#MyChineseMoneyPlant

The Print4UK #mychinesemoneyplant campaign is our way of raising awareness of just one way one to help slow down climate change.  Have fun and share your success.

Chinese Money Plant

This plant has only just come to the UK’s attention although some gardeners appear to have been cultivating it for years. We think this looks excellent set an office or home against a modern urban setting or in more traditional surroundings. Until recently it has been unknown to scientists, so read on to find out more about this fantastic, unusual plant.

It only grows to around 30cm tall and has small, thick, round, peltate, succulent leaves. These are usually around 10cm in length upon long green stems which become woody as they mature. It produces small white flowers which are sometimes tinged with pink but these flowers are mostly insignificant as the main focal point of this plant is the succulent leaves.

Growing tips

They appear to be best suited to a partially shaded position, so will grow well on a windowsill in light but not in direct sunlight or in the corner of a room where it might not receive enough sunlight.

They prefer a well-drained soil but they will grow in most types of soil as long as it is free-draining. The Chinese Money Plant will grow well in a cool room and outside in summer. They are thought to be hardy to a certain extent but will probably not survive the wet and cold weather we have in the UK.

By moving plants into cooler areas that are around 10°C for the winter, this may encourage flowering.

Chinese Money Plant care

These plants are generally easy to grow as most gardeners have commented on this. The only other care that is needed is regular watering during summer (in the growing season) and feed them with a balanced fertiliser every 2-3 weeks. Remove any old leggy foliage to promote new growth and keep the plants looking healthy.

Problems to look out for

They don’t appear to have many problems and are generally pest free apart from the odd aphid. They can be affected by mildew so watch out for the distinctive white powdery fungus on the leaves and at first signs and remove any badly affected leaves and use a small garden sprayer with an environmentally friendly fungicide to treat the leaf.