6 Common Chinese Money Plant Problems (Pilea Peperomioides)

Is your Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) having problems? Wondering what is going on and what to do to help your plant? Here are the most common Pilea care issues.

I have been there. One day your plant is flourishing, the next day leaves are turning yellow? It happens. Let me go through 5 of the most common Pilea care issues. And what to do to fix them.

Yellowing leaves may signal overwatering, so allow the soil to dry between waterings. Drooping leaves can indicate thirst, while brown edges may result from low humidity.

There seems to be some confusion that different websites give different answers on things like why are the leaves on your Pilea curling. The thing is, most plant problems can be caused by more than one thing.

It’s a matter of inspecting your plant and thinking about the care it has been getting so far. That way you can eliminate possible reasons and find what might be the issue for your particular plant.

Related reading: Chinese money plant care.

What’s wrong with your Pilea Peperomioides?

1. Curling Leaves
2. Drooping Pilea
3. Leaves Falling Off
4. Leaves Turning Yellow
5. Leaves Turning Brown
6. Propagation – No Baby Plants Growing

Most problems can be easily sorted by adjusting things like your watering schedule, or by moving your plant to another location with more or less light. 

Don’t fertilize when your plant is struggling. Fertilizer is not plant medicine. It will only stress out an already stressed-out plant. Analyze, adjust, and when your plant recovers, continue your normal care routine.

1. Curling Leaves

Let’s start with why leaves can start to curl inwards. When those round pancake leaves all of a sudden look cupped and curved, investigate.

Have you recently moved your Pilea? It could be that your plant is getting less light than it was used to. Leaves can curl when they don’t have enough light. This happens a lot during winter as well.

However, keeping your Pilea peperomioides in too much direct light can stress out your plant and have its leaves curl up. Look at how much light your plant is currently getting and move your plant to where it gets more or less light.

If it is not the light, check the soil and think about when you last watered your Pilea. When the soil is consistently kept too dry, this too can cause the leaves to pucker and curl.

On the other hand, overwatering can make the roots rot, which can then lead to cupped leaves as well. If you have overwatered your Pilea peperomioides, it might be wise to repot your plant in dry soil. Add some perlite or pumice to the soil for better drainage.

Also, look carefully at the back of the leaves. You are looking for bugs. Hopefully, you won’t find any, but an infestation of mealy bugs or spider mites can hurt your Pilea in a way that makes the leaves curl and bend.

To get rid of pests on your plants I would recommend treating them with a natural pesticide. You can get neem oil spray and use that on your plant.

2. Drooping Pilea

It is normal for older petioles to droop a little (petioles are the thin stems that connect the round leaves to the main stem). These petioles on the bottom might droop trying to lift the weight of larger leaves. This is completely natural.

If it’s not just the older leaves drooping and you suspect that there is more to it, it could be a watering issue. Overwatering can cause wilting and drooping leaves, but a lack of water can make the petioles wilt as well. Investigate the soil and adjust your watering schedule accordingly.

3. Leaves Falling Off

Don’t worry if an occasional leaf drops from the bottom. Leaves might drop when they are older.

When more leaves suddenly fall off, there is a problem. This is almost always because of a watering issue. Either too much or too little.

4. Leaves Turning Yellow

As with a few other issues, if it is just one old leaf turning yellow and falling off, and new leaves are still being produced on top, nothing to worry about. You can safely remove any leaves that have turned yellow. These leaves won’t turn green again.

If you see a lot of splotchy yellow leaves, in combination with drooping stems, it usually is an issue with overwatering and not enough drainage. Your Pilea might be in too big of a pot, in heavy soil, or has no drainage holes.

Yellow leaves can be caused by a lack of fertilizer, but this is more rare.

Further reading: Rise in popularity of the Chinese money plant.

5. Leaves Turning Brown

Over time some Pilea leaves can get some small imperfections and brown spots. This is normal.

Dry, crispy brown spots on the leaves are often caused by too much direct light. Move your plant away from the window, or protect it with a sheer curtain.

Brown spots can also be a sign of fertilizer burn, caused by fertilizing too much. If this is the case, hold off on fertilizing and dilute it by half the next time you use it.

6. Propagation: No Baby Plants Growing

If your Pilea peperomioides is not growing little baby plants, it could be just a matter of time. Only mature plants can grow babies. Maybe yours is simply still too young. Keep caring for your plant and have patience. Your plant will mature and grow babies when it’s ready.

When you have a healthy, mature plant and it is not producing any offspring, check if it is getting enough light and is being watered properly. If it’s spring or summer, you might want to treat your plant to a dose of fertilizer.

Don’t cover the top of the soil with pretty pebbles and rocks. This is not good for the soil and will make it harder for the babies to grow.

Related reading: Propagate the small Pilea plants – Chinese money plant meaning.

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