How Do You Take Care Of Pilea Involucrata?

 

How do you take care of Pilea Involucrata?

Pilea Involucrata is well-known for its bright, richly textured leaves and easy-going personality. It’s a great houseplant for beginners, although it has a few oddities.

This adorable Pilea is a part of the Nettle family (Urticaceae), but its fluffy hairs aren’t as venomous as the group’s more venomous cousins.

The Pilea genus has over 600 species, including trailing and erect, bushy kinds – the adaptable Pilea Involucrata may be cultivated in either form.

This is unmistakably a foliage plant, with little blooms that are easy to ignore. The oval leaves are strongly corrugated, artistically patterned, and colourful, with serrated edges and darker longitudinal veins.

Their exotic foliage palette is a blend of bronze and burgundy tones with large green outer edges… The undersides are reddish to purple in colour.

These plants are tropical in nature since they are native to Central and South America.

Because it’s so simple to grow and share with other gardeners, this low-maintenance plant is widely known as the Friendship Plant. Because of its textured, moonlike appearance, it is also known as a ‘Moon Valley’ Pilea.

Sunlight requirements

Bright, indirect light is preferred – plant retailers and nurseries may mislabel moon valley plants as “low light lovers,” but too little sunshine may cause leaves to drop off or become darker, resulting in lanky stems.

As a result, an east or north facing window is ideal for your Pilea Involucrata.

If you choose a south or west facing window, ensure sure your plant is sheltered or situated away from the window.

Water requirements

The Pilea Involucrata is a low-maintenance plant since it grows quickly and requires little effort on your side.

Use a pot with drainage holes and thoroughly water. Allow the water to drain before emptying the drainage tray.

Allow the potting media to dry somewhat between waterings; Friendship Plant will not tolerate damp soil and may develop root rot. In the winter, when growth is slower, keep it somewhat drier.

Humidity requirements

Pilea Involucrata is a tropical plant. As a result, it prefers warm, humid weather.

This is one among the characteristics that contribute to its suitability as an indoor plant. Tolerates normal indoor humidity. Prefers high humidity levels.

Temperature requirements

Friendship plant does best when the temperature hovers between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you go out of this range, always remember that it will tolerate warmer better than cooler.

Soil requirements

Soil is also easy. You want to provide your friendship plant with wet, well-draining soil. A high-quality potting mix that is rich in organic material and drains effectively is ideal.

Does Pilea Involucrata Flower?

Yes, however blooms are small and quite unusual on indoor moon valley plants, which are often kept for their spectacular foliage rather than their flowers.

Tiny pale pink or cream-colored blooms grow in dense clusters midway down the stem, blooming in late spring or early summer and lasting for several days.

Should I mist my Pilea Involucrata?

Moon valleys will benefit from occasional to frequent misting, the frequency of which will be determined by the consistency of humidity in your surroundings.

In ordinary house temperatures (65-75oF) and the absence of a humidifier, for example, misting 2-3 times per week is advised to maintain high humidity.

If you’re a forgetful plant owner, your moon valley plant can survive weekly spraying, but it’s better to augment this with a dependable supply of air moisture, like as a humidifier or humidity pebble tray, to avoid stress-induced leaf loss and poor development.

How to I fix a leggy Pilea Involucrata?

When stems on your moon valley plant get leggy, squeeze them with your thumb and fingers or cut them just above a leaf node with clean, sharp scissors to eliminate stem length.

Pileas prefer to stretch in low-light environments, so maintain plants in stronger sunlight or use grow lights, like as these full-spectrum lights, in darker houses to avoid lanky stems.

Why Is My Pilea Involucrata drooping?

Drooping foliage is usually an indication of overwatering and potentially too much direct sunshine exposure.

Check to see whether the top two inches of soil are too wet or soggy, and minimize watering until it dries out.

If drooping persists, root rot may have developed; thus, check the root system for dark, mushy patches and cut out any rotting pieces with a sharp, sterile knife.

Before repotting in new soil, wash the root ball and sprinkle it with a natural fungicide, such as this copper fungal treatment.

Is Pilea Involucrata the Same as the Friendship Plant?

Plants of Pilea Involucrata with healthy, textured leaves.

According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, Pilea Involucrata is sometimes sold under the label “friendship plant” since both plants share the cultivar name ‘Moon Valley’ due to their similar look.

As a result, the friendship plant is also known as Pilea Involucrata, which is somewhat smaller at 8 inches tall on average and has a more upright growth habit than Pilea mollis.

The name “friendship plant” refers to the ease with which Pilea Involucrata may be propagated and shared among plant producers, and it can be used to both Pilea kinds in this situation.

Is Pilea Involucrata toxic?

Valley of the Moon Pilea is a non-toxic houseplant that is safe for both dogs and humans.

If the leaves are ingested in excessive numbers, nausea and vomiting have been reported, so keep the plant out of reach of small children and consider spraying the bottom leaves with lemon juice or a similarly bitter repellent if you have particularly interested dogs nearby.

When to repot Pilea Involucrata?

Repotting should preferably be done in early to mid-spring, when the plant may recover more quickly from the shock of rehoming.

Because Pilea ‘Moon Valley’ plants have shallow roots, repotting may be required only every couple of years. When you see the following symptoms, it’s time to repot your moon valley:

Roots extend through the drainage holes in the pot/appear in the dirt.

It requires more irrigation than normal. The existing dirt does not drain as rapidly as it used to.

Can you propagate Pilea Involucrata?

Because of how simple it is to reproduce and gift to friends to grow their own tiny Pilea, the Pilea Involucrata has acquired the nickname “The Friendship Plant.”

Stem cuttings can be placed immediately into a new pot with soil or into a transparent container to water propagate; the water technique allows you to observe how quickly the Friendship Plant begins to root.

As a result, if you intend to grow more of them, don’t throw away the clippings you generated while pruning your Pilea Involucrata. They will be used to propagate fresh friendship plants.

That being said, you’ll want to be a little more particular when it comes to trimming. Ideally, you should choose or cut:

• Stems of at least 4 inches in length. If you wish, you can grow a bit longer. The goal here is to lengthen the stem so that it can stand erect in the soil.
• Stems with at least 2-3 leaves. This assures that the stem you select will not be a “dud.” When you choose stems with several leaves, you know it will be able to generate new leaves on its own.
• Once you’ve decided on the stem, you can cut it. The stem end should then be dipped into rooting hormone powder. This will hasten the rooting process.
• Transfer the stem to a new container filled with fresh potting soil.
• Fill the rest of the container with dirt and pat down to compact it. The idea here is to enable the earth to fill the container and stabilize the stem. But don’t overfill it. It will be difficult for air and water to reach the soil if the medium is too densely packed.
• Water the soil.
• Cover the container and plant with a plastic bag. This will cause the humidity to rise.
• Position the pot in a location where it will receive mild light.
• It will take a few weeks to a month for the roots to grow out.
• Plant in the right sized container using new houseplant soil. Keep the soil equally wet and place it in a sunny, indirect spot away from direct sunshine.

Is Pilea Involucrata an indoor or an outdoor plant?

Friendship Plant has quilted apple green leaves with beautiful golden veins that make it a pleasure to grow indoors.

Pilea is a genus with hundreds of species, one of which is grown as an indoor plant. ‘Moon Valley,’ pictured above, is one of the most popular cultivars. Pilea mollis is another name for it.

‘Moon Valley’ is a trailing plant with a more erect habit than the species. The undersides of its serrated, finely textured leaves are dark-red.

In the spring, clusters of small, pink-green blooms develop, although they are inconspicuous in comparison to the spectacular leaves.

How can I fix my leggy Pilea Involucrata?

Unfortunately, as specimen’s age, they become leggy, lose their lower leaves, and generally look dishevelled.

The most common option is to establish a new plant from cuttings or offsets. Because the species is so quick to replicate, growing these plantlets alongside their parent can result in a pot that is eternally youthful.

How can I make my Pilea Involucrata grow faster?

Though it is not the quickest growing plant, offering appropriate Pilea Involucrata care is the best strategy to help your plant develop as fast as possible:

Maintain the plant on the warm side of its optimal temperature range.

Give it a lot of light! The plant thrives in dappled sunshine and may withstand modest direct morning or late sun. Simply let it to acclimatize to brighter surroundings and keep an eye on it for burning.

Boost the humidity. Pilea Involucrata may live in low humidity, but it thrives in high humidity. A healthy plant grows more quickly!

Fertilize, but use care. During the warm season, dilute a balanced liquid mixture and apply as often as once a month. More is not always better: too much fertilizer can contaminate the soil. Fertilizing should be avoided entirely during the colder months.

Why my Pilea Involucrata has curling leaves?

The greatest general preventive is to provide appropriate Pilea Involucrata care – however if you notice curled leaves, you should rule out two possibilities:

Overwatering

Examine the soil. If the mix is wet, unpot the plant and check the roots, which should be pale, firm, and fragrant. If the plant is curled due to root rot, you will notice dark or black mushy roots with a bad stench.

If rot has gotten in, it’s frequently preferable to start anew using cuttings… If the plant isn’t too far gone, you can try to rescue it, although success rates vary.

Infestation of Pests

Curled leaves might be the result of missing some early visitation and the pests establishing a colony.

Unroll and inspect the leaves; thoroughly inspect the plant. Any pests discovered should be dealt with properly.