This week we are excited to introduce you to pilea peperomioides! This plant has always been fascinating to me! Just a few years ago, the pilea peperomioides were nearly impossible to find. People were just discovering this quirky plant with vibrant green lily pad-shaped leaves, and while they wanted it, the supply was scarce. Growers had yet to start propagating these fun plants in large quantities, so the prices skyrocketed. At its peak, these were sometimes going for $70 per four-inch plant! The good news is, these plants are easy to propagate, and the prices have since stabilized since supply has caught up with demand.
These plants hail from the Yunnan Province in China, and grow on the forest floors. In the 1940s, a missionary brought a clipping of the pilea peperomioide from China to Norway, and it grew in popularity across Scandinavia. After that, this unusual plant with succulent-like tendencies was on the rise! It eventually attracted the attention of plant enthusiasts in the United States. At Retreat, we love the fun, personality packed pilea peperomioides!
Nicknames for this plant include: UFO plant, missionary plant, pancake plant, and Chinese money tree.
For this week (April 22nd– April 29th) we are thrilled to offer our customers 20% off the purchase of any size pilea peperomioides. You can also enter to win on this week in store, or on Instagram and Facebook accounts. Winner must be able to pick up in store.
Quick Tips for your Pilea Peperomioides:
- Bright Indirect light is best!
- You can get away with less, but your plant will not grow as full or as fast as it would with bright-indirect
- Remember, no direct sunlight for this plant
- Water your plant like you would a succulent
- Keep lightly moist watering when your plant feels a quarter to half dry down the soil
- These plants prefer distilled water. Leaving a jug of tap water out on your counter for about 24 hours should be sufficient (this removes enough of the chlorine from the water—which the pilea dislikes).
- These plants prefer a more arid environment
- Water more frequently in the summer months, and less in winter
- Well-draining soil is best for these plants, as
they don’t like to be in soggy soil!
- Consider using a succulent-friendly mix, or adding perlite to your regular potting soil for more aeration
- Turning your plant is especially important when
it comes to the pilea peperomioides
- These plants tend to lean heavily toward the sun—we recommend turning your plant at least a couple times per week to keep it standing tall.
Looking for more? Check out some of our other plant posts on our blog.