Best Fertilizer for Money Plants: A Direct Answer
What money plants actually want, the right NPK, liquid vs sticks vs granular, honest take on banana peel water. With a copy-paste feeding schedule.
Money plants are the most forgiving houseplant most of us own. They survive low light, irregular watering, the wrong pot, neglect that would kill most plants. But once a money plant slows down (the new leaves come out small, the vine stops extending, the older leaves yellow), nine times out of ten the answer is feeding.
This is what we have learned about feeding money plants, after four years of getting WhatsApp photos from customers and twelve years of growing them ourselves.
What Money Plants Actually Want
Money plant is Epipremnum aureum, a vining tropical from the Solomon Islands. In its native forest it climbs trees, feeding on whatever leaf litter and rainwater runs down the bark. That tells you what it wants in a pot:
- Steady, low-dose nutrition. Not a big feast once a month.
- Slightly more nitrogen than phosphorus or potassium, because it is grown for leaves.
- Trace minerals, especially magnesium and iron, both of which yellow the leaves when missing.
Translation for the home grower: any balanced fertilizer works, but slow-release is better than dosing, and the cheaper the better as long as it has the trace elements.
Liquid vs Sticks vs Granular
Three formats dominate the home gardener market. Each has a place.
| Format | How it works | Best for | Downside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid (NPK) | Dissolve in water, pour every 2 weeks | Rapid greening, recovery from yellow leaves | Easy to overdo, washes out fast |
| Sticks | Push 2-4 sticks into soil, release over 60-90 days | Set-and-forget feeding, ideal for vacation | Slower visible response |
| Granular | Sprinkle on top, mix in lightly | Larger pots, outdoor money plants | Salty if overdone, can burn roots |
NPK Ratio for Vining Plants
On the back of every fertilizer pack you will see three numbers like 10-10-10 or 19-19-19. Those are the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. For money plants, you want the first number (N) equal to or slightly higher than the other two.
A 20-10-10 is ideal. A balanced 19-19-19 is also fine. Anything where N is much lower than P or K (like a 5-15-5 "flowering" formula) is wrong, money plants do not flower indoors so the extra phosphorus goes to waste.
How Often to Feed
Twice a month with liquid in the growing season (March to October). Once a month in winter. Skip entirely if the plant is in deep shade or if the pot is in active recovery from root rot.
With our fertilizer sticks the rhythm is simpler. Push two sticks into a 6-inch pot, three in an 8-inch, four in a 10-inch, and replace every 60 days. No measuring, no spillage.
Yellow Leaves: Wrong Feeding or Something Else?
Yellow leaves on a money plant are not always a feeding problem. Before you reach for fertilizer, rule out three things:
- Overwatering. Push your finger 2 cm into the soil. If it comes out wet, do not water and do not feed. Drain.
- Old leaves. The oldest leaf at the base of the vine yellows naturally before it drops. If only one or two old leaves are yellow and the new growth is fine, this is normal.
- Cold draft. AC blast or winter window-side cold turns money plant leaves yellow too. Move the plant.
If none of those, then it is nutrition. Yellow with green veins specifically means iron or magnesium deficiency. Yellow all over usually means nitrogen.
Our Recommendation
For most home growers we suggest the sticks. Reasons:
- You cannot accidentally overdose. The release rate is controlled by the soil moisture.
- No measuring spoons, no spilled liquid on the floor, no smell.
- One pack lasts a single pot for almost six months.
- The NPK on our sticks is 14-7-7 with trace minerals, which is the right tilt for leafy plants.
They are ₹240 for a pack of 30 sticks, which works out to about ₹8 a month for a medium money plant. Less than a cup of tea.
The Cheap Kitchen Alternatives, Honestly Compared
We are asked about this often, so here is an honest take.
Banana peel water
Genuinely works for potassium. Soak one chopped peel in 500 ml of water for 48 hours, dilute 1:5 with plain water, pour. Good for once-monthly potassium top-up. Will NOT fix a nitrogen deficiency.
Used tea leaves
Mildly acidic, mostly nitrogen. Sprinkle a tablespoon on the soil surface monthly and water in. Helps. Will not solve a serious deficiency. Do not use more than a tablespoon a month per pot, the tannins build up.
Rice water (the milky water from washing rice)
Has a small amount of starch and B vitamins. Use once a month, undiluted. Helps slightly with general vigour. Not a real fertilizer substitute, but free, so worth doing alongside.
Coffee grounds
Skip this for money plants. Coffee is too acidic for them and the grounds compact the soil. Better for citrus or roses.
Eggshells
Calcium, technically. But the shells take 6 to 12 months to break down enough for roots to use, so the effect is invisible in the short term. Crush very fine and mix into the soil at repotting time only.
Feeding Schedule (Copy This)
For a money plant in average indoor light, in a 6 to 8 inch pot:
| Month | Action |
|---|---|
| March | Push 2 fertilizer sticks. Resume normal watering after winter. |
| April | Banana peel water once. |
| May | Skip feeding if it crosses 40°C. Sticks already in soil are enough. |
| June-September | Replace sticks at week 8. Banana peel water once a month. |
| October-November | Final stick replacement before winter. Reduce watering. |
| December-February | No feeding. Plant is dormant. Water once every 10 days. |
Frequently Asked
Can I use the same fertilizer for money plant in water (hydroponic)?
Yes but at quarter strength. Money plants grown in water need very dilute liquid feed, about 1 ml of any 19-19-19 liquid per litre, once every three weeks. Change the water entirely every two weeks regardless.
My money plant has gone yellow even with feeding. What do I do?
Stop feeding. Check the drainage (a chopstick poked into the soil should come out moist, not soggy). If the soil is waterlogged, repot into fresh mix. Wait two weeks before resuming any feeding. Most yellow money plants recover.
Does the variegation in marble queen need different feeding?
No. Same NPK, same schedule. If the variegation is fading and the leaves are going all green, the plant needs MORE light, not different food. Move it closer to a bright window.
Can I use fertilizer sticks in a money plant grown in water?
No. The sticks are designed to release into soil moisture. In a glass of water they over-release and burn the roots. Stick to dilute liquid for water-grown plants.
Read Next
Yellow leaves keep coming back? Read the yellow leaves diagnostic guide. General money plant care from cuttings to mature vines is in our full money plant guide.