The money plant is one of the most popular houseplants in Pakistani homes, and it is easy to see why. It grows quickly, copes with a range of light and tolerates mistakes. It is also very easy to multiply, so one plant can soon become many. In this guide you will learn how to keep your money plant healthy and how to grow new ones from cuttings.
What is a money plant?
The plant most people call a money plant is usually pothos (Epipremnum aureum), a trailing vine with heart-shaped leaves. Our money plant and our golden pothos are closely related, and both are grown in the same way.
Light
Money plants do well in low to bright indirect light. A room with a window, a shaded balcony or an office with fluorescent lights is often enough. In very low light, the plant grows slowly and the leaves can lose their golden patches. Direct afternoon sun, especially in summer, can scorch the leaves, so avoid it.
Water
Water when the top two to three centimetres of soil feel dry. Soak the soil, let the extra water drain out and empty the saucer. In winter, when the plant grows slowly, water less often. Read more in our guide on how often to water indoor plants.
If the leaves turn yellow and the soil feels wet, you are watering too much. If the leaves droop and the tips turn brown, the plant may be too dry.
Soil or water?
A money plant can grow happily in either.
- In soil: use good potting mix in a pot with a drainage hole. This gives the fullest, healthiest plant.
- In water: put a cutting in a bottle or vase, and change the water every one to two weeks. The roots grow quickly, but plants in water tend to grow smaller leaves over time. Many people move them to soil once the roots are a few centimetres long.
Training and pruning
Money plants can trail from a hanging pot or climb a pole, a wall hook or a string. A plant that climbs usually grows larger leaves. To keep the plant bushy, pinch or cut the ends of long stems. New shoots will grow from just below each cut. Always cut just above a node, which is the small bump on the stem where a leaf grows.
How to make new plants from cuttings
- Choose a healthy stem and cut a piece about 10 to 15 centimetres long, with at least two or three nodes.
- Remove the leaf at the bottom node, so that the node is bare.
- Place the cutting in a glass of clean water with the bare node under the water, or push it into moist potting mix.
- Keep it in bright indirect light, and change the water every week.
- After two to four weeks you will see white roots. When they are a few centimetres long, plant the cutting in soil.
- Keep the new plant lightly moist for the first few weeks.
The best time to take cuttings is in spring or early summer, or in autumn. Avoid the hottest weeks and the coldest weeks of the year.
Feeding
Feed your money plant with a diluted liquid fertiliser about once a month in the growing season, which is spring to early autumn. Do not feed it in winter or in very hot weather. Our potting soil and fertiliser guide has more detail.
Common problems
- Yellow leaves: usually too much water, or an old leaf that is dropping naturally.
- Brown, crispy tips: dry air, too little water or too much sun.
- Long gaps between leaves: not enough light.
- Tiny white cottony spots: mealybugs. Wipe them off with a damp cloth.
Money plant and pets
Money plants can irritate the mouth and stomach of pets and small children if they are chewed. Hang the pot or keep it out of reach. Read our guide to pet-safe and child-safe plants before you decide where to put it.
You can find our money plant and many other easy plants in the indoor plants section of the shop. For help, call or WhatsApp us on 03128018787.