Pilea Peperomioides

Originally from China, the pilea plant was introduced to Europe by a Norwegian missionary. It goes by many names, the Chinese Money Plant, the UFO plant but our favourite, the friendship plant. Due to its ease in maintaining and propagating, it truly is the gift that keeps on giving. One of the many reasons we love this plant and enjoy its happy round leaves in the shop. And today on the blog, we've got a few tips below to help keep your plant thriving. 

The pilea plant is a wonderfully low maintenance species that loves a bright spot near a window and whilst direct sunlight can burn the leaves, too little sunlight can cause the leaves to fade and suffer. So take your time choosing the right spot.

When it comes to watering your pilea, it can be a tricky one to get right, more often than not we over water our houseplants. Best practise is to always check moisture levels before you get overly excited with the watering can. Check the soil, if the top 2”-3” of soil is dry then go ahead and water, if not leave for another day. Once a week normally does the trick with this little plant.

If the leaves turn yellow then it is either being under or over watered, as mentioned above we tend to over water so if the soil is very wet, leave it to aerate fully before you next water. If underwatered, simple - give your plant a much needed drink.

Dust the leaves!  Leaves need to be nice and clean to photosynthesize efficiently so make sure to include your houseplants in your dusting. A quick swoosh over will be enough to keep them happy. 

And if you want to propagate, it’s super simple - take a leaf cutting and let the stem sit in water until a good amount of roots appear. Then transfer to a small pot and watch your new pilea grow!