Pilea Peperomioides is a popular houseplant which is known for its attractive coin-shaped foliage. This plant is an evergreen perennial flowering plant from the Urticaceae family native to South China at the foot of the Himalayan mountains. Pilea Peperomioides is also known as the Chinese money plant, missionary plant, coin plant, pancake plant, UFO plant.

These plants can reach up to 12 inches tall if provided with the right conditions to live.

Pilea Peperomioides Plant Care

Light

Pilea Peperomioides thrive in medium to bright indirect light. A South or West facing window will be the best spot for these plants. Make sure to rotate your plant regularly to maintain its symmetrical look. Avoid exposure to bright direct sunlight as this can cause sunburn to the delicate leaves of the plant. Surprisingly, Pilea plants can also do well in low light conditions, but it will become leggy, or the main stem will bend in search of more light, or the leaves size might become smaller due to lack of sufficient light conditions.

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Soil

Pilea Peperomioides prefer to be in well-draining soil. Therefore, ensure that the pot has enough drainage holes to allow the excess water to seep through. The mixture of Peat moss or coco peat or coco coir, compost or worm castings and Perlite will be the right soil mix for these plants. Peat moss helps to retain the water required by the plants, whereas Perlite helps drain the excess water from the soil to allow aeration and avoid root rot. In addition, compost/ worm casting provides nutrition to the plant.

Water

Chinese Money plants do not need water very often. Check the soil before watering. If the soil feels moist, you can wait for a few more days until the topsoil feels dry. Do not overwater these plants as they can quickly develop Root rot. Watering these plants once a week is just enough.

Temperature and Humidity: Average household temperature and Humidity is acceptable for Pilea Peperomioides. These plants are pretty hardy to freezing temperatures but when kept indoor, avoid exposing them to the temperature below 10 degrees Celsius as this can affect the plant’s growth.

Fertilizing

Fertilize your Chinese Money plant with a balanced all-purpose fertilizer during the summer and spring season. There is no need to fertilize during Autumn or winter as the plants are dormant.

Toxicity

Pancake plants are pet friendly. In addition, they are not toxic to pets or humans, which make them an excellent houseplant.

If you are looking for other non-toxic or safe plants for your home, visit this link for all plants which are non-toxic to humans and pets.

And visit this link for some of the Toxic plants you should be careful with.

Repotting

Repot your Chinese Money plant yearly during the spring season to change the soil and check the roots. This process helps to enhance the growth of the plant as the new soil is rich in nutrients. Also, you can upgrade the pot if the roots get root-bound.

Pests and Diseases

Pilea plants are susceptible to indoor plants pests such as mealybugs, aphids, scales, fungus gnats and spider mites. Therefore, you can use a homemade pesticide using baking soda solution or dishwashing soap solution. In addition, Neem Oil solution has been proven to remove all sorts of pests from the plants.

If you want to try readymade solution to deal with insects, try multipurpose insecticide spray which helps you to control insects like Aphids, Spider Mites, Japanese Beetles, Caterpillars, diseases like Fungicide controls Black Spot, Powdery Mildew.

In addition to the insecticide, you can also use these easy to use Sticky traps to attract flying inspects for indoor and outdoor plants. These insects traps are easy to use.

Pilea Peperomioides Propagation

Pilea Peperomioides are pretty easy to propagate. Always propagate your plant during the Spring season as the plant is energetic and in the growing season. These plants give out lots of babies as the plant matures. When the babies are 2-3 inches tall, you can detach them from the mother plants and propagate them in water or soil. Ensure you do not pull the babies out from the soil as this can damage the stem or plant. Instead, gently remove the dirt around the roots to expose them and then using a clean, sharp knife to cut the attached root from the mother plant. As the Pilea Babies have the roots attached to them, you can directly place them in soil, but if you are not satisfied with the root development, propagate it in water until the root growth is better and then transfer it to the soil. Provide your plant with sufficient water and bright indirect light for better growth.

Please let me know any challenges in caring for and propagating Pilea Peperomioides in the comments section.

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