Question
I bought a pilea from Home Depot. I don't know the exact species name, but I threw it away because it looked so unattractive after having it for little over a month. The leaves were drooping and the plant in general did not look strong. I replaced that pilea with another and it seems to be doing the same thing and I don't know why. I have it in a corner that faces a western window and near it is a diffenbachia, a pteris fern and a syngonium all of which are thriving. During the day the light is medium, meaning when I put my hand about a foot from the wall the shadow is fuzzy. In the evening, however, the light increases due to the fact that the window faces the west, and direct sun does come to that corner at around 5:30 moves slowly away from the corner within an 1/2 hr. I know that pilea tolerate low light and do well in bright indirect light, but I'm concerned that the direct sun in the evening may be a bit much. The plant, however, has shown no signs of scorching. So then I think it might be my watering technique. Generally speaking, I allow a little less than an inch of the soil to dry before I water. I don't know whether I'm watering it too much or too little. But the leaves are droopy and the new leaves are not growing out at all. I know that in general pilea are easy enough to grow and this is probably is a simple matter, but what would be some tips to get it thriving like the rest of my plants?

Answer
Hi Jamin,

I like the way you think about your plants! Yes, the light should be fine. And, yes, watering is the likely problem.

There are many different types of Pilea and some need to dry out more than others, so I cannot really tell you just how much to let your Pilea soil to dry out. If you email a photo to my address below, I can probably ID your Pilea for you.

If you did not repot your Pilea and it is in a pot under 8 inches in diameter, then it probably needs water after the first half-inch dries out. Try keeping it a bit more moist and see if it perks up. If you repotted, then that could be the cause of the problem, depending on the soil used and the  pot size used.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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