There are so many houseplants to choose from, where do you begin? I think you should start by buying a Pilea Peperomioides (a Chinese Money Plant).
Why?
The Pilea, as I call it because I don’t own any other Pilea species yet, was one of the earliest plants I bought. I didn’t really know much about it at the time, but it looked cute and the label said it was fairly easy to look after.
Fast forward a year and it had produced 5 babies.
Say what?
My Pilea had started a little family. I had gone from one plant to 6 plants over the course of a year.
Some of them I kept for other parts of the house, a couple I gave away to friends.
It felt really good to be doing this and I got pretty excited about the possibilities.
When someone asks you “What do you collect?”, what do you say? I say I collect Pilea plants.
The Pilea Peperomioides regularly grows offshoots through its roots as its way of propagating. This gives you the opportunity to rapidly grow a collection of gorgeous Pilea plants from just one starter plant.
This is why it is sometimes known as the ‘Pass-it-on-plant’.
There are many other benefits of the Pilea, as you’ll see, but let’s start with how you buy the best specimen.
How to Buy a Pilea Peperomioides
Go to the store and hand over your money, right?
Well, there’s a little more to it than that. Remember the big reason above for why a Pilea is such a good starter plant? All the plant babies? When you are choosing a Pilea to buy, you can actually give yourself a head start on your Pilea production line.
Gently look under the leaves at the top surface of the soil. You’re looking for tiny little leaves on a shoot that will usually appear near the side of the pot. This is a Pilea ‘pup’ already forming. Sometimes you’ll see a few of these if you’re lucky, I’ve seen one plant with three pups in a store….let me know what you find!
You’re looking for tiny little leaves on a shoot that will usually appear near the side of the pot. This is a Pilea ‘pup’ already forming.
If you can’t find any with these, don’t worry, they will appear soon. Just make sure your plant is getting enough light by reading about how much light houseplants need.
Other than this, check for damage to leaves or stems. The leaves are healthiest when they are completely flat, but it isn’t a problem if they’re not. A crisp round shape and deep green colour means the Pilea is in good health.
Of course, you can only do these things in-person, but if you are buying a Pilea online you just get what you are given. Don’t worry, all of this is only meant to give you a head start, but you’ll get to this point soon enough if you can’t check for these things.
Is A Pilea Easy To Look After?
Houseplants are not as difficult to look after as you might think. There are a few tricky little ones, but generally they’re not too bad.
As long as you follow some basic houseplant care for beginners, you’ll be fine.
The Pilea falls into the easier bracket of houseplants to look after. It also grows quickly, so with all the basics covered, you will enjoy a larger plant, several pups and vibrant greenery over just one growing season.
The key things to avoid are:
- Don’t let water sit at the bottom of the plant pot. Make sure the soil is well-draining and that you water the Pilea in the right way.
- Don’t let your Pilea get more than an hour or two of direct sunlight. Ideally it would sit in bright indirect light all day.
- Avoid temperatures below about 13 °C (55 °F).
You only need to repot a Pilea every 2 years, so it’s really quite low-maintenance.
What Else Can A Pilea Do For You?
You’ve seen that you can produce many more plants from just one Pilea which is an awesome way to create unique gifts for friends or family. As well as start your own prodigious Pilea collection!
You’ve also seen that it’s a fairly easy plant to look after.
Why else should you be buying a Pilea Peperomioides?
Well, it isn’t called the Chinese Money Plant for nothing. This houseplant will bring you wealth and prosperity.
…it isn’t called the Chinese Money Plant for nothing. This houseplant will bring you wealth and prosperity.
Apparently.
Actually, I really think there is something to this. If you bring a plant into your home that you believe can bring you good luck when it comes to money, then you’re already raising your level of positivity. Positivity breeds positivity and you may well find yourself better off down the line.
It’s worth a try! Especially as it just means having a beautiful plant in your home.
You won’t even be spending a lot of money on a Pilea. They used to be quite rare, but its popularity has grown and so the price has come down as more are grown.
The Pilea is also completely safe. You probably don’t want to go eating it, but if your pets do then they won’t suffer.
Right from the start, the Pilea Peperomioides looks stunning. Its circular leaves are presented in a pleasing geometric pattern around the stem. The distinctive yellow dot at the top of the leaf, where the leaf stem attaches, gives each leaf a nice consistency of appearance.
Its circular leaves are presented in a pleasing geometric pattern around the stem. The distinctive yellow dot at the top of the leaf, where the leaf stem attaches, gives each leaf a nice consistency of appearance.
I love the look of the Pilea plant and every time it grows a new pup is an exciting opportunity to start a fresh plant with fresh, perfect leaves.
Buying a Pilea is an investment that will pay you back many times over in new plants, a gorgeous set of leaves and a reliable plant friend.
Now, show off by send me some pictures of your Pilea plant and I’ll put them up here to help entice more people into this big Pilea houseplant parent community!