PlantParlour Open the app

Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) care

Vines & trailers · easy to keep

Last updated

Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) wants bright indirect light. Water it weekly. Let the top half of the pot dry out, then water thoroughly. The leaves store water — a peperomia would much rather be dry. Pot it in light and free-draining — compost with plenty of perlite, or an aroid mix. A weak balanced feed monthly in spring and summer, and repot once a year. Humidity: room humidity is fine for most; the trailing kinds prefer above 60%. Not on the ASPCA's list itself, only its relatives, so we don't call it pet-safe.

The Chinese money plant: round coin-shaped leaves on long stalks radiating from a central stem. It was carried out of Yunnan by a Norwegian missionary in 1946 and spread through Scandinavia entirely by cuttings passed between friends, decades before it reached the trade. It pups freely, which is why.

Quick facts

Water
Water weekly. Let the top half of the pot dry out, then water thoroughly. The leaves store water — a peperomia would much rather be dry.
Light
Bright indirect light.
Humidity
Room humidity is fine for most; the trailing kinds prefer above 60%.
Soil
Light and free-draining — compost with plenty of perlite, or an aroid mix.
Feeding
A weak balanced feed monthly in spring and summer.
Repotting
Repot once a year.
Toxic to pets
Not on the ASPCA's list itself, only its relatives, so we don't call it pet-safe. Keep it out of reach of a pet that chews. The ASPCA does not list Pilea peperomioides itself, but lists a relative, Aluminum Plant (Pilea cadieri), as non-toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).
Difficulty
Easy.
Mature size
30–40 cm tall and wide.
Native to
Yunnan province, China.

Watering a Chinese money plant

Water weekly. Let the top half of the pot dry out, then water thoroughly. The leaves store water — a peperomia would much rather be dry.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright indirect light, and turn the pot weekly — a pilea leans hard toward its light source and goes permanently lopsided otherwise.

Humidity and temperature

Room humidity is fine for most; the trailing kinds prefer above 60%. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

Peperomias have small, shallow root systems and semi-succulent leaves. A light, airy mix in a small pot is the whole secret; a big pot of wet compost is the whole problem.

Feeding

A weak balanced feed monthly in spring and summer. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot once a year. Rarely, and into a pot barely bigger than the last. Peperomias are happiest tight.

Common problems

Propagation

Pot up the babies that come up from the soil around the parent once they have a few leaves; cut them off below soil level with a little root attached.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Not on the ASPCA's list itself, only its relatives, so we don't call it pet-safe. Keep it out of reach of a pet that chews.

The ASPCA does not list Pilea peperomioides itself, but lists a relative, Aluminum Plant (Pilea cadieri), as non-toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).

If your pet has eaten a plant, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Both are open around the clock and may charge a consultation fee. Take the plant or its label with you.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. We don't test plants: what we say about toxicity follows the ASPCA's published plant list as it stood on 26 October 2026, and that list can change. "Non-toxic" means not poisonous — a pet that eats enough of any plant can still vomit, and fertiliser, pesticide or leaf shine on a plant can harm it. It also only helps if the plant is what you think it is. It covers cats and dogs only; ask your vet about rabbits, birds, reptiles or anything else, and a doctor about children. Read our terms.

Every houseplant in the library the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs

Named cultivars and variegations

Pilea peperomioides is sold under several cultivar names. Care is the same unless noted; variegated forms carry less chlorophyll, so they grow more slowly and want more light than the plain species.

CultivarAlso sold asWater
'Mojito'Variegated Chinese money plant, Pilea Mojitoweekly
'Sugar'Pilea Sugarweekly

Where the variegated forms are grown differently from the plain Pilea peperomioides:

'Mojito'

Leaves marbled white and green. Unstable: pups come up plain, variegated or mostly white. Difficulty: needs attention.

Light: Bright indirect light, and turn the pot weekly. Keep it out of harsh sun: the white parts scorch where a plain pilea's leaves would not.

Watch for: Pups coming up plain green. Each pup carries only the tissue it grew from, and a plain one stays plain. Keep the variegated pups. Pot up the green ones as ordinary pileas, or give them away.

Watch for: Brown, dry patches on the white parts of the leaves. The white tissue is the weakest part of the leaf and fails first: sun through glass, dry air, or a plant shedding what it can't support. Move it out of direct sun and raise the humidity. The damage doesn't recover; trim it off with clean scissors once it covers much of a leaf.

'Sugar'

Fine white speckles over the round leaves.

Light: Bright indirect light, and turn the pot weekly. The speckles stay brightest in good light.

Questions people ask

How often should you water a Chinese money plant?

Water weekly as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Pilea peperomioides. Let the top half of the pot dry out, then water thoroughly. The leaves store water — a peperomia would much rather be dry. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Chinese money plant need?

Bright indirect light, and turn the pot weekly — a pilea leans hard toward its light source and goes permanently lopsided otherwise.

Is Chinese money plant toxic to cats and dogs?

Not on the ASPCA's list itself, only its relatives, so we don't call it pet-safe. Keep it out of reach of a pet that chews. The ASPCA does not list Pilea peperomioides itself, but lists a relative, Aluminum Plant (Pilea cadieri), as non-toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026). If a pet has eaten part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 straight away.

How do you propagate a Chinese money plant?

Pot up the babies that come up from the soil around the parent once they have a few leaves; cut them off below soil level with a little root attached.

Or browse every plant in the library.

Keep this plant's record

PlantParlour gives your Chinese money plant its own page: a photo timeline, reminders set to the cadences above, and every watering, feed, repot and problem written down. Trade or sell it and the whole history goes with it.

Start your greenhouse — free

What the app does