Want to bring good fortune into your home? The Pilea peperomioides plant might just be the way to improve your luck! These popular houseplants, also called Chinese money plants, provide a host of uses and benefits and are known as wealth attractors to Feng Shui practitioners. They’re also easy to grow when they’re in the right spot — and that means a position with bright indirect light, away from drafts and heat. Read on to learn more about the best places to position Pilea peperomioides in your home.
- Where to Position Pilea peperomioides in the Home – The Essentials
- About Pilea peperomioides (Chinese Money Plant)
- Pilea peperomioides (Chinese Money Plant) and Feng Shui
- Where to Position Pilea peperomioides in the Home
- Where Not to Place Pilea peperomioides in the Home
- Where to Place Pilea peperomioides Outdoors
- Essential Pilea peperomioides Care
- Where to Position Pilea peperomioides FAQs:
- The Final Word
Where to Position Pilea peperomioides in the Home – The Essentials
To attract positive energy, luck, fortune, and wealth, position P. peperomioides in the xun, or wealth and abundance section of your home, room, or office. Often, this will be the far left corner as you stand at the door. Ensure this spot has bright, indirect light so your plant can thrive.
About Pilea peperomioides (Chinese Money Plant)
The Pilea peperomioides, also known as the Chinese Money plant, UFO plant, or coin plant, belongs to the Urticaceae, or nettle family. Pilea is the largest genus in this family and contains more than 700 species.
Among them is P. peperomioides. The plants have a relatively small native range, which includes parts of China’s southwestern Sichuan province and western Yunnan province.
In its natural habitat, the plants grow on the forest floor, often in rocky areas. Here, the environment is shady and damp, with dappled light and shady conditions.
When growing P. peperomioides indoors, mimicking these conditions as best you can will help the plants thrive.
Pilea peperomioides (Chinese Money Plant) and Feng Shui
In the Chinese practice of Feng Shui, where you position items matter and plants are no exception. Plants can help connect people to nature, especially when we spend so much time indoors.
In Feng Shui, five elements hold sway: wood, fire, earth, water, and metal. Finding the right balance of elements is a crucial tenet of the practice. Plants align with wood, which is linked to action, compatibility, energy, growth, and kindness.
Another critical factor lies in plant foliage. The color green is associated with rejuvenation, and green, round leaves — such as those of P. peperomioides — are especially auspicious.
Finally, certain plants may attract or fend off certain types of energy. This means that a plant’s placement within a home or room can be very important.
Where to Position Pilea peperomioides in the Home
When placing Pilea peperomiodes in your home, use a Bagua map. This Feng Shui guide can help you determine the optimal position for Chinese money plants in the home or even in a room.
How do you use the Bagua? Think of it as a map that can be placed (metaphorically) over your entire home or just a room. The Bagua is a grid that’s laid out in three-by-three squares.
Each square on the grid has meaning. The sections are associated with one of the five elements of Feng Shui, a part of life, a color, and a type of energy.
Starting in the lower right corner and moving counterclockwise, the nine sections encompass:
- Qian is associated with metal, travel, helping, and gray
- Dui is associated with metal, children, completeness, and white
- Kun is associated with earth, love, relationships, and pink
- Li is associated with fire, fame, reputation, and red
- Xun is associated with wood, wealth, prosperity, and purple
- Zhen is associated with wood, family, new beginnings, and blue/green/teal
- Ge is associated with earth, knowledge, personal growth, and deep blue
- Kan is associated with earth, career, life path, and black
- In the center: Tai Qi is associated with earth, health, centeredness, and brown, orange, and yellow
Using the Bagua Map to Find Appropriate Rooms
Start by orienting the Bagua map over your home’s floor plan or over one room. The main door to the home or room should align with the bottom center square of the grid.
Ge/Knowledge, Kan/career, and Quian/Helpful People should be parallel to the wall that contains the main door to the space.
Try to arrange the Bagua grid, so the nine sections are more or less equally spaced around the home or room. This may be difficult, as not all homes fit neatly into a square! To start, you may want to work with just one room that fits into the grid relatively evenly.
Once the grid is positioned, identify the areas of the home or room that have the proper energy needs for a Pilea peperomioides. For example, positioning the Chinese money plant in the Xun, or prosperity and wealth section, may draw positive energy that attracts good fortune and financial success.
Of course, it takes time and training to use the Bagua correctly. Practice by finding appropriate Bagua areas to activate the positive energy aspects of your Chinese money plant.
Feng Shui and Plant Needs
While Feng Shui can help draw positive energy, remember that your P. peperomioides also need specific environmental conditions to thrive. When using the Bagua, keep the following in mind:
- P. peperomioides grow best in bright but indirect light or filtered light. They tolerate lower light sites. Choose an east-facing window, a south– or west-facing window that’s covered by a curtain, or a spot that receives reflected or indirect light from a west-facing window.
- Chinese money plants don’t like cool drafts or heat sources.
- Choose a spot that maintains temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees F.
- You’ll also want to consider repotting your Pilea peperomioides every 18 months to 2 years.
Where Not to Place Pilea peperomioides in the Home
If you wish to attract money and financial success, don’t place P. peperomioides in a bathroom. The financial gains may wash away down the drain with the bath or sink water.
Do not place Chinese money plants in spots where they receive bright direct light, such as uncovered south- or west-facing windows.
Don’t place them under or near a heat vent or register or near a window or door that may leak cold air.
If you really want to follow Feng Shui practices, you may be able to make certain sites work by providing artificial grow lights.
Where to Place Pilea peperomioides Outdoors
When the environmental conditions are just right, you may be able to put your Chinese money plant outside… at least for a time. Temperatures should be between 60 and 80 degrees F. Anything much warmer will be hard on your plants.
If temperatures drop at night and rise during the day, it’s best to keep your plant inside. The fluctuation may cause your Chinese money plant to drop leaves.
Make sure your plant is placed in indirect light. Don’t allow the sun to shine directly on your P. peperomioides foliage. This may cause leaf scorch, drying and curling leaves.
Finally, don’t let too much rain fall on your plant. While their natural environment may be damp, containers just don’t offer the same level of drainage. Chinese money plants don’t like wet feet, and too much water can lead to root rot. See our in-depth guide to how to water Pilea peperomioides plants here.
Essential Pilea peperomioides Care
Mimic your plant’s natural habitat and help it thrive. This means dappled light (filtered or bright indirect light) and watering only when the top inch of soil is dry. Overwatering can lead to yellowing or dropping leaves.
Humidity should be in a normal indoor range. Indoor temperatures should remain between 60 and 80 degrees F.
Provide a well-draining potting mix with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Feed with a water-soluble fertilizer that’s been diluted to half-strength every three weeks in spring/summer and every six weeks the rest of the year. You’ll also want to stay on top of any common Pilea pests and diseases.
Where to Position Pilea peperomioides FAQs:
What room is best for a Pilea peperomioides?Â
A room that provides bright indirect light, average humidity and a consistent temperature between 60 and 80 degrees F are best. To take full advantage of the Chinese money plant’s wealth-attracting features, choose a room in the upper-left Xun or wealth section of the Bagua map.
How far away from the window should a Pilea peperomioides be?Â
A P. peperomiodies can be in an east- or north-facing window, a few feet from an uncovered south- or west-facing window, or in a south- or west-facing window that’s covered by a sheer curtain.
Can I put my Pilea peperomioides in a corner?Â
Yes, your Chinese money plant can grow in a corner. You may want to choose the upper-left Xun, or wealth, corner on the Bagua map to attract positive financial energy.
Can Pilea peperomioides thrive in low-light environments?Â
While the P. peperomioides prefers bright indirect light, they can grow in low-light environments.
Can Pilea peperomioides tolerate drafts?Â
Don’t place your Chinese money plant near a draft. The plants should be in a spot that’s between 60 and 80 degrees F.
The Final Word
According to Feng Shui, the Chinese money plant is a good choice to attract wealth and prosperity. Try placing your Pilea peperomioides in the Xun or wealth sector of the Bagua map, which corresponds to the upper left corner of your home or room. Environmental conditions for a thriving plant include bright indirect light and protection from cold and heat.
Linsay is an American copywriter based in the Pacific Northwest with a background in academic writing and research. Linsay holds Master's degree in both Anthropology and Library and Information Sciences and has written for numerous national and international publications including USA Today, SFGATE, Hunker, and The Bump across an array of topics in the gardening, green living, and travel sectors. When she's not writing, you'll usually find Linsay reading, kayaking, sailing, snowboarding, or working in her garden.
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