Aluminum Plant (Pilea Cadierei ): Plant Care and Growing Guide – House Plants Expert

The Aluminum plant is an easy-going house plant that is generally simple to please. So long as the Pilea cadierei plant gets the water and sunlight it wants it will continue to be a stunning addition to your indoor garden for years to come.

Featuring wide bushy leaves that are marked with silver patterns, this native to China and Vietnam does wonderfully as a house plant.

Pilea Aluminum Description

With the aluminum plants easy going nature and lack of any real growing problems, it will bush out from its container in leaves of silver and green for up to four years before it dies. The leaves are normally squat and broad, the body measuring up to 12 inches (30 cm) long and up to 8 inches (21 cm) wide.

The root system is extensive and will break containers if it needs more room. This root system must be observed on an annual basis in order to re-pot before pot breakage occurs.

How it looks: 

The individual leaves grow from the ground to their standard size, branching out in an umbrella fashion. These leaves are the plant’s beauty. The silver patterning on each leaf is unique, creating a beautiful tapestry of different shapes on the overall plant.

There are rare occasions when one of these plants will actually flower, but these flowers are small and plain looking. Stems should be trimmed back to half their length in the spring in order to encourage healthy, continued growth.

Flowering and pruning:

 This plant does not flower as a given rule. However, encouraging healthy leaf growth requires annual pruning to half of the stem’s normal length. This encourages the plant to continue producing leaves at a healthy rate, and prevents the plant from becoming too stringy looking.

In the event that your plant does flower, pinch the flowers off at the buds. They are a waste of energy for the plant.

Facts

Green and White Shiney Leaves

Aluminum Plant Care

Common Problems

• Bugs will occasionally eat the green parts of the leaves. Be alert for insects and remove them as needed.
• Blight (plant disease) can occasionally be set up in a plant. It will usually begin in one leaf, turning it brown and rotten. Remove this stem from the plant to prevent it from spreading to the entire plant.
• Leaves that have been exposed to too much direct sunlight will sunburn and turn yellow. Trim sunburned leaves off of the plant and move the plant to a shadier location immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are the leaves dropping on my Aluminium plant?

Believe it or not, this is perfectly normal. As your Aluminium plant grows and matures, it will drop some of its older leaves to make room for new ones. This is a natural process and suggests that you’re caring for your Aluminium plant in the right ways. You should only be worried if the appearance of its leaves begins to change. If they begin to brown, they may be getting too much sunlight, or if they’re yellowing you may be overwatering.

Is the Aluminium Plant safe for pets and children?

This plant is toxic for cats and dogs but should be fine around humans. If your pets are permitted to roam free, you may want to position this plant out of their reach.

How big will my Aluminium Plant grow?

This plant can reach up to 1-2 ft. This makes it a perfect decorative plant – it’s not going to take over your space and you can fit it pretty much anywhere!

Conclusion

The Aluminium plant is a fantastic example of a statement piece. It’s interesting, and unique leaves create a fantastic decorative look, and it’s relatively small, so it can brighten any area!

The Aluminium plant is seriously easy-going. Place it in a bright room to receive indirect sunlight throughout the day. Do not put this plant in direct sunlight if you want to preserve its lovely leaves – sunlight can burn the leaves and cause them to brown.

This plant doesn’t need a rigid watering schedule, but during the summer months, you should make sure that the top layer of soil is moist and during winter, you should let this layer dry out. The plant should never be sat in the water, which indicates that you’re watering it too much.

The Aluminium plant is not fussy about the humidity of its surroundings, despite its origins in hot North Africa. Room temperature will suit this plant and you shouldn’t have to intervene to adapt to the humidity. However, if your home is particularly dry during winter, feel free to mist the leaves with clean water.

Although this plant is easy to take care of day-to-day, you should keep an eye on its size and root density. Because the root system is large and complex on the Aluminium plant, the roots can break containers if it’s outgrowing their pot. You should monitor the plant’s root growth and density and repot it before this happens.

We have several articles about houseplants. You can check Spider Plant, Truncate Living Stone, Bird Of Paradise Plant, Flaming Katy, and Aloe Vera.

Elyssa Goins

Elyssa Goins is an experienced house plant hobbyist who maintains over a hundred plants. She is a gardener, beekeeper, and a proud mother of four.  She is a member of the American Horticultural Society, has a published study in the National Social Science Association, and loves to talk about her love of plants.  For the past twenty years, she’s been all about growing and caring for various fruits, veggies, herbs, livestock, kids, and houseplants. Managing a big garden to feed four growing kids and raising dairy goats has taught her so much about being an excellent plant parent and now is her time to share with you.