You could do both and have three if you'd like. :)

Yes, you could cut at both locations.
Personally, I'd prune it down to about 1-inch above the bow. Then I'd propagate the top piece at cut 2. I would snip the two leaves above cut 2, then pot.

Josh

Hey Josh...

Weren't you the one with the money tree leaf propagation demo?

Maybe those leaves instead of being snipped...oughta be snapped off by hand with the "heel" intact? :)

Yes, that is a possibility, as well.
Oh, and yes, I've got a couple Pachira threads floating around here, and I enjoy helping other folks salvage their plants. The reason I didn't mention leaf-propagation is because I can't see how developed those top leaves are. If they are mature, and healthy, there's a good chance they can be rooted.

The leaf-stem, or petiole, must be snapped off intact, just as you mentioned. A dusting of rooting hormone will help, then just plug it into some damp mix and wait, wait, wait.

Josh

Hrm, thanks for the replies :).

Is the bow the wooden part of the plant?

Here's another side view picture of the plant:
{{gwi:92563}}

So you would recommend cutting #4 and #5. They look pretty mature, so I might even be able to just put them in potting soil with some rooting hormones :)? The leaves just below cut #2 looks pretty bad as part of it turned brown and a couple leaves have already fallen off.

My first picture doesn't show it, but #3 is also fairly large. Was the earlier point to just remove some leaves or remove all large leaves?

How would the original plant grow again once the top of it has been cut off? I've never really seen any growth from it except it going upwards.

The 'bow' is the actual bow that you've used to tie your trunk to the bamboo.

Leaves #3 and #4 should be left on the top-cutting for photosynthesis.

If you want to give propagation a go, I would pluck off all the other leaves and attempt to root them. The more leaves you try, the better your odds at getting one of them to grow roots.

When the top of the plant is removed, new growth will appear from a node (where a leaf used to be), and this will become the new trunk from which more leaves will grow.


Josh

Would even the smaller leaves near the bottom have a chance of rooting?

Here's the result of my cuts. I decided to leave the smaller leaves on the original since they seemed kind of small and not as healthy as the newest growth ones.

{{gwi:92565}}

Thanks for all the input, I'm hoping I'll soon have 3 pachiras!

Cool! good luck!
please report back if it works...oh, and don't be tempted to re-pot too soon. Let the leaf develop a lot of roots before moving it. It's best to work on these plants at this time of year, rather than Winter.

Josh