Chinese Money Plant Growing and Care Guide (& Best Soil to use)

Hey folks! Welcome back!

I hope you are doing appreciable in your gardening field. Today I am here to introduce you to one of the new things that can do wonders in your garden.

If you are worried about your Chinese money plants, then this is the correct place for you as this is a complete Chinese Money Plant Growing and Care Guide. Absolutely unique looking plants Chinese money plants that are scientifically known as Pilea peperomioides are popular houseplants.

Key takeaways:

• All credit goes to their coin-sized round leaves that are thick plus glossy yet look very different.
• They are also called other names like pancake plant, friendship plant, coin plant, or UFO plant.
• The Chinese money plants are not just easy to grow but also super easy to propagate. That’s why they are called “shearing plants”.
• You don’t have to worry about buying more from the market. The leaves are placed on the top with perlite in a unique way.

Let’s see how to grow and care for Pilea peperomioides in the best way.

Common name(s)	Chinese money plant, Pilea, UFO plant, pass-it-on plant, lefse plant, pancake plant, missionary plant, friendship plant
Scientific name	Pilea peperomioides
Family	Urticaceae
Height and spread	Up to 15 1/2 inches high and 10 inches wide
Light	Bright indirect
Soil type	Well-draining
Water	Keep lightly moist

Chinese money plant origin

Chinese plants like the temperate weather and high moisture level in the air, as their origin is from the Cang Mountain range of the Yunnan Province in Southern China. These plants can be grown as both trailing plants or lifted straight up with support.

They get to the height of 12 inches to 24 inches(when they are matured). They need good space when they are in mid-age. Layers show small white-colored flowers with pink-tinged stems that add charms to their beauty.

Propagating Chinese Money Plants

Chinese money plants will grow naturally through runners under the soil. All you have to do is to keep them in the container so that they breathe. You can replant them after propagating them in the different separate containers and fully grow the Chinese money plant.

If you are propagating the plant then it should consist of 5 to 7 leaves in the baby plant. If the baby plant is bigger, then there are many chances that it will survive better after getting separated from the parent plant.

How to Propagate Chinese Money Plants? 

Do you know how to propagate Chinese money plants? If yes then it’s okay but if not then follow the below steps to learn about the propagation of Chinese money plants: 

• First, you have to loose the soil from the base of the plant that needs to be propagated.
• After that, you have to take a small plantlet from the parent plant that should consist of 2 to 3 leaves on it.
• Then it is your choice if you want to use water or soil for propagating the Chinese money plant. 
• If you want to grow it in the water, then you have to put it in the water let the roots sprout, and then transplant it to the original place.
• If you want to grow it in the soil, then keep the soil moist and listen until the new roots emerge.

What is the best potting soil for Chinese plants?

The Chinese money plants are just special in how they look, they will not grow in just regular cheap soil. The soil should be of good quality and well-drained.

The soil that is moist and passes the water freely through the particles is the right soil for the Chinese money plants. The soil mix should have good peat moss and coco coir fibers in the soil.

The soil is fertile, just not garden soil but good quality all-purpose soil having compost, perlite or vermiculite, and coco coir is the best soil for this plant.

Chinese Money Plant Growing and Care Guide

Caring for Chinese money plants is important in the same way you put your efforts into propagating the Chinese money plants. So, let’s know how one can care for these plants by looking at the following points: 

1. Light needs

The light that is indirect and bright reaching the Chinese money plant will always keep them healthy. Most people like to keep this plant as an indoor houseplant so you can keep the plant in the north-facing window(ideal one!).

But you can also place them a little away from a south-facing window. These plants need shade in the brightest time of the day which is the afternoon time. Too much shade can slow them down and plants will yield dark green leaves.

2. Watering needs

The Chinese money plant gets easily overwatered and they just don’t like soggy soil. It is important that you check the soil’s top layer with your finger if it is wet or dry. The soil if feels dry then water the plant otherwise avoid watering.

The soil should be well-draining. I’m emphasizing this because these plants will die in wet soil. In case the light is too bright, you can spray the soil with water to add moisture. Avoid making the leaves wet.

3. Potting needs

For Chinese money plants, we suggest you use plastic pots, though terracotta pots can also work well. But the terracotta pots have high drainage and get dry quickly which will demand frequent watering. Also for the plastic pots check whether there are a good number of drainage holes in the pot.

You can create some with the wire gauze by heating it and pricking the surface of the plastic pot. You can also move the plant to a shady spot if you have a terracotta pot but make sure you don’t give too much shade to them.

4. Humidity needs

The high humidity is what Chinese money plants like. These plants like moist air. If the place is dry or you feel the humidity is low you can spray the plant or mist it to add moisture to the leaves and stem.

Also, you can use a humidifier to increase the humidity or place the plant near humidity like the kitchen, bathroom, etc.

5. Fertilization needs

The fertilizer needs to be added to the soil at least one time a month in the early growth period of the plant.

You should later keep it to one every two to three months. Use a liquid organic fertilizer and mix it with soil or moist the soil first and add fertilizer to it for better absorption.

6. Propagate needs

The Chinese money plants are so easily divided or propagated that you will simply want to do it and share some with your loved ones.

So take a look! The Chinese money plant that produces pups at the base and side surface of the main stem can be easily cut off using sharp clean scissors and placed into the moist potting mix where they come out as new plants.

You can also root the pup using water without even planting yet in the soil. The roots when coming out after about 7-8 weeks get assured and then plant into the soil inside a pot.

7. Repotting needs

The Chinese money plants need to be repotted when they have attained good size. Many times you will see they can get crowded in the same pot. You might need to Repot them into large pots or use individual pots for them.

Hold the plant at the very base of the stem carefully not affecting the roots and side by side tapping the bottom of the pot so that the root ball can come out. Use a 2 inches larger pot than the previous one and add clean good quality potting soil in the pot.

Final words of the context

In this article, you came across so many facts regarding the Chinese money plants. This growth and care guide will help you grow Chinese money plants super smoothly and easily. These plants like the soil with compost, peat moss, and coco coir, well-draining, and the light that is filtered. Direct sunlight can affect these plants. More than this, you will understand how to divide the Chinese money plants as well in this article. We hope you find this article useful.

Happy growing you guys! 

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