Raise Your Garden

Musings on the Seedier Side

in Indoor plants

The extraordinary Chinese Money Plant ~how to grow & propagate this easy & photogenic plant you can’t kill!

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pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

You can’t kill a Chinese money plant. No matter how hard you try. Don’t even bother.

And I shouldn’t admit this having a garden blog and all….

Yet when some of my indoor plants bite the dust it doesn’t bother me. Inwardly, I think to myself, “at least I don’t have to water that one anymore!”

Not so with my Chinese money plants, the pampered ones.

Thanks to Cheri, a very special reader, I am the proud owner of 7 Chinese money plants. Even more now as I have learned to propagate them.

Excellent because they are expensive to buy but easy to propagate.

I’m talking $20-$30 for a tiny 2-4 inch plant! Yikes. And I hope you are not eating right now because you will gag when you see the shipping rates.

So find a friend who has some! Or shoot me an email come spring when they multiply again.

Minimalist and modern, the Chinese money plant is truly mobile home decor! Here’s the scoop….

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

The many alter egos of the Pilea plant – Chinese money plant

Shakespeare said “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” and he nailed it.

The same is true of the Chinese money plant which boasts a gizzilion different names.

If you want to get all scientific, it’s a Pilea Peperomioides.

More affectionately, it has several other nicknames (don’t we all!)

  • Pancake plant
  • Lefse plant
  • Missionary plant
  • UFO plant
  • Plain Pilia plant
  • Chinese money plant
  • Saucer plant

So forgive me when I alternate between calling this splendid plant a pilea/Chinese money plant in this post. Habits are hard to break!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

How your Pilea plant is like your middle child

You can’t kill this agreeable plant. Like your middle child, it’s easygoing, non-fussy and has a great sense of humor.

Have you guessed my birth order already?

It’s easy to water, easy to propagate and will be happy just about anywhere in your home where there is some light.

You could fertilize every 2-3 weeks during the summer growing season, but if you choose not to, the pilea still thrives.

Since the pilea is relatively small, it’s great for  apartment dwellers who have less space but crave plants with big personality.

Better still, the pilea is oh so portable. Feel free to move it around your house or apartment, wherever you need green plant bling.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Humidly + pilea = true love. So pilea thrive in  terrariums. I put a Chinese money plant in my terrarium. It’s happy as a lark!

I also have a pilea dark mystery plant in the terrarium which is also quite content. 

The small stature and slow growth of your pilea also makes it conducive to terrariums.

In the 8 months I’ve owned Chinese money plants, they have had zero issues, no pests, no mildew/mold. I love plants without problems!

Some of the leaves do become brown/spotted over time and yellowish in color. I just pluck the old leggy foliage off.

In fact, the biggest issue I’ve had is with dust! Those big leaves are massive dust collectors.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

If looks could kill…how to “spot” a Chinese money plant..

The eye can spot a Chinese money plant a mile away. Round, succulent, flat leaves will seize your attention and your heart! 

And those glossy, leathery, dark green saucer leaves balance on tiny green stems. The green stems wind themselves around a thick, woody stem.

As the plant matures those woody stems start to bend and twist.

Even more extraordinary is the small white dot located in the upper middle of the pancake leaves that radiate out resembling a star.

Or maybe a spider since they’re eight “legs” that emerge from that dot.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

My largest leaf is almost 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter with the smallest leaves on the same plant being only 1 inch in diameter.

It certainly makes the plant even interesting having numerous leaves ranging from 1 to 4 inches in size!

The biggest Chinese money plant I own is 13 inches tall (33 cm) and it quite the thriller.

The smallest Chinese money plant that I just propagated is just 2 inches (about 5 cm).

I have yet to experience firsthand the infamous small, white flowers that emerge from those stems.

Supposedly, they are more likely to flower if given cooler conditions (about 50 degrees F.) in winter.

​We shall see! And light shade is said to encourage larger leaves. Again, we shall see!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

So why is a pilia also known as a missionary plant?

If the rumors hold true, a Norwegian missionary by the name of Agnar Espergren (say that 5 times fast) brought the Chinese money plant to Europe from China in 1946.

​The plant was growing on the CanShang Mountains in the Yunnan province.

The generous Agnar shared the plant cuttings with his friends.

​To this very day, it’s easiest to find the Chinese money plant in Scandinavia where it’s popular in home decor.

As legend would have it…

The symbolism behind the Chinese money plant is simple. Place a coin in the soil with your Chinese money plant. It will spontaneously start to attract wealth.

As you can see, I’m already cashing in on the folklore and it’s making me rich. Or not.

So I guess it’s safe to say that here at Raise Your Garden we are simply not “buying” into that one!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Let there be light!

Your Chinese money plant loves bright light. But let it be indirect light.

Learned the hard way, direct sun scorched the leaves of my pilea when it took a one day vacay outdoors this past summer. Note bene.

After the leaves got burned, my Chinese money plants spent the rest of the summer on my shaded front porch shelf. They received plenty of bright, indirect sun all day.

But at heart, the Chinese money plant is a houseplant. In fact, my coddled plants came inside by the end of September even though I’ve read they are hardy down to USDA zone 10.

They sorely dislike temperatures dipping below 50 degrees F. and all of a sudden temperature swings.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Although those 50 degree temps supposedly encourage those tiny, white flowers to emerge. Tough call! 

My plants are happy in several places in my house including my kitchen windowsill, the back of my piano and dining room table where they receive a plethora of bright, but indirect light.

The pitfall to avoid is placing this plant anywhere too far from a window where it receives no light. Big mistake!

Through trial and error, you’ll determine where to place your Chinese money plants. Remember that a growing plant that looks healthy and sharp is a happy plant.

And if you do choose to grow outdoors, a few hours of morning sun will do no harm. Full-sun on a hot patio? No way.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Not so watered down truth about watering the Chinese money plant…

The water requirements of the Chinese money plant are simple and straightforward.

I’ve learned to water them about every three days when the pot is dried out but not bone dry. Lightly moist soil is ideal.

Waiting to water until the surface of the soil is almost completely dry is ideal before watering again.

And even if you do wait till it’s bone dry to water this non-fussy and forgiving plant will “let it go.”

​Just don’t wait so long that the leaves start to get droopy as that stresses the plant out!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

I like to take my pilea plants straight to the sink and water until I see the water flowing out of the drainage hole. That’s when I stop.

We have a woodburning stove in our house which means are house is both warm and dry, it also means plants get very dry quicker. Ditto if your plants are placed near a heater or radiator.

How much light your Chinese money plants are getting also impact their watering needs.

More light equals more frequent waterings. Less light and you could probably get away with watering just once a week.

Overwatering is the biggest mistake you could make. These plants do hate to be wet too long. Once, I overwatered one of my plants and it rebelled on me. Never again.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

I bet you didn’t know this….

At first I thought it was just my vivid imagination that my Chinese money plant was growing lopsided.

Doubting my sanity, I vowed to get my vision re-tested! Something I need to do before ordering new glasses anyhow.

Then I finally acknowledged it was the stone faced truth! The plant was reaching for the light in the window causing it to grow unevenly.

So you will want to rotate this striking plant 180 degrees or it will start to grow all out of proportion. In fact, I’d rotate your Chinese money plant once a week.

When the plant is allowed to grow properly, it becomes dense from all angles. Those round leaves form an attractive mounding shape.

When it grows out of proportion, it looks a little silly!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Propagating the Chinese money plant ~ propagating from root plantlets

The far easiest way to propagate a Chinese money plant is by using plantlets  (or offsets) that grow from the mother plant’s roots.

Although I started to have my doubts, after seven months of pampering my Chinese money plant, I noticed something exciting!

Baby plants were emerging up from the soil! Thrilling! Called offsets, the plant was propagating on its own.

These baby plants can easily be removed and placed into their own pot once they are about 2-3 inches in height and have 3-4 leaves.

How cute is that? Baby plants growing in the soil next to the mother. Awwwww!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Gently use your fingers to disentangle the baby from its mother. They should already have their own root system and can simply be plopped into a new pot with moist soil.

To make this process easy, I took my Chinese money plant out of the pot and separated the babies.

But if you can separate the babies from the mother without taking the hole plant out of the pot~ even better!

The move to their own pot might slightly shock the babies, but because  they already have their own root system usually bounce back quickly.

So patience is key. Once I waited for the plants to recover from their trek halfway across the USA, and gave them some time to mature, they were able to propagate.

Fast fact: Healthy pilea produce baby plants from both their roots and their stems!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Baby plant growing on the stem of the mother!

Propagating the Chinese money plant – propagating from stem plantlets

You can also propagate pilea through stem cuttings because pilea peperomioides plants also produce babies (offsets) on their stems.

A clean, sharp knife is necessary to remove the baby plant from the mother plant. And you’ll have to be patient as you wait for the stem cuttings to develop roots.

Because it doesn’t yet have its own root system give it enough length to increase the likelihood of it rooting in soil or water.

If you root in soil, you’ll know it rooted if and when you see new leaves popping up ~ a great indication that all is well!

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Propagating the Chinese money plant – propagating through water

A third way to propagate the Chinese money plant is through water. You actually have to cut the thicker brown stem and put that in water (soil is fine, too) to allow it start root development.

The little green stem won’t work and will rot if you try to propagate them. So make sure you are working with the much thicker, coarse, brown stem.

After about 4-6 weeks you’ll notice the  brown stem gets long and spindly with larger leaves and extra babies if you’re lucky!

One advantage to rooting in water over soil is that as long as you use a clear vase, you’ll  see whether or not your pilea babies are rooting as they should.

Make sure the water level submerges just the roots and not any of the plant. It’s guaranteed to rot then!

And to level with you, some will still rot using this method never actually producing a plant. It’ a risk you take!

Fast fact: I’ve found that propagating through the soil is quicker than the water method~ but both can work!
pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

The “hole” truth about potting the Chinese money plant

Hopefully your Chinese money plant is going to pot as it LOVES the container life.

Plastic nursery pots or terracotta pots work just fine with the Chinese money plant. They’re cheap and as long as they have a drainage hole to allow excess water to flow, you’re golden.

Pilea also look lovely in small ceramic pots with drainage holes.

Emphasis on drainage holes. That’s a must!
​
And make sure your pot isn’t too large~ the Chinese money plant doesn’t need much space and I’ve learned it doesn’t like a pot that’s too big.
pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

If the pot is too large, the potting mix can take longer to dry out causing you problems  such as “wet feet.”  Wet feet are plant roots left in soggy soil.
And these plants hate to sit in soggy soil or standing water which will cause root rot. The root rot will soon spread to the rest of the plant usually proving fatal!
When you do repot, go with a size only 1 or 2 sizes from where you are now. So if your plant is in a 4 inch pot, only move up to a 5 or 6 inch pot. Never bigger.
Regular potting soil works best with a bit of perlite at the bottom to increase drainage and keep the mixture light and porous. This is the perlite I ended up buying and was pleased with. 
If you don’t have perlite, you could also use pumice, orchid bark, or even small pebbles/smashed up pieces of terracotta.
I really like the perlite and keep some on hand for lots of potting projects.

The potting soil keeps your pilea plants happy and the gritty material at its base allows air to reach the roots ensuring extra water easily flows out of the pot.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Why it’s hard to buy a Chinese money plant from the local garden center or nursery…

I started to wonder why I’d had never seen a Chinese money plant before my new friend Cheri introduced them to me. No garden center I’ve ever visited carried them, I would have remembered this plant for sure!

And this is why: Although easy to propagate, they are extremely slow growing plants in my experience. So most garden centers and nurseries don’t find them profitable. Boo-hoo.

pilea peperomioides - Chinese money plant

Secret code: pie

Last tip: I would suggest 2-3 inch pots for the baby plants and wait until they are bigger to transplant into a larger pot!
The leaves stay virtually forever on the plant and the turnover rate is slow.

You either have to find a good friend (thanks Cheri!) to share their cuttings with you or buy them online.

And that’s how hardy these plants are, Cheri shipped them halfway across the USA and they arrived in great condition! In the mail. Some in pots. Others in Ziploc bags. Every plant made it.

Even after a few days, when re-potted, they completely bounced back for me. Good as gold!

Have you ever owned a Chinese money plant? Would you want one?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  14. AvatarJeane Campbell says

    When my daughter first bought the house they are in now, I went over one afternoon when no one was there and planted tulip bulbs. She was so surprised the next spring when they bloomed. That was a long wait for a surprise.

    Reply

  15. AvatarMary Dailey says

    I had one years ago and it’s beautiful! Thank you for the tips on repotting. I love making my own potting sol!

    Reply

  31. AvatarRachel Mertz says

    I’ve been wanting to have a money plant for a long time – thank you for breaking down how simple it is to care for!

    Reply

  34. AvatarConnie says

    It’s funny you should have a post about a Chinese money plant. When my youngest child got married 4 years ago, she married a guy who’s Chinese. They really like plants and when they bought their first house, I gave them a Chinese money plant as a housewarming gift. They loved it! Not sure if it’s still living though, LOL! (Will have to ask…)

    Reply

  39. AvatarBetsy Pauzauskie says

    I prefer hardy, easy to grow plants like your Chinese Money Plant. The crisp green color and the star spot you mentioned enhanced my interest. It’s eye appeal and size make for a nice accent plant. And, thank you for providing some folklore.

    Reply

  42. AvatarRonnell Storie says

    Another interesting plant that isn’t for me. I don’t see the beauty in a green plant that does nothing.

    Reply

  56. AvatarPatti D says

    I’ve never heard of this plant but you bet I am going to get one, two maybe more because I can look at plants and they die. Hubby, on the other hand, raises them from the dead, so we make a great pair!

    Reply

  62. AvatarKathy Marie Derrick says

    I would absolutely love this Chinese money plant! I have a huge garden that I designed in the backyard with topicals that I bring inside to the winter along with my other indoor collection of plants.

    Reply

  66. AvatarDebbie Rhoades says

    I haven’t had a Chinese money plant yet. Thanks for teaching us all about how to take care of them. They sound relatively easy to take care of.

    Reply

  79. AvatarWendy says

    Well, lol. I wish I had known how cool these were when my grandmother passed away years ago. She had several in her apartment in a retirement home, along with many other plants. We gave them to the staff to keep or hand out. I love to propagate plants. For a while, most of my plants in my work office were cuts that I had taken from others at work. We had a baby plant nursery at work and we all shared.

    Reply

  81. AvatarTracy Suzanne DeLoach says

    I have heard of the Chinese Money plant but I wasn’t sure I knew what they looked like. I had no idea there was so much to learn about them or how expensive they are. I just they know they are easy to propogate so they are going to make plenty of money off of each plant. I could really use an easy to grow plant in my house and this sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing all about them.

    Reply

  87. Avatarellen beck says

    Cute plant! They remind me of some other plant, but for the life of me I can not recall what it is! I like the little star. Now if they only would produce money!

    Reply

  95. AvatarTrish F says

    Sounds like my kind of plant. I wonder if one ever comes across these in the big box stores. If I do see one, I might grab one. Thanks for the introduction to this great houseplant!

    Reply

  96. Avatarwen budro says

    That is a very cool plant. I love that it is resilient and hard to kill. I have had mixed results with new plants.

    Reply

  99. AvatarKent says

    Sureeee, you can’t kill it. I think if someone gave me one I would try it. Not sure if I would go out of my way to try it considering you said it was expensive. I would bum one off a friend tho if I could.

    Reply

  101. AvatarSusan Marina Brown Lane says

    I have never had a Chinese Money Plant. I would Love one, but I can’t keep plants. My cats destroy them almost immediately. =(

    Reply

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“And he who waters will be watered himself.”
• Proverbs 11:25 •