Plant Spotlight: Pilea Peperomioides
This is a Pilea Peperomioides. however, this plant goes by many different names, such as the Chinese money plant, the UFO plant, the friendship plant, or the missionary plant.
This plant is noted for its unique pad-like leaves and how fun and easy it is to propagate this plant. But before I tell you how to propagate them, let me tell you how to take care of one!
Lighting- this plant prefers bright indirect sunlight, if you put this plant in direct sunlight for too long, the pad-like leaves will burn. Putting it in a place where there’s not enough sunlight, the leaves will fade and the whole plant will suffer. Once you figure out the best spot for your Pilea plant, for best results, be sure to rotate the plant frequently as your pilea grows quickly and the leaves will move towards the light.
Watering- this plant is fairly communicative, the leaves will droop indicating that it needs to be watered. But another way you can tell if this plant needs water is by checking the soil a few inches deep to see how wet the soil is still. If the few inches of soil is wet, you can leave it for another day or two and check up on it again, once the few inches of its soil is dry, that’s the perfect time to water it.
Personally, I like to bottom water my plants so they can soak up the water they need, but you can also water from above as long as it has a good drainage hole.
Propagation- this plant shoots up “pups” which are little babies that grow alongside the plant. Remove one of these shoots and be sure to take some of its roots along with it. Once you take one of these pups, you. Can either put it straight into the soil into its own 2” pot. Or, you can place it into water and let the roots grow out a little more before planting it into the soil. I like to put the pups’ roots into water to grow out the roots, I find it easier for myself, but both are acceptable ways.
Once you figure out which way to propagate your pilea, it’s easy, fun, and a great way to share this plant with others!