With its iconic circular leaves, the Chinese money plant is a popular houseplant around the world. This fast-growing plant often sprouts babies that you can turn into new plants to share with your family and friends. Today, let’s learn how to propagate the Chinese money plant!
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Types of money plant
The scientific name of the Chinese money plant is Pilea peperomioides. As a result, it is also known by the nickname pilea plant. Other common nicknames include “pancake plant” and “UFO plant”. The common name of this plant comes from its native habitat in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China as well as its coin-shaped leaves.
Besides the pilea plant, there are many other houseplants also referred to as “money plants”. To begin with, Pachira aquatica, the money tree, is known for its braided trunk and five-leaf clusters. In addition, the golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) and jade plant (Crassula ovata) can carry that nickname as well. Although the phrase “money plant” is a common nickname, each of these plants are different species with different needs.
If you feel confused about which type you have, take a look at the plant’s leaves. Pilea plants have circular peltate leaves. This means that the petiole, or leaf stalk, attaches to the leaf at the center. Pilea also have a central stalk that all the petioles grow from, causing the leaves to form a half orb around the stalk. The combination of these features makes pilea distinct from other common houseplants.
Pilea propagation methods
If you’ve had a pilea plant for a long time, you might notice baby plants or “pups” popping up in the pot. Pilea pups can grow from the plant’s stem or its roots. Because the plant naturally forms babies, the easiest way to propagate pilea is to separate the pups from the parent plant. If your pilea doesn’t have any babies yet, you can also propagate it via cuttings. We’ll go over all the methods here.
How to separate Chinese money plant babies
The two types of pilea pups have different names and cutting methods. First, stem pups, known as offsets or offshoots, grow directly from the plant’s main stem. You can separate offsets by trimming them with sharp pruning shears as close to the main stalk as possible. Pruning shears help make a single clean cut without causing crushing damage to the stems. Pups trimmed from offsets usually don’t have any roots yet, so after cutting you will need to root them. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
Ultra Snip 6.7 Inch Pruning Shear with Stainless Steel Blades
In comparison, the other type of pup grows from the roots of the pilea on a structure called a rhizome. Rhizome pups attach to the parent plant under the soil. In order to separate these pups, remove the plant from its pot and gently loosen the soil around the top of the plant with your fingers or a chopstick. When the rhizome is visible, you should be able to see a connection from the parent to the pup. Using your shears, cut partway along the rhizome. Choose your cutting location so that the baby plant still has some underground roots attached to it. Then, you can return the parent plant to its pot.
How to propagate Chinese money plant from stem cutting
Because pilea plants produce pups, it is not necessary to cut the parent plant to create babies; however, there are some reasons you may want to take a stem cutting. The most common reason to take a stem cutting is if your pilea plant has lost many leaves and the bottom of the stalk is bare. The plant will not grow new leaves where they fell off, so taking a top cutting can improve the appearance of your plant.
Using your pruning shears, cut the top of the stalk off the plant, including an inch or two of bare stem. The bottom of your cutting needs to be covered by the rooting medium, so leaving some bare stem will ensure that no leaves are covered. The bottom stump of the plant you can leave in the pot to grow new pups around it.
In the future, you can avoid pilea dropping leaves by improving its care inside your home. The most common issue with indoor plants is insufficient light. Providing enough light for your houseplants not only makes them grow faster, but it also helps other areas like watering. When plants photosynthesize, they take up more water from their roots, which means you can water more consistently without worrying about overwatering them. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
Dr.meter LX1330B Digital Illuminance Light Meter, 0-200,000 Measurement Range Lux Meter
Pilea light needs are measured in foot-candles, a common method for measuring light intensity. Indoor pilea need at least 200 foot candles to survive. Although pileas are a shade-loving plant, it might surprise you to know that outdoor shade is up to 2000 foot candles (compared to 10,000 foot candles of direct sun). In conclusion, pilea plants need more light than you might expect to thrive, and if you don’t have a bright enough window you can supplement your plant’s light with a grow light. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
Can you propagate Chinese money plant from a single leaf?
If your pilea is unhappy and drops a leaf, you might wonder if you can propagate that leaf into a new plant. While pilea can be propagated from leaves, you need to use a healthy leaf with a piece of stem attached. Unfortunately, fallen leaves are no longer healthy and will not grow a new plant if you try to propagate them. Leaves with no stem may root but will never grow any new leaves.
Instead, collect a fresh green leaf from your pilea using a knife or sharp pruning shears. Make sure to include a slice of the stem, but don’t cut all the way through the stalk. If your pilea receives adequate lighting, the petioles may be close together on the stalk and it can be difficult to only cut one leaf. This cutting method takes the longest to grow a new plant but it uses the least amount of plant material.
Pilea rooting methods
Once you’ve cut your new plants, you can treat them to speed up the rooting process and help avoid rot. The larger the cutting, the more important it is to grow roots quickly to sustain the plant. I like to use Clonex rooting gel, which contains a hormone to promote root growth. Rooting hormone also comes in a powder format, but I prefer gel because it will stay on the cut end even under water, while the powder will wash off. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
HydroDynamics Clonex Rooting Gel, 100 ml
Each cutting just needs a tiny bit of rooting hormone. Dip the cut end into the hormone until there is a thin layer over the cut. Then you can place your cutting into the rooting medium of choice. Pups that already have roots do not need any rooting hormone, and it won’t benefit them to add it.
How to propagate Chinese money plant in soil
Soil is the best propagation medium for pups that already have roots, such as those taken from rhizomes. Rooted pups are ready to become self-sustaining plants without any other steps. Make sure to plant them in a well-draining houseplant potting mix. There are three ways to get good soil for your pilea.
Soil mixes for pilea
1. Amend regular potting mix (like Miracle-Gro) with perlite to improve drainage. Big box store potting mix, even if promoted as well draining, is often too dense for most plants when grown indoors. Adding a coarse chunky perlite in a ratio of 40% perlite to 60% percent potting soil will improve aeration of the soil and keep your plant’s roots happy. I always get this perlite since it’s the only one I’ve found that doesn’t contain a lot of dust. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
2. Create your own custom potting mix by combining the ingredients yourself. This gives you 100% control over your plant’s soil and can be economical if you have a lot of plants to repot.
3. Use a high quality commercial custom mix. The rePotme mixes contain similar ingredients to my custom mix. For example, in addition to containing aerating materials like perlite, the rePotme soil uses my favorite moisture-retaining ingredient: coco coir. This soil is a huge improvement over peat-based soils like Miracle-Gro because it is sustainable and doesn’t repel water when dry. Although they don’t make a mix specifically for pilea, the general houseplant mix is a good choice. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
rePotme Houseplant and Tropical Classic Potting Soil Mix – Mini Bag
Unrooted cuttings in soil
I don’t recommend putting unrooted pilea cuttings into soil. While the benefit of not having to replant them later can sound appealing, soil rooting is the riskiest method. Cuttings buried under soil are difficult to check root growth, they can become anaerobic and rot if the soil is too dense or waterlogged, and the organic material in the soil can introduce disease.
How to propagate Chinese money plant in water
Water is my rooting method of choice for unrooted pilea cuttings and pups. Water keeps your plant hydrated with consistent moisture levels, and is usually the fastest rooting method for fresh, healthy cuttings. In addition, it is easy to remove the cuttings when they have roots to plant in soil.
To propagate in water, place the pups or cuttings in a clear container filled with fresh tap water. You want at least an inch of stem to be submerged in the water, but no leaves underwater because they can rot. If the stem isn’t long enough, you can remove the bottom leaves. Replace the water every few days. The clear container will allow you to keep a close eye on your plant’s progress. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
Here are a few bonus tips to help with water rooting! One downside of water rooting is limited airflow around the roots. You can add an aquarium airstone bubbler to a larger water vessel to improve airflow and speed up the rooting process. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
Furthermore, once roots have started to grow you can add a weak fertilizer. I like liquidirt because it provides micronutrients that plants need but is gentle enough not to burn them or cause algae to grow in the water. Click on the image or link to see the current price:
When your cuttings or pups have roots that are a few inches long, they are ready to be planted in soil and you are ready to enjoy your new baby Chinese money plants!
Want to use what we use to propagate plants? Check out our recommended best propagation supplies on Amazon!