Chinese Money Plant

Bright indirect light is the sweet spot for this plant. It can handle a bit of direct morning sun, similar to some Ficus varieties, but keep it away from intense afternoon rays, that'll scorch or fade the leaves.

If the light's too dim, the plant gets leggy and starts stretching its stems toward the nearest window.

Watering this one is simple. Let the top two inches of soil dry out completely before watering again. When you do water, give it a deep soak until it drains from the bottom, then empty the saucer right away.

Since its thick leaves and stems store water, this plant handles a dry spell a lot better than soggy soil, so don't overwater it.

Regular household humidity around 40% is all this plant needs, it's comfortable in a normal home. Unlike trickier plants like Aralias that need constant humidity tracking, the Chinese Money Plant is pretty forgiving.

Keep the room between 65°F and 80°F. Keep it away from cold winter drafts and hot air from heating vents.

Pot it in a loose, airy mix to avoid compacted soil and root rot. A loamy mix with some sand or perlite added works well for drainage and airflow.

Feed it monthly with a standard liquid fertilizer, diluted to half strength, from early spring through late summer. Stop feeding entirely in winter while it rests.

Propagating this plant is easy and pretty fun. Healthy mature plants send up little pups through the soil from the root system.

Once a pup's grown a few leaves, cut it away from the parent plant with a clean, sharp knife, keeping some roots attached, and put it in fresh soil or water to grow on its own.

Repot this plant every 1 to 2 years in spring. Choose a pot just 1 to 2 inches bigger than the current one, with drainage holes.

Don't go too big on the new pot, extra soil holds too much water and raises the risk of root rot.

This plant is completely pet friendly and non-toxic. There's nothing harmful in it at all, no chemicals, crystals, or toxins, so it's totally safe for a home with curious cats and dogs.

Pilea peperomioides is native to the damp, shaded, rocky mountain forests of the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southern China.

This plant is known as the "Pass-It-On Plant" for a good reason. In 1946, a Norwegian missionary named Agnar Espegren brought cuttings back from China to Europe. He shared pups with friends and family, and the plant spread across the continent for decades through amateur gardeners sharing offsets, long before it ever showed up in plant shops.