Plant Guide
How To Care For a Chinese Money Plant
Pilea Peperomioides
Nickname : Chinese Money Plant, Pancake Plant, Missionary Plant, UFO Plant
This adorable plant is originally from Southwestern China. They have a very distinctive look, with each new saucer-shaped leaf growing up and out from the crown of the plant. These discs can reach a diameter of 10 centimeter.
How to take care of Chinese Money Plant
Easy to take care of, these plants are popular worldwide and very popular in interior design blogs.
The Chinese Money Plant doesn’t get very tall (20-30cm) and are well suited as potted plants.
As the plant gets older and taller, it becomes top heavy and the stem will begin slouch forward. It's up to you if you want to let it go wild and bend over or put a stake down and have it go straight. It would not affect the plant's health either way!
If you want a lush, full pot of Chinese Money Plant you can keep multiple plants in one pot which will create a lovely ‘bowlful’ look. You can have the baby plants produced by the mother plant to continue growing in the pot or by planting multiple cuttings/baby plants together to make things faster.
Humidity
50-80%
To increase humidity, you can leave a tray under your pot with pebbles to hold moisture from the water that escapes from the hole on the bottom of the pot so the plant remains moist. You can also use a humidifier for this task or spray your plant with warm water a few times a day.
Light
Bright Without Direct Sun
Water
Keep soil very lightly moist and take care not to let it sit in water or become too soggy. You can also let the soil dry out a little between waterings, especially during the cooler months.
Temperature
60-80°F
Plant Food
Use all-purpose soil that is well draining to ensure the plant does not remain overly wet after watering. Fertilizer: Feed once a month in spring and summer. You should also feed the plant when the mother plant is producing baby plants.
Pests
Spider Mites, mealy bugs, and fungus gnats are common pests that may attack the plant.
Pet Toxicity
Non-Toxic
Repotting
To repot your Pilea, pour some stones on the bottom (about 1-inch deep). The rocks aid with drainage and will help your plant not succumb to root rot. For soil, well draining potting mix. Your local greenhouse should have this or you can pick some up at your local hardware store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bright Without Direct Sun
Unlike a lot of houseplants, Montersa actually prefer growing indoors and not in heavy direct sun. They like the room to be lit bright but not under direct sunlight.
No
Chinese Money Plants are not toxic to both dogs and cats.
The best thing to do when you've overwatered a Chinese Money Plant is to stop watering and relocate it to a place with a lot of sun so that you can dry out the soil. After that, you probably will want to inspect the roots for root rot and repot the plant.
Yes
Chinese Money Plants like to be misted, especially throughout the summer to keep the leaves nice and moist.