The Good-Fortune Plant Martha Stewart Swears By For Easy Growing
If you want to bring the essence of good luck and/or fortune into your home, there's a prosperous plant that Martha Stewart recommends. A businessperson by nature, Stewart understands the abundant benefits that the Chinese money plant, or Pilea peperomioides, can offer. With its robust greenery and round, coin-like foliage, the money plant radiates a resilient energy meant for success. In a recent "Today Show" segment on plant care, the home expert instructed host Savannah Guthrie to take good care of her lively money plant. "It will grow and grow and grow," she said (via TikTok).
With their natural power, money plants typically grow at a gradual pace and require minute care. While mainly a houseplant, you can place a money plant in vibrant, yet indirect sunlight back from windowsills or within a sun porch. However, while outdoors, note that partial shade may be ideal for its growth, depending on your climate. In addition to growing your money plants in moist, well-drained soil, Stewart also reminds us not to "forget to feed it."
What's more, the durable green plant is rich beyond itself with its ability to propagate into a wealth of greenery for you or someone else.
Chinese money plants thrive when consistently nourished
Besides bringing good fortune to a home, there are a variety of benefits to growing a Chinese money plant. While the tropical plant may prosper better in warmer areas (hardiness zones 10 to 12), it loves the indoors. With its cheerful, medallion-shaped leaves, you can place it in a pot near a window or position it on the opposite side of a room for adequate, secondary light. Like much interior vegetation, the abounding plant can also help purify the air while giving off more moisture. Keep in mind, though, that if a money plant receives too much direct sunlight or heat, you may see its spirited greenery start to burn and fade.
When planting your money plant, establish its roots in a fitting container, per Martha Stewart, to provide the best opportunities for easy growth. Stewart's method consists of placing a shard on the bottom of a clay pot, then filling it with well-drained potting soil, while blended with some natural fertilizer. Fill your mixture to the base of the plant, then water thoroughly. Keep the plant regularly hydrated without letting the soil dry out or become overwatered as well. If done right, your money plant will flourish with copious green ends that are sturdy enough to transplant and reproduce.
Share the wealth through propagation
Easy to grow, the money plant was made to give and multiply. If your plant's thriving, you may see several outshoots, or offspring, that can be cut and transferred into new pots. As Martha Stewart explains, "I spend a week every few months repotting and propagating various specimens when they outgrow their containers or have produced plantlets that can be divided" (via Martha Stewart). To propagate money plant pups, take the entire plant from its pot, then carefully cut and remove each one with a sharp knife. Separate out however many you can detach — there should be at least 1 inch of roots present at the bottom of the stem — then plant them in small, fresh containers.
The money plant also has the capability to develop in water. To do so, snip the end of a long stem, then stand it up in a plastic or glass bottle near natural light. Over the course of several days, you may see sprouts emerge. Watch the level of liquid and refill as needed while changing it out weekly.
Giving new money plants away is a great way to evoke good luck for friends and family. Make sure to discard any unwanted or damaged stems before passing on this lucky plant's bountiful aura.