss several ways to propagate Peperomia Obtusifolia. Read on to learn more.

Propagating Baby Rubber Plant

Pepper Face is easy to propagate in either soil or water. Every time you prune, you have the opportunity to grow more Rhynchophorum.

Remember that it’s always a good idea to start several cuttings to be sure of success.

The best cuttings are several inches long with a couple of leaves at the tip.

Clip the stem approximately a quarter of an inch below a leaf node using sharp, sterile pruners, scissors, or other cutting implements. 

Once you’ve taken your cuttings, you can place them into small pots prepared with moistened potting soil or start them in water. 

Soil Method

If you choose to use potting soil, here’s what you need to do:

  • Poke a hole in the soil and insert a cutting so that a minimum of one leaf node is buried.
  • Gently press the soil around the stem of the cutting. Be sure not to put soil over any of the leaves. 
  • Put the pot in a warm area and receive bright, indirect sunlight.
  • When the soil starts to feel a bit dry, water again. The soil should stay just slightly moist. Don’t allow it to dry out or make it too soggy. 
  • Within a couple of weeks, you should see some new growth. You’ll know that your cutting has begun to set roots when you do.
  • You can test this hypothesis by giving the cutting a little tug to see if there is resistance; however, this isn’t necessary. If the cutting is putting out new foliage, it has roots. 

TIP: If the air is very dry, you may wish to cover the cuttings lightly with clear plastic or place each pot in a clear plastic bag to help retain moisture. Be sure to lift the plastic or open the bag for half an hour or so daily to prevent fungal growth. 

Water Method

To root Oval Leaf Peperomia in water, do the following:



  • Gather your cuttings precisely as you would for the soil method.
  • However, instead of placing the cuttings in soil, put them in a jar or vase of fresh water.
  • Just as with soil, be sure a minimum of one leaf node is below the surface of the water. Don’t let any leaves be underwater.
  • Put the container in a consistently warm area with bright, indirect sunlight.

The advantage of the water method is that you don’t have to worry about humidity levels.

The water in the container will keep the area around the cuttings humid. 

Although some indoor gardeners recommend topping the water off when the water level lowers or only changing the water weekly, this writer disagrees.

When propagating or growing any plant in water, it’s important to change the water completely daily.

Rinse the container, and rinse the stems and any roots lightly. Doing this will prevent fungal growth. 

Within a couple of weeks, you should see root growth.

When this happens, wait a couple of weeks more to give the roots a chance to grow to a length of about 3” inches.

You can plant your cuttings into their permanent pots using standard potting soil when this happens. 

Water thoroughly, and keep the soil slightly moist for a couple of weeks. Then, when you see new foliage growing, you’ll know that your cutting has established itself.

At this point, you can reduce watering a bit and settle into a soak and dry watering schedule. 

TIP: Using a clear glass container for water propagation seems to get much better results than using an opaque container, and it’s fun to watch the roots grow!

What If You Have A Different Kind Of Peperomia? 

The happy news is that no matter what kind of Peperomia you have, you can propagate it following these instructions.

As a matter of fact, you can propagate a great number of different houseplants using these instructions!

Learning how to propagate Peperomia obtusifolia will get you thinking. Whenever you prune your plant, clean the leaves or water, you think of giving propagation a try. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.