Does Money Plant Really Bring Good Luck? The Truth

Where Does the "Money Plant Brings Luck" Belief Come From?

The belief that money plant brings good fortune is not one tradition but several, arising independently in different cultures and converging on the same conclusion — that this particular plant is auspicious.

Indian folk tradition and vastu shastra

In India, the association of Epipremnum aureum (pothos) with money and prosperity is deeply embedded in everyday culture. The plant is called "money plant" because keeping it in the home is believed to attract financial abundance. In vastu shastra — the ancient Indian system of spatial design and energy alignment — money plant is specifically recommended in certain directions (east and north) to activate positive energy and attract wealth.

The vastu rationale connects money plant's vigorous, trailing, always-growing nature with continuous prosperity — a plant that never stops growing symbolises wealth that never stops flowing. The heart-shaped leaves are associated with affection and good relationships, and the bright green colour is associated with vitality and life force (prana). According to vastu, a money plant kept correctly placed and well-cared-for actively contributes to the household's positive energy field.

The belief is so deeply established in Indian culture that money plant is one of the most common housewarming gifts, often given as rooted cuttings in small bottles — the idea being that as the gifted cutting grows and thrives in the new home, the household's prosperity grows with it.

Chinese feng shui tradition

In Chinese feng shui, money plant (primarily associated with Crassula ovata, the jade plant, but also with Epipremnum aureum) is placed in the wealth corner of the home — the southeast area in the BTB feng shui bagua — to activate prosperity energy. The rounded, coin-like leaves are directly symbolic of coins and wealth in Chinese tradition. A thriving money plant in the wealth corner is considered an active energetic affirmation of financial abundance.

Feng shui also connects the plant's wood element energy with growth and expansion — both of which are associated with increasing wealth. The vigorous trailing growth of pothos specifically symbolises money flowing continuously into the home. For detailed feng shui placement guidance, see our article on money plant feng shui placement.

South and Southeast Asian folk beliefs

Similar beliefs about money plant and prosperity exist across Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka — all countries where the plant thrives in the climate and where it is culturally associated with good fortune. The specific symbolic rationale varies — in some traditions it is the leaf shape, in others the continuous growth, in others the fact that the plant multiplies easily from cuttings (symbolising wealth that compounds and multiplies).

The convergence of similar beliefs across independent cultural traditions is notable — it suggests that money plant's characteristics (vigorous growth, resilience, easy propagation) genuinely evoke prosperity symbolism in multiple cultural frameworks, rather than being an arbitrary assignment.

What Does Science Actually Say?

There is no scientific study that has demonstrated a direct causal link between keeping money plant in a home and improved financial outcomes. This is unsurprising — the claims are spiritual and cultural rather than mechanistic, and "luck" is not a variable that science is designed to measure.

What science does clearly show is that living plants in indoor environments produce measurable psychological and physiological benefits in the people who live with them. These benefits are well-documented across decades of research in environmental psychology, occupational health, and biophilic design.

Reduced stress and anxiety

Multiple controlled studies have shown that people in rooms with plants have lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels, lower blood pressure, and lower self-reported anxiety than people in identical rooms without plants. This stress reduction is measurable within minutes of exposure to indoor greenery. Plants like money plant, with their lush, rapidly growing foliage, are particularly effective at inducing the "stress recovery" response — the brain's automatic shift from sympathetic (stress) activation to parasympathetic (rest and recovery) activation when encountering natural elements.

Improved mood and positive emotions

Research consistently shows that people in plant-containing environments report better mood, more positive emotions, and greater life satisfaction than those in plant-free environments. Caring for a living plant — watching it grow, respond to care, and thrive — produces ongoing small positive emotional experiences (what researchers call "micro-restorations") that contribute to cumulative wellbeing over time.

Improved productivity and cognitive performance

Multiple studies in offices and schools have found that plant-containing environments produce higher productivity, better concentration, improved creativity, and lower rates of sick leave. A person who is less stressed, in better mood, and more cognitively functional is better positioned to make good decisions — including financial decisions. In this indirect sense, money plant genuinely creates conditions conducive to better outcomes, including financial ones.

The placebo and intention effect

Research in psychology has established that beliefs and intentions have real effects on behaviour and outcomes — not through magic, but through the mechanisms of attention, motivation, and action. A person who genuinely believes their money plant is supporting their prosperity may unconsciously work harder, be more attentive to opportunities, and maintain a more optimistic and resilient financial mindset. This is not superstition — it is the psychology of positive intention and the power of environmental cues to influence behaviour. A money plant that you tend carefully, place with intention, and associate with prosperity ambitions becomes a daily physical reminder of your financial goals — and daily reminders of goals have been shown to meaningfully improve goal pursuit.

The Symbolism Behind the Belief

Understanding why money plant is specifically associated with luck and prosperity — rather than, say, a rubber plant or a fern — helps appreciate the cultural logic behind the belief.

Continuous, vigorous growth

Money plant never stops growing. In good conditions, it extends its vines by 15 to 25 cm per month during the growing season. It grows quickly, fills space rapidly, and does not go dormant. This continuous growth is directly symbolic of continuously growing wealth — prosperity that never stagnates or stops. In many prosperity traditions, the key quality sought is not merely having wealth but having wealth that grows. Money plant visually embodies this quality.

Resilience and survival

Money plant survives conditions that kill other plants — neglect, low light, irregular watering. Its resilience symbolises the quality of financial resilience — the ability to survive difficult periods and recover. A money plant that survives a hot summer or a period of neglect and bounces back with new growth is a powerful symbol of financial recovery and endurance.

Propagation and multiplication

A single money plant cutting placed in water roots within a week and becomes a new plant. From one plant, you can create dozens. This multiplicative property directly symbolises wealth that compounds and multiplies — money that generates more money. The practice of gifting money plant cuttings from one's own healthy plant shares this prosperity symbolism, transferring not just the cutting but the "lucky" quality of a plant that has already demonstrated its ability to grow and thrive.

Upward climbing growth

Money plant naturally climbs — its aerial roots grip supports and the plant grows upward toward light. Trained on a trellis or moss pole, money plant visibly reaches upward. In vastu and feng shui, upward growth is specifically associated with ascending fortune. A money plant that grows up a support near the entrance of a home symbolises fortune that rises.

Practices That Maximise Luck (and Wellbeing)

Whether or not you hold the spiritual belief, the following practices create the most positive environment for whatever benefit money plant provides — both cultural and psychological:

Keep the plant thriving

A healthy, vigorously growing money plant is the foundation. A dying plant in the wealth corner is, in every tradition, worse than no plant at all — it represents declining rather than growing prosperity. Ensure your plant has the right light, correct watering, adequate nutrition, and is free of pests. See our complete care guide at index.html.

Place it correctly

East or north direction according to vastu; southeast corner (wealth area) according to feng shui. Both traditions agree that east is beneficial. For a simple rule that satisfies both: place your money plant in a east-facing position with good indirect light. See vastu placement and feng shui placement for detailed guidance.

Train vines upward

Both feng shui and vastu associate upward growth with ascending fortune. Train money plant up a trellis, moss pole, or along a high shelf rather than letting it droop downward. This also benefits the plant — climbing growth is more natural and produces larger, healthier leaves.

Keep leaves clean

Dusty leaves are considered negative from both feng shui (dull energy) and practical (reduced photosynthesis) perspectives. Wipe leaves gently with a damp cloth monthly to keep them clean, shiny, and vibrant.

Remove dead or yellowed leaves immediately

In both cultural traditions, dead plant material in the home carries negative energy. Practically, it also invites disease and pests. Remove any yellowed, damaged, or dead leaves as soon as you notice them.

Water with intention

In some traditions, watering your money plant while holding a clear intention for prosperity is considered an activating practice — a small daily ritual that connects the act of care with the symbolic purpose of the plant. Even from a purely psychological standpoint, this kind of intentional practice reinforces the connection between the plant and your financial goals in your own mind.

Propagate and share

Taking cuttings and propagating new plants — whether to expand your own collection or gift to others — is considered a positive and multiplying action in several traditions. Propagation demonstrates the plant's vitality and your active engagement with it.

Common Money Plant Luck Questions Answered

What happens if money plant dies?

In cultural belief, a dying money plant is considered a bad omen. In practice, a dying money plant is a plant that has received inadequate care — most commonly overwatering (root rot), insufficient light, or pest damage. The correct response is to diagnose the care problem, treat it if possible, or replace the plant with a new one and focus on better care going forward. Do not read supernatural meaning into plant death — focus instead on the care lesson it teaches.

Should I keep money plant in soil or water for better luck?

Both growing methods are considered auspicious in different contexts. Water-grown money plant in a clear glass bottle or vase is particularly associated with the flow of positive energy (water symbolises flowing chi and wealth) and is the classic presentation seen in many Indian homes. Soil-grown money plant produces a larger, more robust plant over time. From a pure wellbeing standpoint, a healthy plant in either medium provides the same benefits.

Can I buy my own money plant, or should it be gifted?

Some traditions hold that money plant should be received as a gift rather than purchased — the belief being that a gifted plant carries the prosperity of the giver into the recipient's home. In reality, a thriving plant bought for yourself and cared for with intention is just as beneficial as a gifted one. Buying your own money plant is perfectly appropriate.

How many money plants should I keep for maximum luck?

Vastu and feng shui do not typically specify a minimum or maximum number of money plants. A single healthy, well-placed plant is considered fully effective. More plants in more positive positions around the home provide more coverage but each plant needs adequate space, light, and care — a dozen neglected, struggling plants provide less benefit than two healthy, thriving ones.