Chinese money plant care: watering and light
The Chinese money plant has round, coin-like leaves on slender stalks, and has travelled the world from hand to hand thanks to the babies that sprout around it.
Chinese money plant needs water roughly every 7 days in summer and every 14 in winter (east-facing window, in a 16 cm plastic pot with a drainage hole). Before watering, always check with a finger in the soil: if it’s still damp, wait.
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Pilea peperomioides
- Also known as
- Pilea, Pancake plant
- Preferred light
- Bright indirect light
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Tolerates drought
- No
- Tolerates shade
- No
- Where it lives
- Indoors
Where to put it
It likes bright indirect light, near an east-facing window. Direct midday sun scorches the leaves. Because it leans towards the light, turn the pot a little every week so it grows straight.
How to water
Let the top half of the soil dry between waterings. It lets you know: the leaves go soft and droopy when it’s thirsty. Further apart in winter.
Common mistakes
Losing the odd lower leaf is normal. Leaves yellowing one after another, with damp soil, mean overwatering. Cupped leaves usually mean too much or too little light. The babies that pop up around it can be separated with a bit of root and potted on their own.
How many days between waterings, spot by spot
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| South- or west-facing window | 6 days | 13 days |
| East-facing window | 7 days | 14 days |
| North-facing window | 11 days | 23 days |
| Hallway or corner with no window | 16 days | 33 days |