The Chinese Money Plant, also known as the Pilea Peperomioides, has quickly risen in popularity and has become one of the most popular house plants in the world.
The Chinese Money Plant is native to the Yunnan and Sichuan province of China, and has made quite an impression on the American culture.
It’s also commonly known as the coin plant or the missionary plant and is relatively easy to care for. If you are thinking of bringing new plants into your house, you should definitely consider going for the Chinese Money Plant.
The plant was brought all the way to Europe from China, by a Norwegian missionary sometime in the 1940s. That is one of the main reasons why it has so many nicknames.
Now, if the plant is happy, it won’t take long to produce offspring, and as a home gardener, all you need to know is how to care for and propagate the plant.
If you are going to buy the Chinese Money Plant and plan on propagating it, there are quite a few things that you need to know.
Buy a Healthy Plant
Your propagation journey is going to start somewhere, so the first plant that you buy should be absolutely healthy. You need to look for a fully grown specimen and also check for offsets that might be growing from the soil or from the stem of the plant.
This will give you a better idea about whether the plant is in a good condition, and you will already have plant babies to propagate by the time you bring the plant home!
Growing Conditions
If you want to grow the plant properly, you need to make sure that certain conditions are met. The plant tends to grow best where it receives a great deal of bright and indirect light.
Ideally, you should keep the plant near a window, but you have to make sure it is not exposed to direct sunlight.
On top of that, you need to make use of a well-draining soil mixture that is capable of drying out generally quickly. Many gardeners prefer using a succulent mix or an all-purpose potting mix, along with a bit of perlite to ensure that the plant is capable of draining out properly.
You also need to make sure that the plant is allowed to dry out during the watering process. As already mentioned, it would be a bad idea to leave the plant sitting in the water, as that could have a major effect on its health.
Overwatering is a terrible thing for your plant and could cause serious damage to it. It’s always recommended that you let the plant absorb the water from the top, instead of receiving it from the bottom.
One of the signs that you need to look for is the curling of the leaves. If the leaves are curling, it’s a clear indication that your plant is not receiving enough light.
If you notice the leaves curling, you might want to consider moving the plant to a brighter area. It is also a wise idea to rotate the plant on a weekly basis so that it is capable of receiving the brightest amount of light.
You should know that there are going to be times where the larger leaves are going to get yellowed out and might fall down. This is normal, because new leaves are going to take their place.
You also need to make sure that your plant gets an adequate amount of houseplant fertilizer. Liquid fertilizer is the best choice, and should be diluted to at least half-strength before you decide to use it.
Also, the fertilizer should be added in the plants during the springtime and the summertime, as that’s going to encourage growth considerably.
If you don’t see any baby plants growing in the soil, you need to make sure that you fertilize the plant properly, and pinch off any dead growth that occurs. As long as your plant is getting sufficient light and is being fertilized properly, it won’t take long before the plant starts giving babies!
There is going to come a time when the plant is going to grow quite tall, and it is going to become top-heavy. When that happens, you might want to consider cutting the top portion of the plant.
This should then be allowed to propagate on its own. Not only will it allow for new growth, but it could easily result in another houseplant that you can keep around the house.
If you want a plant that has a fuller look, you might want to consider leaving the offsets in the soil, or remove them to allow for new growth. Even though the plant is primarily known for the quality of its leaves and its aesthetic appeal, you should know that it also gives off beautiful tiny white flowers.
Also, you need to create a plan for repotting your Chinese Money Plant after every couple of years or so. Ideally, you should repot the plant in the early beginnings of spring, as that is the beginning of the growing season.
You need to absolutely avoid repotting the plant in the winter, as growth will have slowed down considerably at that period of time.
Repotting the plant also gives you the opportunity to remove and then pot other root offsets that occur in the plant.
Propagation Tips
By now, you should know that the Chinese Money Plant cannot be repotted on demand; you need to care for it properly, and it’s going to give off roots and other offspring that you can propagate on your own.
Ideally, it is best if you remove and propagate all kinds of offsets that occur during the growing season.
Don’t wait until the winter to do this, as growth will be considerably slower by that time. More importantly, you should know that the offsets should be ideally ready to be removed after a couple of weeks at the least once they appear.
The first step for propagating the plant is to remove the stem offsets by cutting them as close as you can to the main plant.
Remember, your stem offsets won’t have a root system just yet, so you have to keep them in the water and allow them to grow before you can plant them. You can keep the plants in a glass container or a vase and allow them to grow the roots before you decide to plant them properly.
Over time, you will notice that the plant will sprout new leaves as well as new roots. Once that happens, you can just pot the baby plant in a smaller container.
Just make sure that you use a well-drained potting mix instead, and keep the plant in a bright spot that receives indirect light. This is standard practice for all kinds of Chinese Money Plants, especially the ones that you want to grow healthy.
Before you know it, the plant is going to grow, and will start giving offsets as well. You can use those as well. These are just a few things that you should know about propagating the Chinese Money Plant.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.