The pancake plant is a popular houseplant with large dark green leaves that are reminiscent of pancakes in shape. Because the plant is easy to take cuttings and care for and because the plant looks very funny due to the shape of the leaves, the pancake plant is extremely popular. The plant is originally from China and belongs to the genus pilea. When the plant is in bloom, small white flowers appear.
Care of the pancake plant
In general, it is difficult to destroy the pancake plant. However, there are a number of points that are important for the pancake plant to grow well and keep it beautiful. It is quite normal for the plant to lose some leaves from time to time, so that does not mean that the plant is doing badly. If the rest of the leaves just stay nice and green, the plant is doing well.
Place
The pancake plant does not like the cold and can therefore not stand outside and should certainly not be in a draft. The leaves are best when there is enough light, but full sun is not good for the plant. In full sun, the leaves will wrinkle and the plant will turn yellow. The leaves will grow towards the light, so it is smart to turn the pot every now and then so that the plant does not grow crooked.
Water
The plant is very easy to water. The soil should not be wet, but also not dry. When the soil is dry, a little water can be given. No water for a few days is no problem for the plant. The pancake plant is more likely to suffer from soil that is too wet than soil that is too dry. Now and then it is good to let the soil dry completely first and then water again. In areas where there is a lot of lime in the tap water, the plant may get some white spots on the underside of the leaves. This is not harmful to the plant. A solution for the white spots is to give rainwater or ground water instead of tap water.
Support
Most pancake plants sold in garden centers still grow low to the ground. However, the plant can grow quite high and even grow a trunk. This is normal and it is also normal for the leaves to grow only at the top of the plant. If you do not support the plant, gravity will take place and the plant will grow in all directions. With the support of a stick, the plant will grow neatly straight up.
Cuttings of the pancake plant
The great thing about the pancake plant is that the plant grows its own cuttings. New small plants will grow naturally on the underside of the plant and out of the soil. These can remain in the pot to get a nice full plant. It is important here that the pot is not overfilled. The small plants also consume part of the nutrition of the mother plant. You can also put these small plants in a new pot to grow a new pancake plant. Move the plants when they are about four inches tall. Carefully remove the cuttings from the ground without damaging the roots and put the cuttings in a new pot. The cutting will continue to grow on its own. If the cutting is really on the mother plant itself, there will not be any roots on it. Place the cutting with the stem in water and wait until roots are visible. Place the cutting with roots in a pot with soil, covering the roots and part of the stem. The cutting will grow into a new plant.
