Want to easily propagate your pilea peperomioides plant? Here's my best tips on how to encourage pilea to grow pups!
Pileas are cute lil plants. Even cuter than a big pilea is a baby pilea!
You heard me right - these plants have babies!
They pop up little baby plants AKA pups or plantlets - alongside their parent plant. Pilea plantlets are so easy to propagate!
However, what if your pilea isn't making babies? So sad! Here are some tips to help encourage plantlet growth!
More about Pilea plants
- Pilea care guide
- Pilea Dark Mystery Plant Care Guide
- How to propagate pilea from plantlets
- Why are my pilea leaves turning yellow?
- Common pilea peperomioides problems
- How to encourage pilea to grow pups
- What to do if your pet ate your pilea
- Why are my pilea peperomioides leaves curling?
How to encourage pilea to grow pups
Here are some things to do to encourage your pilea to grow pups:
- Treat it well
- Move it to a brighter spot
- Chop the top
- Fertilize
- Remove dead leaves
- Remove existing babies
- Keep the soil uncovered
- Move to a larger pot
- Wait for growing season
- Let your pilea mature
Treat it well
Parent plants won't make babies if they themselves are unhealthy. No one wants to bring a baby into an unhealthy world.
Be sure that your plant is getting proper light and water. Read my pilea care guide here!
Move it to a brighter spot
Pileas like bright, indirect light. They can live with a little less, but will do best and grow the most (themselves and pups) with brighter light!
Chop the top
Chopping the top off of any plant is a great way to encourage it to focus it's energy on growing outward and more bushy instead.
Plus, stick what you cut off in water to root it!
Fertlize
Applying a liquid fertilizer can give your plant the extra nutrients that it needs to make more babies.
Remove dead leaves
Dead and dying leaves can be a waste of energy for your plant. Pinch off dying leaves to increase the odds of some of that energy going to baby plants, instead!
Here's my complete guide to cutting dead plant leaves!
Remove existing babies
No one wants to parent too many kids at once. If there are several babies in the pot already, remove them to encourage the plant to grow more!
Keep the soil uncovered
Pebbles, or even mulch, can block the soil and make it too hard for baby plants to burst through. Keep the soil clean and clear for the best odds!
Move to a larger pot
If your plant is full in the pot, there is no room for babies. No one wants a bunch of babies in a one bedroom apartment.
You might want to move it to a larger pot - 2 inches larger or so. This gives it more room to grow baby plants!
Wait for growing season
Pilea usually grows the most in spring and summer. So, if it is winter and you aren't getting pups, that is completely normal. Wait until growing season for more growth.
Let your pilea mature
Small, baby pileas aren't ready to make babies themselves. No one wants babies having babies!
It can take a full year before these plants start making babies!
Any other tips about growing pilea plants?!
Thanks for reading!
Hey there, I'm Morgan, a houseplant enthusiast from sunny Charleston, South Carolina. Growing up surrounded by my mom's lush orchids and African violets, I discovered the magic of bringing nature indoors. Thanks to the pandemic, I delved deeper into houseplants, discovering their power to uplift moods and transform spaces. I'm here to spill all my secrets, helping you pick the perfect houseplant - and make it happy. Let's keep your plants alive, together! 😊
