Gardens

Revealed: Martha Stewart's favorite house plant for filling your home with greenery

Investing in this one plant will bless your home with rich greenery for years to come

Chinese Money Plant - Martha Stewart's tips
(Image credit: Unsplash/Janine Meuche)

If you're looking for a simple, yet thoroughly rewarding activity to try this weekend, look no further than Martha Stewart's house plant tip.

The acclaimed writer and founder of Martha Stewart Living has revealed her secret to filling a home with an endless stream of greenery – it just takes one small investment. 

See: The top 10 house plants – that all interior design lovers should know about

In her magazine Martha Stewart, the businesswoman discussed the benefits of the Chinese Money Plant – a quick growing species that doubles in size every year. Before explaining the prosperous nature of the plant, Martha also emphasized the perks of one of her favorite activities – plant propagation. 

Martha Stewart’ house plants tip

(Image credit: Future)

Martha regularly generates new plants from her old or overgrown house plants – which fills her home with double the amount of greenery. 

You can, of course, use the propagated plants to fill all rooms of your home or share the new plants with others – meaning propagation is one of the most rewarding ways to spend your free time. 

See: These are the world's most Instagrammed house plants

Back to the Chinese Money Plant – this is one of Martha's favorite plants to propagate – she labels the Pilea Peperomioides a 'gift that keeps on giving.' It has even won a couple of spots on Martha Stewart's Instagram grid. 

Martha praised the plant for its continuous 'offspring', which she propagates, then gifts to her friends, once they are 'two to three inches high and have several leaves'.

Chinese Money Plant - Martha Stewart's tips

Photo by Xinyi Zhang on Unsplash

(Image credit: Unsplash/Xinyi Zhang)

Her five steps to repotting a Chinese Money Plant? 

1. Begin by removing the entire plant from its container, using, as Martha recommends, a sharp knife that will cut around the plantlet effortlessly. 

2. She then prepares the greenery for planting, urging us to maintain 'at least an inch of roots' on each pup while the 'mother plant' is placed back into its original pot.

3. Next, Martha arranges the separate small clay pots for planting by placing a 'pottery shard in the bottoms' which conceals the holes. She mixes a combination of well-draining potting soil and granulated organic fertilizer and fills each pot until they are approximately two-thirds full. This process is repeated for each plant you are propagating. 

See: Monty Don's house plant watering tips – and the mistake that is turning your house plants brown

Chinese Money Plant - Martha Stewart's tips

(Image credit: Unsplash/Janine Meuche)

4. The next step, which is perhaps the most important of all, involves placing each pup into its pot. Martha notes that it should be as deep as it was whilst growing on the mother plant. She then fills the container with soil and softly tamps it down to get rid of any air pockets.

See: Decorating with plants – Hilton Carter shares his top house plant styling tips

5. Finally, Martha advises keeping on top of watering and carefully consider the pot's placement – recommending a spot with 'bright, indirect light.' She also recommends cutting away any damaged leaves to ensure your Chinese Money Plant remains prosperous for many years to come.

Megan Slack
Head of Celebrity Style News

Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team. Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US while studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site. She currently lives in London with her antique typewriter and an expansive collection of houseplants.