Pilea Peperomoides Drops Bottom Leaves, Tried Everything!

[Lauren87]

Hi everyone!
I have had a pilea peperomiodes for about two years and it is always dropping its bottom leaves pretty much at the rate it grows new ones. I topped it once, which went well but now about 6 months later I'm back with about 4 inches of bare stem. It never stops making new leaves, so that's a good sign. I have tried adjusting watering habits, I use distilled water, it is currently under a grow light bulb as it is December in New England. It seemed happy one time in its life, for a few weeks on the partially sunny porch in September, its leaves got thicker and the stems got shorter. Still dropping but at a slowed rate. I can almost always figure out how to make a plant happy but not this one!

 

[cpp gardener]

On the porch in September it got more light. That's the key.... more light.

 

[Marck]

Show us a picture of your grow-light set-up. Most plants need to be right under a grow-light for it to supply sufficient light. Also, why do you use distilled water?

 

[Lauren87]

Thanks! I had that suspicion. Both of these bulbs are for the plants, that's where the pilea has been living. They are on for 6-10 hours during normal daylight time.

 

[Marck]

I actually have a Pilea peperomioides in a north-facing window. It has not gotten as tall as yours and it keeps its lower leaves. This is likely because it is getting side light as opposed to just light from above. It looks like you may have run out of window space, but if you do have another window, even a north-facing one, you might move it there. I do think your Pilea peperomioides will persist until Spring in its current situation, though do what you can to put it closer to the light. At some point you should begin to get now offets coming up from the base, which you can use to replace the etiolated main stem. In Spring through early Fall you can also 'summer' it outdoors.