If you’re looking at how to propagate a Chinese money plant, you’ve come to the right place. And we don’t blame you for wanting in on this houseplant idea.
After all, the Chinese money plant - or Pilea peperomioides - is one of the most popular houseplants out there. Incredibly difficult to kill and ridiculously easy to care for, it’s a no-brainer for houseplant novices looking to add a beautiful and unique plant to their burgeoning collection or for a houseplant enthusiast looking for a pet-friendly houseplant to add to their brood.
But the best part? The Chinese money plant is supposed to bring luck, prosperity, and good fortune. And in a cost of living crisis, there’s no doubt that we’ll take every slice of good fortune that comes our way!
So, knowing how to propagate a Chinese money plant will definitely work in your - and your bank account’s - favour. Here’s how to do it.
How to propagate a Chinese money plant
You’ll be happy to know that Chinese money plants are extremely easy to propagate, and it’s definitely worth giving it a go if you already have a mature plant available. On the Ideal Home team, we've started a houseplant propagation swap shop, so you can always buddy up with a friend who already has one.
As well as offering the chance to add some extra dough to your wallet (superstitions aside, a free houseplant is always a win in our books), this plant is also one of the best plants for your bedroom for improving air quality.
What you’ll need
- A mature Chinese money plant
- Pruning shears or a knife - like these JEOutdoors Pruning Shears from Amazon
- Well draining soil
- Nursery pots with drainage holes - like these Plastic Nursery Pots from Amazon
- Rooting powder - like this Doff Hormone Rooting Powder from Amazon
Step-by- step
1. Separate a plantlet from the parent plant
Like propagating spider plants, Chinese money plants grow their own plantlets. These “pups” or “offshoots” are smaller versions of the plant that grow at the base of the parent plant that can be removed.
To begin, you’ll need to use pruning shears or a knife to cut the plantlet away from the mother plant. It’s best to do this as far down the stem as you can, so you might want to dig into the soil so you can expose the stem even more. When you’ve done this, you should be able to see that that plantlet has already formed small roots.
Alex Tinsman from How to Houseplant suggests that you could add an additional step here if you wanted to. 'Some people use a rooting hormone product (where you dip the stem into this powder before planting) but I find it's not necessary.' Of course, if you have some of this lying around the house, it wouldn't do any harm to add this step into the process.
2. Place the plantlet into pots
Then, place the plantlets into nursery pots filled with well-draining soil. It’s best to opt for soil that’s a mixture of perlite and compost for ideal growing conditions.
'The more offshoots you plant, the better the chance you have of them growing successfully into adult plants,' says gardening expert Sally Allsop from All That Grows. And if you have a healthy, mature plant to start with, propagating a Chinese money plant should be easy.
3. Continue to care for your cuttings
It’s important that you don’t forget about your plantlets when they’re starting to grow in their pots. During this stage, you need to continue to care for your cuttings. Allsop explains, 'Keep them lightly watered, but not too much, as you don’t want the roots to rot. They also like humid conditions.'
Of course, when they grow larger, you also need to make sure that you move them into larger pots that can accommodate their growing roots.
FAQs
Can you propagate a Chinese money plant in water?
Yes, you can! It’s incredibly easy to propagate a Chinese money plant in water. All you need to do is cut a leaf from the parent plant and place it in water for 2 to 4 weeks.
When the roots are around one inch long, you can plant the cutting in soil and treat it as you would any other houseplant. Of course, this method will take longer than propagating from a plantlet.
Are Chinese money plants easy to propagate?
Chinese money plants are extremely easy to propagate, no matter whether you choose to propagate a leaf in water or use one of its plantlets. Thankfully, you can propagate a Chinese money plant at any time throughout the year. But for the best chance of success, propagating between March and May is best.
