The Chinese currency plant (or Pilea) is often featured in Scandinavian interiors, where its bright green pancake-shaped leaves provide a cute and welcome burst of color against white walls. They’re said to be simple to develop, but if you’ve ever tried to find one of your own at a plant shop, you probably came home empty-handed.
So before you get your heart set on obtaining a Chinese cash plant of your very own, read these tips and suggestions on locating a person, then caring for your hard-working prize.
About Chinese Money Plant
The Chinese currency plant, also known as the missionary plant, lefse plant, pancake plant, UFO plant, or just Pilea (short because of its own scientific name of Pilea Peperomioides) is initially from the northeast Yunnan province of China. Those plants were dispersed throughout Scandinavia, and eventually the entire world, as people passed cutting involving buddies.
The Way to Buy a Pilea Online
On most of the Earth, the very best method to receive a Chinese money plant is to get a start from a buddy. They aren’t offered in a lot of plant centers or backyard stores, possibly because they develop too slowly for them to become rewarding for nurseries.
If you can’t beg one off of a fellow plant-lover, your next best bet is to buy one from an online seller on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or Craigslist. Although, after viewing the exorbitant costs some people today charge, you may opt to attempt to patiently await a friend to share a young plant.
Light-wise, the best situation to get a Chinese currency plant is a glowing light, without direct sunlight. The direct sun scorches leaves, and light shade may encourage bigger leaves. They are reported to be hardy down to freezing, and a period of cool temperatures may make them more likely to produce their tiny white flowers on pink stalks.
Care and Care
The Chinese money plant favors a well-draining potting soil, and a pot with drainage holes is necessary. The soil needs to mostly dry between waterings, with much more watering needed in warmer, sunnier weather. If the leaves begin to appear slightly droopy, that’s a sign that the plant needs water.
To maintain your Chinese money plant well shaped, rotate it at least one time each week to prevent it from becoming rancid. The large leaves tend to collect dust, so these crops profit from routine showers or at least wiping down their leaves. Treat monthly with an all-purpose plant fertilizer during the spring and summer growing seasons. You may also wish to set your plant outside as temperatures warm, however, again, be careful to keep it from direct sunlight.
How to Propagate
Part of the reason this plant has spread so much without being broadly sold commercially is that it is fairly simple to propagate. A happy plant will eventually send plantlets up through the dirt, which you can separate from the mother plant. Adhere to the stem about an inch under the soil, and use a clean, sharp knife to cut the infant plant free.
Plant in a fresh pot and keep the soil moist until the plant is well-anchored and starts to produce new leaves. New plantlets also grow straight from the stem, and you can cut these loose, put them in water until roots grow in a week or two, then follow the same directions as above.
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