If you searching for best looking Pilea plant then you should look at Pilea Involucrata. This plant is famous because of its beautiful leaves. The Involucrata plant is listed as a beginner’s houseplant.
Because it is easy to grow and maintain.
But there are some issues with pilea involucrata care. All the possible problems and care tips are discussed below.
Read till the end to become a pilea involucrata aka moon valley plant care master.
In short, it needs indirect bright light with 65 to 75 degrees F temperature. Keep the soil moist and let it dry between watering. Any houseplant fertilizer will work fine.
Now let’s discuss every key point in detail.
About the Pilea Involucrata
Pilea Involucrata is native to South America. In a good growing environment, it can grow from 12 inches to 18 inches tall.
It has 1 to 3 inches long leaves depending on the plant care. The multi-color foliage has serrated edges with a green outer boundary and dark black veins.
The top surface of the foliage has three colors green, bronze, and burgundy. Whereas the undersides are purplish in color.
Pilea Involucrata care is also called the Moon Valley friendship plant.
It is very easy to grow and propagate therefore people name it a friendship plant and due to its leaf color (dark center), they name it moon valley.
It is not suitable for outdoor temperatures. You should grow it indoors in a fancy plant container. Moon Valley Pilea will be a good piece of decoration.
Quick Care Guide
| Common Names | Moon Valley Pilea, Friendship plant |
| Size | 1 ft. tall and 1 ft. wide with 1 to 3 inches long leaves |
| Flower color | Green and Pink |
| Light | Indirect |
| Water | Moderate |
| Temperature | 65 to 75 degrees F |
| Pests | Aphids, Mealybugs, Spider mites |
| Diseases | Root rot only |
Pilea Involucrata care methods
Follow the below guide to growing a happy Pilea Involucrata plant aka the moon valley friendship plant.
Light requirements
Your Friendship plant needs low bright light to grow.
Some garden stores sell it as low light plants but it needs sufficient light to produce colorful leaves.
In low light conditions, its leaves become dark, and plants show leggy growth. To correct this condition, increase the amount of light it receives.
Keep it away from direct sun rays because they are hot and intense and can harm the soft foliage.
Once the leaves get burnt by sun rays you cannot revive their health.
If you have an east-facing window, put it close to that otherwise use grow lights.
300 watts LED grow light will be the best choice for growing 2 or more Pilea Involucrata plants.
Watering Pilea Involucrata
Deep watering is the best technique for watering friendship plants.
Water it thoroughly and then let the extra water drain out from the bottom hole. Then put it back in its location.
Before watering it, the top 2 inches of the soil must be dry.
This will avoid the chances of root rot and other fungus problems.
Underwatering is not a problem because this condition can be corrected by giving sufficient water to your plants.
The real problem is overwatering which invites root fungus bacteria. Now that you know the best watering technique, I hope you will follow the rule and will not face any overwatering issues.
Potting Soil
It needs well-draining soil for better health.
You can use coco coir and perlite for the best results. This formula is light in weight and has excellent draining powers.
With perlite and coco coir in the potting soil, you do not need to water it frequently. Because the perlite can store enough water for the plant.
And the coco coir increases the fluffiness of the soil which increases the aeration. Which further prevents many soils related problems.
If you do not have good knowledge of potting soils. Then you can simply buy African violet potting soil to grow your Pilea Involucrata.
Note: Do not try to use your garden soil with any mixture or formula. This will not work because moon valley pilea has soft roots. These roots need lightweight soil to spread and breathe.
Temperature
It needs a warm temperature for its entire life cycle. The best range is 65 to 75 degrees F. Little ups and downs are okay with the plant.
Remember that it cannot tolerate cold winds and extremely hot temperatures.
Our indoor home temperature range will be best for it.
If you like to grow it outside or put the plant pot outside, you must have your garden in USDA Zones 11 and 12.
You can put the plant pot outside for year-round in these Hardiness Zones.
In my opinion, this plant is perfect for indoor decoration therefore it is best to lighten up the dark corners.
Other beautiful plants are suitable for outdoor weather. You can choose them for your outdoor garden.
Fertilizing Pilea Involucrata
Fertilize it once in spring and the second time in summer.
Fertilizing it twice a year is sufficient if you are using fertile potting soil.
To make the potting soil fertile do not add compost or any other organic material that releases an unpleasant smell.
It is best to buy pre-fertilized soil. Such potting soil contains every single nutrient that your plant will need to grow and produce flowers.
You cannot speed up plant growth with over-fertilization. Also, you cannot increase the number of flowers per plant with a high dose of nutrients.
To protect your plant from overfertilization dilute the fertilizer as per the instructions. Then directly pour into the base of the plant.
Do not spray fertilizer on the plant leaves. This will cause leaf burn and make them crispy brown.
Humidity
Maintain the average humidity above 50% for the good health of your Pilea Involucrata plant.
Generally, we have a home humidity between 45 to 65 % which is good to grow a tropical jungle plant.
But if the room humidity stays below 50% throughout the year, then you need to do something to keep it above 50%.
You can use the grouping technique where you group different plants in a single place to increase general humidity.
The second-best method is the use of a plant humidifier.
These are inexpensive devices specially designed for plants.
Plant humidifiers are lightweight and portable. You can easily lift them to move to other places. They consume less electric energy than professional home humidifiers.
Place it near your plants or between the group of plants.
Repotting Moon Valley pilea
Repotting is not required in the case of Pilea Involucrata care. Because this plant is a slow grower and has short roots.
It only grows 12 inches tall and short-height plants stay in their pot for years.
You may need to do repotting after 3 to 4 years.
To repot it follow the following tips
- Gently loosen the soil and remove the plant without damaging the plant roots.
- Remove the soil from the roots
- Use fresh soil in the new pot
- Plant your plant in it and fill the pot with soil
- Give some water and repotting is done
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Pruning/Trimming
Pruning means cutting the unwanted and overly grown parts of the plants.
But Pilea Involucrata aka moon valley friendship plant does not grow large so you do not need pruning.
You may need to trim it to give it desired shape or to keep it healthy by removing the yellow leaves.
To cut the plant choose its active growing season which is spring and summer.
According to my knowledge spring is the best time for pruning.
How to propagate Pilea Involucrata?
The best thing about this plant is its propagation. You can easily propagate it even without much knowledge of propagation.
Stem propagation is the 99% successful technique in propagating Pilea Involucrata.
For 100% success follow the below tips
- Choose a healthy stem, 3 to 4 inches long with two or more leaves.
- Cut it from the plant by using sharp sterilized pair of knives or garden shears.
- Dip the cutting in the rooting hormone and put it in the potting soil. You can also use a peat-based growing medium if you do not have lightweight potting soil. Pat the soil around the stem so that it can stand straight in the soil.
- Now place the cutting pot at a warm temperature.
- Keep the room humidity above 60% to speed up the formation of new roots.
- Normally it will take 4 to 5 weeks to develop new roots.
- After that, you can transfer the seedling into the final pot.
Toxicity
You will be happy to know that this plant is non-toxic to pets, humans, and other animals. It has sweet sap which invites many pests. But growing Pilea Involucrata is totally safe for our lovely pets.
Common Problems
All the Pilea Involucrata common problems are listed below. Read carefully and find out the solution.
Pests
Aphids and spider mites are the main culprits that can damage the plant. You need to inspect the plant daily to find any pest infestation.
These pests are often found on the undersides of the plant leaves.
They suck the sap of the plants making them nutrient deficient. Once the plant becomes nutrient deficient it starts dying.
To save your plant, once you see pests, immediately grab the rubbing alcohol and cotton cloth.
Pour some alcohol on the cloth and wipe the leaves.
If this is time-consuming for you and you want a single quick solution then use insecticidal soap to wash your plants.
Buy it from Amazon and rinse your entire plant. The chemical in the soap will kill all the pests. The good news is it is not harmful to humans. But you should wear gloves before using soap.
Diseases
Root rot is the main disease that can infect the plant, otherwise, this plant is disease resistant. Overwatering causes root infection which is deadly for plants like Pilea Involucrata.
For proper Pilea Involucrata care, follows the correct watering technique. Avoid the use of hard water and tap water.
Give soft water that is suitable for human drinking.
In case your plant is infected by root rot. Then, take it out of the pot, cut the infected roots, and place it back on the same pot but in new soil. Because the old soil may contain fungus bacteria. These bacteria can again infect the roots.
Pilea Involucrata curling leaves
There are 2 most common causes of curling leaves in moon valley pilea.
- Overwatering
- Pest infestation
Overwatering
Curling leaves is the first sign of root rot in short plants. You will see black mushy roots with an unpleasant smell.
To correct this condition, repot the plant in a new pot with new soil.
Or
You can repot it in the same pot but you have to use fresh soil. Do not water the plant for few days. Once you see the healthy signs then start watering it and follow the above-mentioned watering technique.
Pest infestation
When pests suck the sap of the plant the leaves become dry and they also lose their moisture. This curls the edges of the leaves.
If the edges are curled then pest infestation is the real problem.
Pilea Involucrata care and brown leaves
Sometimes you give proper care to your plants but they still show brown leaves or brown leaf tips.
There are 3 possible reasons for underwatering, low humidity, and extra bright light.
In case of low humidity and underwatering, plant leaves lose their moisture and become dry. This turns them brown and crispy.
Old leaves turn yellow and brown and they are mostly found at the base of the plant.
Increasing the water application or increasing the room humidity and misting water on plant leaves will get solve the problem in a few days.
In case of bright light, change the place of your plant pot and put it in a less bright place. Your friendship plant will start healing itself.
This is all about the moon valley friendship plant care and propagation. For more questions write us. We will reply ASAP.
