Soil & potting mix
Best soil for Friendship Plant (Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley')
Also called Moon Valley pilea.
More about friendship plant
About Friendship Plant
Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley' · also called Moon Valley pilea · houseplant
The friendship plant, Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley', has deeply quilted, bronze-green leaves with a sunken vein network and reddish undersides. A compact, easy-going tropical from Central and South America, it likes warmth, steady moisture and humidity. Its name comes from how readily it propagates to share with friends. It is ASPCA pet-safe.
Preferred mix: Light, well-draining, peat- or coir-based mix
Watch for — Legginess with age: Lower stems go bare over time; pinch back regularly and take cuttings to refresh the plant and keep it compact and bushy.
Why friendship plant needs this mix
Friendship Plant is an easy-going houseplant — it just wants a free-draining general mix that holds some moisture but never stays soggy.
- Friendship Plant is adaptable, but like most houseplants it still needs air at the roots — a mix that drains freely while holding a working moisture reserve.
- A little perlite or bark stops ordinary compost compacting into an airless block over time, which is the slow, common cause of decline.
- It is not fussy about pH or special ingredients; getting the air-to-moisture balance right is what matters.
For the full picture on what makes up a good mix, see our guide to the main types of soil and potting media — it explains why each ingredient above behaves the way it does.
What goes wrong with the wrong mix
The wrong soil is one of the most common reasons friendship plant struggles, and the damage often shows up weeks later as a watering problem. For this species specifically:
- Plain garden soil or a cheap, claggy compost compacts in the pot and slowly suffocates friendship plant's roots.
- A pure peat mix that dries to a hard, water-repelling block is hard to re-wet and stresses the plant.
- No drainage hole turns even a good mix into a stagnant, root-rotting sump.
Reusing tired, compacted old compost or skipping the perlite. A free-draining mix in a pot with a hole solves most "why is it struggling" cases for friendship plant.
pH — does it matter for friendship plant?
Friendship Plant is not fussy about pH — a slightly acidic to neutral mix (around pH 6.0-7.0), which a standard peat-free compost provides, is perfectly fine. No testing needed.
If you want to check or adjust it, the soil pH guide walks through testing and the safe ways to nudge a mix more acidic or more alkaline.
DIY mix vs a bagged one
A decent bagged houseplant compost works for friendship plant as long as you mix in perlite for air. The simple DIY ratio above is cheap and more reliable than a budget bag alone.
Drainage and the pot
A pot with a drainage hole and a saucer you empty after watering is all friendship plant needs — the free-draining mix does the rest.
Refresh friendship plant's mix every 18-24 months; even good compost slumps and compacts, and fresh, airy mix is often the simplest fix for a tired plant. When the time comes, our repotting guide for friendship plant covers the timing and technique step by step.
Friendship Plant soil — frequently asked questions
What is the best soil mix for friendship plant?
3 parts peat-free houseplant compost : 1 part perlite : 1 part orchid bark or coco chips (optional). Friendship Plant is adaptable, but like most houseplants it still needs air at the roots — a mix that drains freely while holding a working moisture reserve.
Can I use normal potting soil for friendship plant?
Plain garden soil or a cheap, claggy compost compacts in the pot and slowly suffocates friendship plant's roots. A decent bagged houseplant compost works for friendship plant as long as you mix in perlite for air. The simple DIY ratio above is cheap and more reliable than a budget bag alone.
Does friendship plant need a special pH?
Friendship Plant is not fussy about pH — a slightly acidic to neutral mix (around pH 6.0-7.0), which a standard peat-free compost provides, is perfectly fine. No testing needed.
Should I buy a bagged mix or make my own for friendship plant?
A decent bagged houseplant compost works for friendship plant as long as you mix in perlite for air. The simple DIY ratio above is cheap and more reliable than a budget bag alone.
How often should I refresh the soil for friendship plant?
Refresh friendship plant's mix every 18-24 months; even good compost slumps and compacts, and fresh, airy mix is often the simplest fix for a tired plant. A pot with a drainage hole and a saucer you empty after watering is all friendship plant needs — the free-draining mix does the rest.
Keep reading
- Friendship Plant care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water friendship plant — the schedule the mix feeds into
- Repotting friendship plant — when and how to refresh the mix
- Soil pH guide — test it and adjust it safely
- Should I water my plant? The simple check first
- Overwatered plant — signs and recovery
- Root rot — how the wrong soil starts it, and how to save the plant
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- All 1284 soil and potting-mix guides in the Growli library