Pilea microphylla

Artillery Plant

The Artillery Plant is a short lived perennial that forms a canopy of tiny, bright green leaves on fleshy stems. The name Artillery Plant comes from the way that its seed pods forcibly eject their pollen or seeds when the frond is touched. Best in an east facing window for medium light intensity. For best results, keep humidity constantly high and temperatures in the range of 62 to 65 F at night and up to 85 F during the day.

plant Features

Partial shade
Occasional watering
Not Frost hardy
Light and free draining

plant information

Common name

Artillery Plant

Latin name

Pilea microphylla

type

Perennial

family

Urticaceae

ph

6.0 - 7.5 Acid - Neutral

Light

Partial shade
Frost

Not Frost hardy

Soil

Light and free draining
Water

Occasional watering

Plant & bloom calendar

Best time to plant

full grown dimensions

The size of a fully grown Artillery Plant is 0.25meters x 0.25meters

0.25 M 0.25 M

Pilea microphylla

Planting

From Early Spring TO Early Spring

If grown as houseplants, Pilea plants grow best in warm daytime temperatures of 75°-80° with 10 degrees cooler at night. Pileas need about 50% humidity in order to thrive, so they should be kept on a tray filled with moistened pebbles or misted regularly, or they can be grown in a terrarium. Pileas grow best in smaller, 4" pots or planters where their roots will be somewhat restricted.They should be planted in a peat moss based commercial potting mix with leaf mold and perlite added, or a mix specifically for African Violets.

Propagation by cuttings

From Early Spring TO Late Summer

Pileas are very easy to propagate with stem tip cuttings. Take tip cuttings in the spring. Strike 2 or 3 cuttings in a 3" pot filled with moistened potting mix. Place the pot in a propagating case or in a sealed plastic bag to hold in humidity. If kept at 75° your new plants will be rooted and growing in 3-5 weeks.

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