Thanks Marcy! I hope so too. They're really lovely plants and grow very quickly when they're happy. I have loads of smaller ones now too and they make great gifts.

I forgot to say that there are roots coming out of the drainage hole. Could it be so potbound as to be damaging the plant already? It's only been in this pot for 6 months and at the time I wasn't sure if perhaps I was using a container too large.

By the look of things you Pep most likely is suffering from exhausted "soil". When a plant has grown well and then does what yours did I'm sure it needs a larger pot and or more fertilizer.

Thanks for your input docgreenfingers. I'll get it in a larger pot asap!

Hopefully your pilea is in better condition now after you move it to a bigger pot. The brown spots and yellow dots on the leaves is a sign of too much sun. Move further away from the window or use a sheer curtain to avoid direct sunlight, the leaves will get darker and healthier looking in about a week.

How is your pilea doing?

I have one that is popping babies all the time. I had to remove several just a few weeks ago and repot. I answered in the thread that you are linking to and posted pics too.

Mine is in a north west-ish facing window, the temperature is lower than the rest of the apartment.

I plant in well draining mix: coco coir, perlite, grit and a bit of c&c soil . What I had available that day.

I feed it when I remember, ought to get better at that though.

Today when I gave it a check I noticed it is growing a new baby. Through the drainage holes lol Crazy plant :)

Let us know how the potting up goes Will. Always love learning more about this plant.

Will, I also came across this article about Iron Chorosis. It was mentioned in the Logee's video about Pilea Peperomioides (see below). Hope that helps.

It looks like you have chlorosis, as mentioned - one way to solve that very easily is to dissolve about a level teaspoon of Epsom salt (MgSO4) in a liter of water, and water with that about once a month - it both, reduces the pH of the soil, and supplies magnesium and sulfur, which a lot of houseplant fertilizers do not give enough of. Note, if you have a lot of calcium accumulation in the soil, the first time you water with MgSO4, you should make up a lot of the solution, and run several liters of it through the soil to flush it, allowing it to drain out freely.

Chlorosis is something to which citrus and chili plants are also very susceptible to, as are many other acid-loving plants. Hope this helps!

I'm interested in hopping onto this thread, maybe make it generally about pilea care. I've had mine for a year and it's grown many new leaves but it's not really thriving. The bottom leaves start to get droopy (picture 2) then then get pinched off like in the bottom picture and of course drops off. Not sure what to change to make it happier. It's in fast draining soil and unglazed clay pot.

Thanks

GreenDinos, I just noticed that this thread 'woke up' in notifications, and figured I'd try to help. As mentioned, I am not specifically a pilea specialist (I'm a hobby horticulturalist with some background in botany), but all houseplants have a same basic set of challenges (living in a container vs. outside), and so there are a few things I would check regarding the pilea.

1. What sort of soil is it planted in? A clay pot is good, but water draining out fast may mean soil shrank away from edges and just runs out, while the root ball stays wet in a muddy ball or alternatively dries out too much. I would lift the plant out (does it lift out with the soil ball easily before watering?) and look at the soil/root situation, maybe take a picture.

2. Have you been fertilizing it at all? The black spotting and faint yellow ring on one of the leaves sort of looks like maybe calcium and/or potassium deficiency, which can also cause weak droopy stems and older leaf drop (in particularly potassium deficiency).

3. How much light is it getting, and what sort of light? I would still bet on nutrient or soil problems, but too little light-hours or too weak light can also mess with plants in creative ways (and sometimes cause leaf drop).

If in doubt, and the plant is trying to grow (you mentioned it growing many new leaves), repotting into fresh soil is often a good one-stop-solution. The soil you want to use is something like good-quality potting soil (with or without peat) - I heard that Miracle-Gro is very soggy so not that - mixed with some perlite and vermicultite. One or both of those are better than nothing, or, if all else fails, turface - here in Europe we even use fine baked clay non-clumping cat litter, but I wouldn't know American brands. The reason for additive is to loosen the soil up so it doesn't compact, and allowing air and water to circulate through it.

I check back here every few days so hopefully will see if you reply without a ten-day delay again! ;)

Pls. don't advocate using Vermiculite here, as it holds moisture, opposite of fast draining; IMO would contribute to keeping things soggy.

Vermiculite also has asbestos.

First of all, no, vermiculite does not have asbestos - please see provided link to scholarly article on the matter (link here). Vermiculite produced before 1990s was sometimes contaminated with it, but modern vermiculite is safe.

Second, yes, I do advocate vermiculite for drainage unless perlite and/or turface-type baked clay particulate can be located, because while it does hold water, it doesn't contribute to keeping soil soggy as it loosens its texture and allows water to drain out easier than from a soggy clod. The thing which hold water the best in soils are either clay or organics, both of which can benefit from being loosened up.

I too have a question about my Pilea plant. I’ve had it for over a year and has been thriving for me. I recently repotted it into a slightly larger clay pot and took out some plant babies. The new top leaves are not growing as flat as the older leaves. There is a bit of crinkling happening. Need advice please. Thank you

This is happening to mine also! I just got mine and within 3 days this began...

If you figure it out let me know please. I’ve read something about possibly too much sun if top leaves curl up. But Idk because mine has been in the exact same position for over a year. So what I plan to do is move it to north facing window.

It could also be too hot. I have had this happen and later the leaves flatten out quite a bit.

Thank you Lauren! Hopefully it flattens out since I’ve moved it to a different location

To me this doesn't look like too much heat (unless the plant is in a very hot or sunny spot), but perhaps either overwatering (is the new soil soggier?), or a nutrient deficiency. I would reduce watering for a bit if the soil feels soggy when you stick a finger into it, otherwise I would try a standard-dilution general-purpose liquid houseplant fertilizer with micronutrients (as in other nutrients than NPK added). Good luck and hope the pileas recover!

I usually check the soil before I water my Pilea. Maybe I over potted it? I will now try a fertilizer as you’ve suggested. Thank you!!

I pray someone here can help.

I got my plant as a gift for Mothers Day (bottom pic). Recently it started drooping and now it looks like this :(

The plant arrived already potted, and I found it odd that they potted the plant on somewhat of a mound and added soil all the way to the rim. This made it challenging to water it properly in the beginning.

I read that I should water it sparingly or when the top inch or so of the soil is dry, which is what I have been doing. The plant was located on my back porch which is on the west, and I'm located in the Caribbean so summers are hot!

I brought the pant inside less than two weeks week ago bc it was really looking stressed and I wanted to see if the cooler temperatures inside would revive it. It's currently receiving east sunlight with part shade.

Can it be saved?

Pileas are very resilient! like most plants they like to stay in one spot and not move around too much, otherwise they pout.

drooping leaves could mean either overwatering or underwatering. Does the pot have a drainage hole? What I’ve learned with my Pileas are that they like a good watering until I see water draining out the bottom. Let my plant dry out and give it a good drink again. It also looks like it could soon be outgrowing the pot. I see a lot of plantlets poking through the soil. Those can get removed by cutting them closest to the main stem and rooting them in water. This is easily done when you decide to repot. this could also help when you water your Pilea.

so bright indirect light is where I have mine. And since you are in the Carribean(lucky you) I think where you have it now works. Should you ever take it outside again full shade Is best.

I hope this helps a bit. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Hi tnsackpraseuth, thanks for your suggestions.

The pot does have a drainage hole, but it seems a bit tiny to me. I gave it a good watering yesterday and allowed the pot to fully drain before I placed it back on the saucer.

I'll keep it inside for a while and continue watering as you suggested, when required, and see if that helps.

Thanks again!