The Chinese Money Plant (Pilea Peperomioides) has quickly become one of the most popular house plants, and for good reason! It has beautiful dark green leaves that grow from a single stem and eventually form a thick canopy, making it easy to grow and care for.
Pilea prefers a bright and light environment, but not direct sunlight, as this can scorch the plant’s leaves. It’s also preferable to be away from any drafts. They want good drainage so that their roots don’t sit in water; a pot with holes is ideal, but if you don’t have one, fill it with gravel or clay. Allow time for the soil to dry between waterings, and water less in the winter.
They’re not the easiest plant to come by, but once you do, stem cuttings make them incredibly easy to grow, allowing you to expand your collection. They will occasionally grow their own miniatures, which will have their own roots and be easy to transplant. Our propagation methods are listed below!
We recently teamed up with The Botanical Workshop to create Pilea tote bags, which are now available at both our East Dulwich and Deptford locations. It contains all of the instructions for caring for these lovely plants, so you can keep a handy reminder with you at all times!
Early spring is the best time to propagate. Make sure your plant is watered the day before you take the cuttings so the stems aren’t too dry when you cut them.
Use a multipurpose compost with an excellent rooting medium to make a rooting container (shallow plastic or metal base with drainage holes but sealed at the top – you can improvise and use plastic bottles or buy these from a DIY store). Spray the soil with water to dampen it slightly, then place it in a bright but indirect light source.
Choose a mature stem and cut at least 5cm away from the leaf to take a cutting from your plant. The stem can then be inserted into your rooting container, which should be deep enough to support its weight while still allowing room for it to root. Mist the cuttings and shut the container with enough water to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
After around 3 weeks, you can begin testing your cuttings by gently tugging on them to feel for resistance. Your plant should have grown roots and be about 4cm long before transplanting into a new container if there is any. Allow your new plant to acclimate for a few days before introducing it to its new home environment!
You won’t need a rooting container because these have been rooted.
Make sure the plant is big enough to grow on its own without the main plant’s help – the bigger, the better.
Follow the stem of your small plant about 1/2cm under the soil with a sharp knife or pair of scissors and make a sharp, clean cut. The cutting can then be placed in a pre-prepared pot with slightly wet multipurpose compost.
The plant will take a few weeks to settle into its new pot, but once it does, it should begin to produce new leaves on its own.
How do you prune a Chinese money plant?
Many people have heard about this and are wondering if it is true that you can cut the top off your Pilea. Absolutely! Plants that are in good health radiate energy in all directions (up, out, and into new pups). When you cut off the top of your Pilea, the energy that was previously spent on climbing will be directed toward new growth and filling up your plant.
You can pick and choose where you want to cut your primary stem. If new sprouts appear at the bottom of the stem, cut just above them for the best results. Plants need their leaves to gather light for photosynthesis, therefore leave at least one leaf on the bottom stem when cutting.
To remove the Pilea’s top, cut the Pilea in half at the desired location on its stem with your sharp and clean scissors or knife. Your Pilea’s bottom half should start sprouting new growth soon.
Always keep the top portion of your cut Pilea because you can root it and plant it in soil to grow another Pilea. Simply place the cutting’s base in a tiny bottle of water to root it. Roots will sprout from the base of the stem in a short period of time. Plant your new Pilea in its own container once the roots are an inch or two long, and enjoy your second plant!
Do you prune Chinese money plant?
Remove any green, healthy leaves from your plant as soon as possible. Trimming them off isn’t necessary, and it could harm your plant’s overall capacity to develop. Trim away only dead or dying leaves, such as brown leaves, discolored leaves, or leaves that have begun to wilt. If you notice a brown edge on an otherwise healthy leaf, trim just the edge; make sure to follow the natural leaf line as you trim so the leaf looks aesthetically pleasing when you’re done.
How do you trim a Pilea plant?
When I first started researching about Pilea Peperomioides online, I quickly saw that individuals were beheading or hacking their Pileas in half. The prospect of chopping my cherished plant seemed daunting at first. After doing some research, I discovered that cutting a mature Pilea in half has a lot of advantages.
How should a Pilea plant be split in half? Use a sharp, clean pair of scissors or a knife to cut a green patch on the stem about halfway up your plant in half. Turn your one Pilea into two by rooting the top section of the plant in water and repotting it in soil.
Beheading your prized Pilea may appear extreme, but just as deadheading flowers promotes the plant to produce more and more blossoms, slicing a Pilea encourages new growth. The main reasons for cutting your Pilea in half are listed here, along with step-by-step instructions for beheading a Pilea. Let’s get this party started!
How do I make my Chinese money plant bushy?
Pruning Makes Your Money Plant Look Bushier: Pruning will make your Money Plant look bushier. If you don’t, the stems will continue to trail and appear thinner. Money plants can grow in low-light environments, resulting in sparse leaves and a non-sculpted appearance. Pruning shears are needed to prune the Money Plant’s leaves and stems.
– If you desire a fuller Money Plant from the top, prune the outward-growing leaves and stems.
Can we trim money plant?
A money plant that is dry and withering will bring you bad luck and misfortune. We mean ill financial health when we say misfortune. Ensure that the leaves remain healthy and do not dry out or wither. If the stems and leaves begin to wither or dry out, prune and cut them down, but be sure to keep it well-maintained.
Can you trim money plant?
Pruning a money tree is best done in the winter when the plant is dormant. It’s fine to do little pruning to remove new growth as it emerges, but it’s not necessary. Trimming the plant all at once is easier.
If you want a stem to grow in a certain direction, pay attention to how you prune it. Because new growth forms along prune cuts, the angle of the 45-degree angled cut is critical. Place the angled cut on top of the stem to make a new stem grow up. You can also make the stem grow at an angle, such as to the side.
Can I cut the trunk of a money tree?
A Money Tree’s stems and leaves often sprout near the bottom of the trunk, detracting from the tree-like shape that many people prefer. You can remove the undesired growth by cutting it approximately an inch away from the trunk in this case (being careful not to cut the trunk itself). Because you wish to discourage any new growth in this location, you don’t need to worry about a node.
On the other hand, maybe you’re trying to get a specific portion of your Money Tree to grow more. You can prune your tree in this case to encourage new growth in a specific direction.
New growth will arise from the node below where you cut, so cut above a node that is facing out if you want to encourage outward development. Cut above a node that is directed up or toward the middle of the plant to encourage greater upward growth.
This article offers methods for growing trees taller, straighter, fuller, and more if you want to learn more about sculpting your Money Tree.
How do you take care of a Chinese coin plant?
Light: Provide plenty of bright, indirect light for the Chinese Money Plant. Keep it out of direct sunlight to avoid leaving burn marks on the leaves. Water: Keep the soil lightly moist but not soggy by not allowing it to sit in water.
How do you keep Pilea bushy?
To force the plant to branch out, pinch the terminal stem (the uppermost one) between two fingernails. Simply nip immature stems off after a bud if you want the plant to have a bushy bearing and grow as many branches as possible.
Why is my Chinese Money Plant so tall?
Because it has been given good growing conditions, your Pilea Peperomioides is tall you could even say it is enjoying life! It’s found the perfect combination of light, temperature, nutrients, and water to provide it with more than enough resources to grow rapidly.
Another thing to consider is that you’ve given it enough room to grow tall. In my instance, I’ve always repotted the plant when it was in need.
You might have gone as far as I did and experimented with grow lights over the winter. It completely works in terms of speeding up the growth of your Pilea by extending the growing season, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re experimenting. It doesn’t require it – recall, Pilea Peperomioides grows wild in the mountains and will only flower if exposed to the cold.