Soil: Use a loose potting soil that drains quickly.
Pilea Peperomioides (Chinese Money Plant) Care Guide
Could you please identify my plant and tell me how to care for it. Thanks
Hi Debbie,
Your plant is called a Pilea peperomioides or Chinese Money Plant. Also called a Pancake Plant because of the round shape of the leaves. Here are some care tips to help grow the plant.
Light: Place the plant in bright indirect light, but no direct sun. Direct sun will burn the leaves. If the light is too low, the plant does not produce new leaves.
Water: A Chinese Money plant has thick leaves that store water. Allow the top 50% of the soil to dry out before watering. Over-watering, is the easiest way to kill this plant. Yellow leaves appear when the soil has been kept too wet and indicates that the roots are in trouble. Setting the plant in a deep saucer of water for 10 minutes is a good way to water. The plant absorbs what it needs and never sits in excess water afterwards.
Plant Food: Fertilize monthly in the spring and summer with a balanced, liquid fertilizer diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength. A pilea peperomioides does not beed to be fed in the fall and winter.
Temperature: This plant likes warm temperatures between 60°-80°F (15.5°-26.7°C). Cold winter drafts and temperatures below 50°-55°F (10°-12.8°C) will damage the leaves.
Propagation: This plant practically propagates itself. It produces baby plants along its stem and in the soil around the “Mother” plant. I use the baby plants growing in the soil to start new plants. Wait until they are a few inches tall before removing the babies and planting them in a very small pot of loose soil.