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How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides? 3 Easy Ways!

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Pilea peperomioides, or Pilea for short, is a plant with round leaves that goes by various names. Pilea plants that are mature and healthy will produce pups or kids.

These can emerge from the bottom of the plant’s main stem or emerge at random from beneath the earth. Many babies can develop at the same time.

When they begin to grow, you may either clip them off the mother plant to generate new plants or leave them alone to thrive.

To propagate or reproduce a plant is to have the opportunity of having your plant for free. In this case, Pilea Peperomioides. In this article, we will discuss how to propagate Pilea Peperomioides.

Cutting propagation is a simple and effective technique to reproduce the plant, and the Pilea, commonly known as the Friendship Plant or the Chinese Money Plant, is an excellent candidate!

You can do this by taking cuttings off the Mother Plant (the Pilea Peperomioides you already have) and sticking them in the soil to root. It’s as easy as that!

How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides
How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides? via Reddit

A Garden Guide on How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides

You can collect Pilea cuttings at any time of year, but the optimal time is in the spring. That is when the plant develops the fastest and produces the most offspring.

How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides via Cuttings in Soil

1) Gather your Pilea Peperomioides Mother Plant and a cutting utensil such as a sharp, clean knife or even your fingernails.

2) Find a pot with adequate drainage and fill it with soil.

3) Pick up your Pilea Peperomioides Mother Plant by the stem and, holding it at an angle, carefully cut off a piece of Pilea Peperomioides that has at least 3 leaves on it.

4) Take your cutting utensil and cut about ⅓-⅔ inches into the stem. Remove any excess leaves from the end of the cutting to expose the stem.

5) Take your nicely cut Pilea Peperomioides Mother Plant cutting and stick it into the soil by either placing it on top of the soil or gently pushing the end of your cutting utensil into the soil until you feel resistance at around ⅓-⅔ inches of depth.

6) Carefully water your newly cut Pilea Peperomioides Mother Plant cutting. Try not to get any water on the leaves as this may lead to fungal infections and harm your new plant!

7) Place your new Pilea Peperomioides Mother Plant Cuttings under a decent light source such as a window. If you don’t have a decent light source just yet, placing them on your kitchen counter is fine as well.

8) In about 2-4 weeks, you should see new leaves growing! Once they have grown to about 5 inches tall, pot them up in a fresh pot with fresh soil and place them under a nice light source or on your kitchen counter to grow.

How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides 2
“My first ever propagation – pilea peperomioides from a stem cutting” via Reddit

How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides via Leaves Being Submerged in Water

1. Take your Pilea Peperomioides Mother Plant and gently pull off 1-2 leaves or cuttings, so you have at least ½ an inch of the leaf left attached to the stem.

2. Take your cutting utensil/fingernails and gently peel off the lower, thicker portion of the stem on each leaf or cutting you are using to propagate with.

You only want the top thinner part of the leaf/cutting to be used so that there is less risk for rot in the water! Remove any excess leaves from the end of the cutting to expose the stem.

3. Take your Pilea Peperomioides leaf/cutting and gently place it on top of a glass or vase filled with water so that at least ¼th of the leaf is above the waterline, leaving 2/4ths submerged in water.

If you want to be extra careful about fungal infections, you can take a small round piece of cling wrap and place it over top of the glass, so no water seeps in between the gaps.

This will slow down the propagation process but help save your little Pilea Peperomioides babies from fungus!

4. Place your leaf/cutting under a decent light source. If you don’t have a decent light source just yet, placing them on your kitchen counter is fine as well.

5. In about 2-4 weeks, you should see new leaves growing! Once they have grown to about 5 inches tall, pot them up in a fresh pot with fresh soil and place them under a nice light source or on your kitchen counter to grow.

How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides by Separating Existing Babies

1. cut or divide the pups or newborns and place them in their containers.

2. Gently pluck the little plantlets away with your fingers, or cut them free with a sharp, disinfected knife or pair of scissors. If it’s easier for you to remove the entire plant from its pot, go ahead and do so.

3. If possible, try to leave some connected roots on the babies. Plant these puppies as soon as possible, if possible.

4. If you were unable to attach roots to the pups, place them in a vase of water until they root, at which point you can plant them.

5. If the pups are too little or have tiny leaves, don’t separate them. Wait until the puppies are at least 2-3 inches tall before releasing them.

The infant Pilea will normally take approximately a month to establish itself in the soil. Your plant will require some time to adjust to its new surroundings and grow.

You may have to wait a bit during the winter before you detect your baby Pilea is forming its roots. When new leaves appear, you may be confident that the plant is healthy and happy.

You’ll notice some baby plants appear at some time, and you’ll be able to start the propagation process all over again! 

How To Propagate Pilea Peperomioides: Pro-tips

  • If you reside in a location with short, gloomy days, you may wish to avoid propagating during the winter months to ensure success. Because plants are actively developing in the spring and summer, these are ideal times to propagate. Of course, if you use grow lights all year, it won’t make a difference.
  • Many people fail to propagate their cuttings because they store them in gloomy places. Treat them like every plant you have and provide them with plenty of light. Light is still required for cuttings!
  • Don’t forget about warmth, in addition to a great bright environment. In a warm room, propagation happens significantly faster. Avoid putting them in a cold environment. This works great if you can keep the temperature above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • It’s critical to keep the soil clear of pebbles so that the plantlets can easily emerge from the soil.
  • You’ll notice some young Pilea plants sprouting from the roots and stems of your mature Pilea. Allow a few weeks for the babies to mature before delicately removing one plantlet off the parent plant with a sharp knife.
  • Overwatering is a serious problem for Pilea, so make sure to use well-draining soil that enables the plant to breathe correctly. Ensure the pot has drainage holes in the bottom to allow water to pass through the soil readily.

Final Remarks

Learning how to propagate Pilea Peperomioides takes time, patience and just the right conditions. It is well worth it in the end, though!

Sharing your plants with others will build community and help you explore new options for the future. Plus, the more plants there are in this world, the better off they’ll be!