How To Make Money Plant Grow Healthy – Your Ultimate Guide For Lush,

ByRimon Chowdhury Updated on

Have you ever looked at your Money Plant, with its beautiful heart-shaped leaves, and wondered why it’s not as lush and vibrant as the ones you see cascading from shelves online? Maybe its leaves are a bit yellow, or it just seems stuck, not growing an inch.

Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. As a fellow gardener who has nurtured countless Money Plants (Epipremnum aureum) from single-leaf cuttings to sprawling green beauties, I’m going to share all my tried-and-tested secrets to help your plant not just survive, but truly thrive.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know. We’ll cover the perfect lighting, a foolproof watering schedule, the secrets of soil, easy propagation, and how to troubleshoot any issues that pop up. By the end, you’ll have the complete roadmap on how to make money plant grow healthy and full of life.

The Foundation: Getting the Core Care Right

Before we get into the fancy tips, we need to build a strong foundation. Think of these three elements—light, water, and soil—as the pillars of your plant’s health. Getting them right is 90% of the battle, and luckily, the Money Plant is very forgiving!

The Perfect Spot: Decoding Light Requirements

Money Plants are famous for their adaptability, but their ideal spot is in a room with plenty of bright, indirect light. Imagine the dappled sunlight filtering through a tree canopy—that’s what you’re aiming for. A spot near an east-facing window is perfect, or a few feet back from a south or west-facing window.

Too much direct sunlight will scorch their lovely leaves, leaving brown, crispy patches. On the other hand, while they can tolerate low light, they won’t grow much. You might also notice that variegated varieties (like Marble Queen or Golden Pothos) lose their beautiful patterns and revert to solid green in low light as the plant tries to maximize chlorophyll production.

The Art of Watering: Less is Always More

If there’s one mistake beginner gardeners make, it’s overwatering. Money Plants would much rather be a little too dry than soaking wet. The number one cause of an unhappy Money Plant is root rot from soggy soil.

The best strategy is the “soak and dry” method. Here’s how it works:

  1. Check the soil. Stick your finger about two inches deep into the pot. If the soil feels dry, it’s time to water. If you feel any moisture, wait a few more days.
  2. When it’s time, water thoroughly. Take the plant to a sink and give it a good drink until water runs freely from the drainage holes at the bottom.
  3. Let it drain completely. Don’t ever let your plant sit in a saucer full of water. This is a fast track to root rot.

Pro Tip: If your tap water is heavily treated, let it sit out overnight before watering. This allows some of the chlorine to evaporate, which can be gentler on your plant’s roots.

The Right Home: Choosing the Best Pot and Soil Mix

Your plant’s home is just as important as the light and water it receives. First, ensure your pot has at least one drainage hole. This is non-negotiable! Without it, water has nowhere to go, and the roots will drown.

As for the soil, Money Plants need a mix that is light, airy, and well-draining. A standard, high-quality indoor potting mix is a good start, but I like to create my own super-charged blend for optimal health. It’s a key part of this how to make money plant grow healthy care guide.

My Go-To DIY Money Plant Soil Mix:

  • 2 parts standard potting mix
  • 1 part perlite (for aeration)
  • 1 part orchid bark or coco coir (for chunky texture and moisture retention)

This mix provides the perfect balance, allowing roots to breathe while holding just enough moisture.

How to Make Money Plant Grow Healthy: Advanced Care and Best Practices

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can move on to the next level of care. These are the best practices that will take your Money Plant from healthy to absolutely spectacular, encouraging those long, lush vines we all dream of.

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Feeding Your Money Plant for Vigorous Growth

Think of fertilizer as a vitamin supplement for your plant. During the growing season (spring and summer), your Money Plant will appreciate a little boost. Feed it with a balanced, all-purpose liquid fertilizer once a month.

The most important rule? Always dilute it! I recommend using it at half the strength suggested on the bottle to avoid fertilizer burn. In the fall and winter, when growth naturally slows down, you can stop fertilizing altogether.

For a more sustainable approach, you can use compost tea or a worm casting top-dressing every few months. This is a great eco-friendly how to make money plant grow healthy tip that enriches the soil naturally.

The Magic of Pruning: Encouraging a Fuller, Bushier Plant

Is your Money Plant looking a little… leggy? Long vines with sparse leaves are a sign that it’s time for a trim! Pruning is not about hurting your plant; it’s about encouraging it to grow fuller and bushier.

Simply use a clean pair of scissors or pruners to snip off any long, trailing stems. Make your cut just after a leaf node (the little bump on the stem where a leaf grows). This will encourage the plant to send out new shoots from that node, creating a much denser appearance. And the best part? You can use the cuttings to make new plants!

Humidity and Temperature: Creating a Happy Environment

Money Plants are native to tropical forests, so they appreciate warmth and humidity. They are happiest in temperatures between 65-85°F (18-29°C) and will be fine in average household humidity.

However, if you live in a very dry climate or notice brown, crispy leaf tips, a little extra humidity will go a long way. You can easily boost it by:

  • Misting the leaves with a spray bottle every few days.
  • Placing the pot on a tray filled with pebbles and water.
  • Grouping it with other plants (they release moisture through transpiration).
  • Using a small humidifier nearby.

More Plants, More Luck! The Simple Joy of Propagation

One of the most rewarding aspects of owning a Money Plant is how incredibly easy it is to propagate. It’s a fantastic way to create new plants for yourself or to share with friends. This is one of the top benefits of how to make money plant grow healthy—you get an endless supply!

Propagating in Water: The Classic Method

This is the most common and visually satisfying method. It’s a joy to watch the roots grow!

  1. Take a cutting: Using your clean scissors, snip a piece of vine that has at least 3-4 leaves and, most importantly, a few nodes.
  2. Place in water: Remove the bottom-most leaf and place the cutting in a jar of water, making sure at least one node is submerged.
  3. Wait and watch: Place the jar in bright, indirect light and change the water every few days. In a week or two, you’ll see tiny white roots start to sprout from the nodes.
  4. Plant it: Once the roots are about an inch long, you can plant your new baby Money Plant in soil!

Propagating Directly in Soil

You can also skip the water step and plant your cuttings directly into soil. The key here is to keep the soil consistently moist (but not soggy) while the roots establish. You can even dip the end of the cutting in a rooting hormone to speed up the process.

Troubleshooting: Common Problems with How to Make Money Plant Grow Healthy

Even with the best care, you might run into an issue or two. Don’t panic! Here’s a quick guide to diagnosing and fixing the most common problems with how to make money plant grow healthy.

Why Are My Money Plant’s Leaves Turning Yellow?

This is the most frequent question I get. Yellow leaves can mean a few things, but the most common culprit is overwatering. If the soil is constantly damp and the yellow leaves are soft or mushy, you’re giving it too much love. Let the soil dry out completely before watering again.

Other causes can include underwatering (leaves will be yellow and crispy), nutrient deficiency (if you haven’t fertilized in a long time), or simply old age (it’s normal for the oldest leaves at the base of the vine to yellow and drop off occasionally).

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Dealing with Brown, Crispy Leaf Tips

Brown, crispy edges on the leaves almost always point to a lack of humidity. The air is likely too dry for your tropical friend. Try one of the humidity-boosting methods mentioned earlier, like misting or a pebble tray.

Leggy Growth and Small Leaves: What Does It Mean?

If your plant is producing long vines with lots of space between small leaves, it’s crying out for more light. The plant is literally “reaching” for a light source. Move it to a brighter location and prune it back to encourage fuller, healthier growth.

Pesky Pests: Identifying and Treating Common Intruders

Money Plants are quite pest-resistant, but they can occasionally attract mealybugs or spider mites. If you see tiny webs or small, white, cottony fluff on your plant, act quickly. Wipe them off with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, or spray the entire plant with a gentle, sustainable how to make money plant grow healthy solution like neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Frequently Asked Questions About Growing a Healthy Money Plant

Can a Money Plant grow in water forever?

Yes, it can! While it won’t grow as large or as vigorously as it would in soil, a Money Plant can happily live in a vase of water. Just be sure to change the water weekly to keep it fresh and add a very, very small drop of liquid fertilizer once a month to provide nutrients.

How often should I repot my Money Plant?

Money Plants don’t mind being a little root-bound, so you only need to repot them every 1-2 years, or when you see roots growing out of the drainage holes. Choose a new pot that is only 1-2 inches wider in diameter than the current one.

Is the Money Plant toxic to pets?

Yes, it is. The Money Plant (Pothos) contains calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause irritation and swelling of the mouth, drooling, and vomiting in cats and dogs if ingested. It’s best to keep it out of reach of curious pets.

How can I make my Money Plant’s leaves bigger?

Leaf size is directly related to light and maturity. To encourage larger leaves, provide your plant with plenty of bright, indirect light. More importantly, give it something to climb! In the wild, these plants are climbers, and when their aerial roots attach to a support like a moss pole, the plant will produce significantly larger, more mature leaves.

Your Journey to a Thriving Money Plant Starts Now

There you have it—everything you need to know from a seasoned gardener’s perspective. The secret on how to make money plant grow healthy isn’t about some magic trick; it’s about providing consistent, loving care and understanding what your plant needs.

Remember the fundamentals: bright indirect light, watering only when dry, and a well-draining home. From there, a little pruning and feeding will turn your humble houseplant into a stunning green feature in your home.

Don’t be afraid to experiment, and remember that every yellow leaf is a learning opportunity, not a failure. Go ahead, give your plant the love it deserves, and watch it transform your space with its vibrant, trailing beauty. Happy gardening!

Rimon Chowdhury
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