I absolutely love the Pilea Peperomioides and love to share it with friends and family even more. What can you do if you want to propagate but no pilea pups (tiny plantlets that emerge from the main stem or soil) have developed . Don’t despair, there is another method.
You can easily propagate a Pilea Peperomioides from it’s leaves. Cut a healthy leaf from the main stem of your plant, making sure to also cut a little layer of the main stem with it to ensure proper root and leaf development. Place the leaf in water for at least 2 to 4 weeks. Once the forming root becomes about 1 inch, you can reintroduce your plant to soil.
In this article, we’ll be go into how you can properly propagate your Pilea Peperomioides and many other factors you should be aware of to keep your Pilea peperomioides plant growing healthy and strong. If you’re interested in learning more about this plant, keep on reading.
How to Propagate Your Pilea Peperomioides
Since we are using a leaf to propagate we want to wait until your Pilea has had time to grow and develop strong healthy leaves.
Propagating this plant from a leaf is simple as long as you follow the right steps. Below, we’ll go step by step into how you can successfully propagate your Pilea Peperomioides and receive the best possible results.
Locate a Healthy Leaf
The first step in propagating your plant is to locate a healthy looking leaf. Ensure that the leaf you’re looking to cut is free of any disease or insects. Once you know you have a healthy leaf, you’re ready to cut using the correct tools.
Cut Your Pilea Peperomioides Leaf
As we stated above, it’s important to use the proper tools when removing your desired leaf. I recommend that you use a sharp, clean blade but you can also use a pair of scissors to remove the leaf.
Once you have your tools, locate the leaf you have identified as healthy and make a cut where it connects with the stem of the main plant. Make sure and cut into the main stem slightly, removing a small layer of the main stem with the leaf. This ensures your cutting will produce roots and new leaves.
Once you’ve correctly made your cut, it’s time to relocate them to their new temporary home.
Place the Stem in Water
Once you’ve cut your leaf correctly, it’s time to place it inside a clean container full of water. Ensure that the stem is completely submerged in water in order for roots to begin growing from your leaf.
It’s important to keep your leaves away from the water, as they will rot if they become submerged. While some recommend immediately placing your leaf in a new pot of soil on its own, it’s a good idea to give your leaf time to grow roots on its own while submerged in water.
This process will take at least 2 weeks but more realistically 4 weeks, so patience is key while you wait for your leaves to become healthy and strong enough to withstand on their own. At the most, this can take upwards of a month, so keep an eye out on your leaves and their progress.
Place Your Leaves in a Stable Environment
Keeping your leaves in the correct conditions is key to allowing your leaves to grow their own roots and become strong.
Once you’ve placed your leaves in water, make sure to keep them in an area that allows them to soak up plenty of sunlight. It’s also ideal to change out the water every few days to ensure that your plant is soaking up fresh water.
Once your roots have begun to sprout, you have a couple of options. You can either relocate the leaf with sprouted roots to a new pot or wait until you begin to get pups growing from the leaf. Once the pups get large enough, you can plant it in a new pot.
Relocate Your Plant to a New Pot
Once your roots have grown to be about an inch long or you have new, good sized, pups sprouting, it’s time to relocate your Pilea Peperomioides to a new pot. Remove your leaf with new roots or pups with roots from its current home and place it into its new pot full of fresh soil.
Gently press down on the soil in order to keep your plant secure. It’s important to do this gently and not pack too much soil too tightly in order for your plant to have room to move and grow accordingly.
Be sure to keep the soil moist for the first few weeks in order for your new plant to begin taking root in its new environment. While some may choose to immediately relocate their singular leaf into a new batch of soil, these are the steps you should take if you’re looking to propagate your plant in water first.
When Should You Propagate Your Pilea Peperomioides?
Now that we know how to successfully propagate your plant, it’s ideal to know when the best time is to propagate it.
Below, we’ll go in-depth into when the best time to propagate in order for you to see the best results.
During the Spring
It’s recommended that you propagate your Pilea plant during the springtime During this time, your Pilea plant will be at its most active and have the most energy.
It’s ideal to engage with your plant during this time, as you’re likely to have the best results this way. While you can propagate your Pilea Peperomioides during any time of year, springtime is highly recommended.
This is something to be mindful of when you’re looking to begin propagating your plant from a single leaf.
When is Your Pilea Peperomioides Big Enough to Propagate?
A healthy stem that’s grown to about 5-10 inches in length (13 to 25.4 cm) is an ideal size if you’re looking for a leaf that’s ready to be propagated.
If your baby leaves are smaller than this, it’s ideal to wait until they are larger and healthier before you begin propagating them. Giving your baby leaves time to grow large enough within the mother plant will give them a better chance of survival when they are planted on their own.
Why Propagate Your Pilea Peperomioides?
There are many reasons why Pilea owners propagate their plants. Below, we’ll explore why you may want to propagate these plants, as well as the benefits they have when you propagate them.
Easy Way to Get New Plants
Propagating the plants you already have as they continue to grow is a great and easy way to get new plants.
Whether you choose to propagate in soil or water, propagation only takes on a single leaf, and before you know it, you have an entire collection of different Pilea plants all over your space. These plants are also easy to come by, as compared to a few years ago, when they were harder to find.
Nowadays, you can easily find Pilea Peperomioides plants anywhere, even on Amazon, like this one from Costa Farms. Not only can you purchase these plants almost anywhere, but you can easily begin propagating your plant the moment you receive it.
Inexpensive Way to Get New Pilea Plants
Not only is propagating your Pilea Peperomioides an easy way to grow your plant collection, but it’s also inexpensive.
Just simply remove a leaf from your Pilea plant and take it from there. Seeing how propagating your plants is both simple and inexpensive makes it a no brainer option when you’re looking to multiple your plant collection.
Great for Sharing With Others
As we stated earlier, the Pilea Peperomioides goes by many different names, including the ‘friendship plant.’
Since propagating these plants is so simple, they’re easy to grow out into entirely new plants and gifts to your friends. Sharing your Pilea is a great way to get your friends and family involved in the fun.
It’s clear to see that there are many benefits to propagating your Pilea plant in the first place. It’s an easy, fun, and inexpensive way to fill up your space with these plants while also sharing them with the people around you.
Issues You May Face When Propagating Your Pilea Peperomioides
While propagating this plant is a fairly easy task, there are still issues you may come across when trying to propagate this plant successfully. Below, we’ll explore some of the problems you may face when caring for and propagating a Pilea Peperomioides and fixing these issues.
Its Leaves Are Drooping
Drooping leaves are an issue you may face if you are propagating your leaves in soil instead of water. If you’re currently experiencing drooping leaves on your Pilea Peperomioides, this could result from a few differing factors. For one, your Pilea plant may be feeling thirsty and could need some more water.
If your plant has lost its perkiness and is suffering from falling leaves, consider how much water it’s been receiving. There is a good chance your Pilea plant requires way more water than it’s been receiving, so take the time to incorporate more water into your plant’s diet.
If you feel like a lack of water may be the issue, feel around your Pilea Peperomioides soil in order to properly inspect how it looks and feels. If it looks and feels very dry, simply give it a good watering, and be sure to soak the soil for the best results.
Its Leaves Are Curling
If you’ve noticed that your plant’s leaves are curling, this is probably due to the fact that your plant has received too much direct sunlight and needs to be moved.
It’s ideal to position your Pilea Peperomioides in an area where it receives a decent amount of sun for a few hours. Too much direct sunlight can damage your plant, so it’s important to be mindful of where your plant ends up and how much sun they’ll be receiving daily.
It’s recommended that you rotate your plant so each side gets an equal amount of sun exposure. It’s also ideal to draw some sheer curtains over your plant if it’s sitting by the window. Keeping these factors in mind will allow you to keep the leaves of your plant strong and healthy.
Its Leaves Have Developed Brown Spots
The leaves of your Pilea plant may have developed brown spots for a few different reasons.
Brown spots are another sign that your Pilea Peperomioides has come into contact with too much direct sunlight. It’s important to ensure your plant is in an appropriate location in order to keep it healthy and thriving.
Your plant’s leaves can also develop brown spots if your plant has become exposed to colder temperatures. Your Pilea Peperomioides thrives in moderately warm environments, so it may react poorly to colder climates.
Be sure to be mindful of where your plant sits throughout the day, as well as the conditions they’ll be subjected to regularly.
How to Maintain Your Pilea Peperomioides
As we stated previously, the Pilea Peperomioides, also known as the ‘Friendship Plant,’ is fairly easy to propagate and only takes a few simple steps to do successfully.
Below, we’ll explore how you can successfully maintain these plants once you’ve propagated a whole bunch and have many different Pilea plants under your care.
Keep Your Leaves Free of Dust
Pilea plant leaves are quite thick and can also accumulate a lot of dust, so make sure to look out for dust build-up when watering.
It’s also ideal to go in with a wet cloth every few weeks and inspect whether dust has begun to build up onto your Pilea’s plants. Keeping your plant’s leaves wet will not only keep dust at bay but also ensure that your plant soaks up more light.
Repot Your Pilea Peperomioides at the Appropriate Time
As your plant continues to grow over time, it’s important to repot your plant every 1-2 years with a fresh batch of soil. Doing this also ensures that your Pilea plant receives fresh nutrients, which will keep your plant happy and healthy in the long run.
Giving your Pilea fresh soil, as well as a larger pot when the time is appropriate, will ensure that all your Pilea plants will continue to thrive and stay healthy within their environments.
These are just some of the helpful tips you should put into practice in order to maintain a healthy Pilea Peperomioides in the long run.
Share the love!
Now you have a better understanding of how to propagate your Pilea Peperomioides from a leaf and can share them with your friends and family!