Chinese money plant care
Pilea peperomioides
Also called Pancake plant, UFO plant and Missionary plant. Family Urticaceae.
In short
Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) is an easy plant from southern China with round, coin-shaped leaves on long stalks, and mature plants push out offsets that pot up easily. Give it bright indirect light, turning it a quarter each week, and water every 7 to 10 days once the top 2 to 3cm (1 to 1 inch) is dry, less in winter. It is happy at 13 to 26°C (55 to 79°F), cooler than most houseplants, and safe around cats and dogs.
Updated
Chinese money plant at a glance
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Water
- Every 7 to 10 days
- Temperature
- 13 to 26°C55 to 79°F
- Humidity
- Average room humidity is fine
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Pets
- Safe for cats and dogs
How often should you water a Chinese money plant?
Usually every 7 to 10 days, once the top 2 to 3cm (1 to 1 inch) is dry, and less in winter.
Warm room, bright indirect light, ordinary pot: usually every 7 to 10 days, once the top 2 to 3cm (1 to 1 inch) is dry. The leaves droop noticeably when thirsty and recover within hours. Yellowing lower leaves that drop usually mean too much water. Less in winter.
How much light does a Chinese money plant need?
Bright indirect light out of direct midday sun, turned a quarter every week so it grows evenly.
Bright indirect light. It leans hard toward the light source, so turn it a quarter every week or it grows lopsided. Direct midday sun scorches the leaves.
How to feed a Chinese money plant
Half-strength balanced feed every 4 weeks through spring and summer.
Half-strength balanced feed every 4 weeks through spring and summer.
When to repot a Chinese money plant
Every 1 to 2 years in spring, potting up the offsets at the same time.
Every 1 to 2 years in spring. Pot up the offsets at the same time. Each one is a whole new plant.
How to prune a Chinese money plant
Remove yellowed lower leaves at the stem, and cut the top off a leggy plant to force new growth.
Remove yellowed lower leaves at the stem. Cutting the top off a leggy plant forces new growth from the remaining stem.
What temperature and humidity does a Chinese money plant like?
13 to 26°C (55 to 79°F), and it is happier in a cooler room than most tropical houseplants.
13 to 26°C (55 to 79°F). Happier in a cooler room than most tropical houseplants. Humidity: Average room humidity is fine.
Is a Chinese money plant toxic to cats and dogs?
No, it is non-toxic and safe around cats and dogs.
Safe around cats and dogs.
How big does a Chinese money plant get?
About 30cm (12 inches), as a single upright stem of round leaves on long stalks.
A single upright stem carrying round coin-shaped leaves on long stalks, reaching about 30cm (12 inches). Mature plants push out offsets from the soil and the stem, which detach and pot up easily. The reason it spread through Europe by cuttings long before it was sold commercially.
Where does the Chinese money plant come from?
Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southern China, on shaded, damp rock faces in the Himalayan foothills.
Shaded, damp rock faces and forested slopes in the foothills of the Himalayas: cooler and less tropical than most houseplants, which is why it copes with an ordinary room so easily.
What's wrong with my Chinese money plant?
| What you see | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Yellowing lower leaves that drop | Usually too much water | Let the top 2 to 3cm (1 to 1 inch) dry before watering, water less in winter, and remove yellowed leaves at the stem. |
| Drooping leaves with dry compost | Thirst | Water it; the leaves recover within hours. |
| Lopsided growth | Leaning towards its light source | Turn it a quarter every week. |
| Scorched patches on the leaves | Direct midday sun | Move it into bright indirect light, out of direct midday sun. |
Questions about the Chinese money plant
How do I propagate a Chinese money plant?
Mature plants push out offsets from the soil and the stem. Detach them and pot them up, ideally when you repot in spring; each one is a whole new plant.
Why is my Chinese money plant leaning?
It leans hard towards the light. Turn it a quarter every week to keep it growing straight.
Why are my pilea's leaves drooping?
Usually thirst: the leaves droop noticeably when it is dry and recover within hours of watering.
What can I do with a tall, leggy pilea?
Cut the top off. That forces new growth from the remaining stem.
Christi Miltz, CC0
Jacqui Geux, CC BY 4.0
zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0