How To Propagate Chinese Money Plant

If you’re anything like us, then you love having houseplants in your home.

They just brighten up the place, while many purify the air around you, making for a fresher, more calming atmosphere. 

Caring for your plants can quickly become an interesting hobby, and an integral part of your day. You may even want to propagate new plants from your parent plants at home

. One of the many things that we get asked is how to propagate a Chinese money plant. 

So, let’s take a look at this plant in a little more detail, find out how to propagate, and how best to care for this plant of great beauty and fortune!

About Chinese Money Plants

The Chinese money plant, or Pilea peperomioides is a species of flowering plant from the nettle family Urticaceae.

The Chinese money plant is fast growing in popularity due to its low maintenance nature, simple propagation and air purifying qualities. 

This plant is also very eye catching, due to its large, circular green leaves that spread outwards, filling the space, and making the home look very open, fresh, and inviting. 

As the name suggests, the Chinese money plant is also meant to bring good luck and good fortune to those who own it.

The belief is that if you place a coin on the soil of the plant, then you will soon see a boost in your finances! 

Chinese money plants are also often referred to as ‘missionary’ plants as they were first brought to China by a Swedish missionary.

They can sometimes be referred to as ‘pancake’ plants due to the nature of the leaves displayed. 

If you have a Chinese money plant, you’ll be happy to hear that it is very easy to propagate, so you can grow more of them.

Read on to find out how, including how to provide the best care for your Chinese money plant. 

How To Propagate Chinese Money Plant

When it comes to propagating your Chinese money plant, the process is really simple. The easiest method is to propagate from cuttings of the plant. 

To do so, you will need to find a long stem on the plant, preferably one with leaves, and carefully cut the long leaf stem from the plant with a clean pair of scissors. 

Then, you will need to place the cutting in a glass of clean water. After about seven days, you should notice roots beginning to sprout, but it can sometimes take longer, so try to be patient. 

When you can see roots forming, gently remove them from the water, and place into a pot with fresh potting mix.

You will then need to keep the roots moist, not too wet, or too dry, and care for the money plant as you would care for the parent plant as it grows.

You can also use another method. Some prefer to use suckers to propagate a Chinese money plant. The suckers are the smaller plants that surround the larger parts of the plant.

To propagate your Chinese money plant this way, you will need to use a clean, sharp knife to cut out the bandicoot of the plant.

This is done by digging from the surface of the sucker, to get to the stem underneath which is about 1 inch underneath the soil. 

This stem will need to have roots on it. Once you have it, you can place it into a new pot with fresh potting mix, and fill around the roots with soil.

Then, water, and care as normal while you wait for it to grow a little. 

How To Care For A Chinese Money Plant

The good news is that Chinese money plants are relatively easy to care for. They’re not high maintenance plants, so you shouldn’t have to worry about killing it by accident!

The only thing you may notice is that the beautiful flat leaves may droop or start to dwindle. 

So, if you want to keep your Chinese money plant in the best possible condition, you’ll need to know how to care for it.

The best way to keep a Chinese money plant happy is to let it enjoy the sunshine. These plants love sun puddles, so will do best in bright, indirect sunlight.

Try not to keep them in direct sunlight as this could burn the lovely green leaves. 

Therefore, you’ll want to keep it near a good source of light such as near a bright window, but not on the windowsill.

If you keep a Chinese money plant in lower light conditions, then it will likely grow too tall and become a little too leggy. 

The next step is watering the Chinese money plant. This plant does need some water, so we would recommend watering around once a week.

Just keep in mind that the soil should be a little dry before you water the plant again, or you could end up overwatering it.

If you are overwatering the plant, then the leaves may fall off or begin to discolor. 

If you’re unsure, then press your finger or thumb into the soil, and if it is moist, then leave the watering for a few days.

You don’t want the soil to get too dry, so look for a happy medium before watering.

As always, you’ll want to ensure there is proper drainage, as if the roots are sitting in a pool of water it could develop root rot.

So, when you water, ensure that it is flowing all of the way through the plant. 

Final Thoughts

To summarize, a Chinese money plant is a great houseplant for those who are established horticulturists and botanists, but also those new to growing plants.

They are simple to care for, and really easy to propagate.

With this guide, you can propagate your Chinese money plant within just a few weeks, and keep your plant growing and thriving with ease.