If you find underwatering was the case...be careful not to overwater!

I've found the best way to water the braided Pachiras (assuming you're speaking of a Pachira?) is from the bottom, keeping water away from the base of the braided trunks....seems that getting water near those trunks usually results in their rotting.

Good luck...

Vera

There are, apparently two species of Pachira.
One of them, (P. aquatica) is native to a wetland area, and one of them (P. insignis) is native to dry sites, both *sunny*.

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to which one has become the popular 'money tree' that we're all familiar with. Apparently the only way to really know is if the tree flowers, and that's not likely with small specimens indoors, as they both grow anywhere from 15 to 90 ft.

Personally, I think the ones *I* have are P. insignis, as they prefer to be dry but in a bright position, and the trunks are very prone to rotting if not kept relatively dry. (This, too, is from my own experience with the plants.)

P. aquatica is native to *sunny* wetlands....none of us have full direct outdoor sun in our homes,(lol...at least I don't!) therefore we have to water them less.
Any plant grown in less than ideal light needs less water than it would in it's native habitat, outdoors.

I definitely agree that 1/2 c. water in a month is likely not enough,though, especially if in a bright position.

I've found that even though Pachiras are 'touted' as great low-light plants....they gradually deteriorate in low light. They really thrive in a brightly lit position, and they even do very well in some direct light indoors, as the light indoors is nowhere near as intense as it is outdoors, naturally.

The tree is in peat+vermiculite+perlite mix. NO soil. It is in a small pot, given the size of the tree itself.

Currently my tree is putting out new growth.
Hope this helps you.
Thanks
SRivida

thanks in advance for any advice

Will it grow normally now? Are there any special care instructions? Thank you!

This tree is approximately two and a half years old, and started out with braided trunks. However when the tree was approximately 9mos old, two of the three trunks dried out and died, leaving the one surviving trunk. Since then, the remaining trunk as begun to straighten up, and grow on its own.

This tree is in a 12" pot, which sits on the floor, under a fluorescent light, that is always on. The tree itself is about 6’ in height, and the diameter of the trunk, at the base, is approximately 1." The leaves on this tree are approximately 7 – 8" in length. I water this tree about every ten days, and I’m careful to keep the soil very slightly moist, but never wet or sopping. Also, I have never repotted this tree, but I have added additional soil to the pot a few times during the last two years.

I have two problems with this tree as follows:

1. The tree only develops leaves within two separate areas. One area is near the very top of the tree, while the other area is about half way up the trunk, and only on one side of the trunk. The rest of the tree is simply a bare trunk, (not very attractive). I’ve tried rotating the pot to see if a different light angle would help, but this did not seem to have any effect on where the leaves grow.

2. The other problem with this tree is, every few months, about one third of the leaves turn yellow, and fall off. They are not completely yellow, but retain some dark green veins here and there throughout the leaf. Also, they do not fall off all at the same time. The problem seems to occur first in one area of the tree, and then make its way to the next. This seems to last for about three weeks to a month before it runs it course. Also the remaining leaves do not turn yellow, but they tend to shrivel or curl slightly (not dry to the touch), and then eventually become firm again.
I guess another question is, should I trim the new growth at the top of the tree, to prevent it from becoming too tall and spindly?

Steven, whoa!! LOL..I've a question for you..u said the reamining leaves shrivel and curl, then firm up again..Is this correct? So, you're saying after the leafs do this, they then revert to their original state? If that's what you mean, it's beyond me..Never heard of a dying? leaf, (other than wilted due to lack of water) return to health.

Normally a leaf that yellows with green veins is an idication of a mineral definciency..Like Iron. A simple shot of Iron sulphate or Iron chelate does the trick.

I don't know if bottom leaves that drop ever return..Perhaps someone else can answer this question. I grow my Pachira as a sort of bonsai, in a tiny pot, and like yours, leaves grow from midway to upper top. So, this may be common, but again not sure.
I've never seen a 6' braided Money Tree, bet it's a beauty..Toni

This is Steven. For lack of a better description, I'd have to say that the leaves which do not fall off the tree, appear to develope a slight wave or curl along their length, and they look under-inflated. Almost as if they do not have enough internal presure.

Sorry, don't know much about plants so I must rely on other terminology to describe problem. Perhaps it is something simple, but I'm not painting a clear picture.

If possible, can I take a picture of the tree, and send you a jpeg?

Steven.

Thanks

Cmed..how's your b/f's Money TRee doing now? Has it improved? Sometimes they need acclimation, being in a new home.
What size pot is it in? You mentioned watering twice a wk..that may be too much..It really depends on 1. sun, 2. soil, 3. pot size. Did you or he repot after getting it home? if so, what size pot was it in, and in now? What material is pot? Clay, plastic?

Angel, I bet your Pachira is stunning..8'..I can't believe it's grown so much in a yr..Especially, considering it's basically a slow-growing plant. What type of fertilizer are you useing? Anything else? Toni

Should we be misting it or should we buy a certain type of fertalizer to put into the soil? Neither of us are really any experts on plants, so any advice would be great.

Thanks,
Christine

Josh

Also -- very basic question -- Could someone describe the proceedure for "watering from the bottom"? I've never done this before.

Finally, what are peoples' opinions on misting? Is it definitely something that should be done, or does anyone think that this is unnecessary?
Thanks so much,
A.

2). Bottom-watering *is not recommended* for most situations. It can be useful, for instance, if a peat-based potting soil has become too hard/dry to absorb water and you need to free the old soil before re-potting. You simply set the pot in a sink or container full of water until the water is wicked up through the bottom of the pot and the top of the soil becomes moist.

If your soil is draining properly, you really shouldn't need to bottom water.

3). Misting for Pachira? I don't think it's necessary.

If you do have a plant that likes or requires high humidity, you should set the pot on top of a tray of water and stones. The stones should hold the pot above the level of the water.

Josh

Al

During the summer, I leave my Money Tree on a southwest facing deck, shaded by maples. During the winter, I keep it in an east-south facing window...as close to the glass as possible. During the growing season, I water once every 3-5 days, depending upon conditions. During the winter, I water every 7-10 days. I water thoroughly, enough to flush the soil of salts (as Al mentions), then I drain the excess from the drip-tray - and I wait until the soil has become dry again.

My Money Tree, below, as of a couple days ago.
I grew this from a leaf that was knocked off of my brother's plant. I guess it's three or four years old now.

Josh

I got a money tree as a gift when I first moved into my new condo in CT. It was just turning to summer and all was fine. The tree looked fantastic. It had plenty of green leaves and looked very healthy. I misted it once a week, and watered teh plant once a month and all seemed good. The last 2 months, all of the green leaves have fallen off. Two new sets of leaves looked like they were growing and gonna be good, but now they are drooping and look like they are going to die too. And nothing new seems to be sprouting. What do you suggest to do?? The soil seems dry, but I obviously don't want to overwater it. Please help!

I have a Money Tree that is about 6 and a half feet tall.
It sits in an 8 inch diameter, 7 inch tall pot on the floor, and it is about 5 feet from my big office Window which faces East/Northeast.
I've had it under a grow light for about a year and a half with great results.
When I would water it about once a week and give it miracle grow about once a month it grew phenomenally 3 or 4 sprouts of leaves every 3 weeks. The leaves toward the middle of the base also were going strong while many new ones would start at the top.
At around September last year, I noticed the last sprout of leaves suspend their growth and sit there, with baby green leaves a half a centimeter long, still green and alive looking ready to grow, but not grow, now four months later.
In October, I was away for 2.5 weeks and relied on my assistant to water the plants once a week. All the other plants in the office are doing extremely well by the way. Just the money tree has problems now. When I came back mid October, I saw it had fallen over probably because the pot soil became so dry it couldn't stand up. I think my assistant watered once about a week and a half after I left. To prevent this from happening again, the original pot was about 6" x 6", and I repotted it (very delicately, didn't even touch the roots) into the current 8" pot. From this point forward, it has not grown leaves, although I noticed in the previous winter that it slowed down growing, so I was not as worried. Every 2-3 weeks several leaves would fall slightly dried and slightly yellow/brown at the edges. Now it is down to 3 leaves at the top, and that September sprout of baby leaves that never grew at the top, and I've noticed from Garden Web Clippings Forum how important it is not to over water and I saw that the soil has been too wet a couple of days after I watered. I felt the base of the trunk giong down to the roots and it does not feel soft at all. I wanted to dry it up and replace the soil with fresh potting soil to avoid potential rot, so I dug with my fingers around the base and down to the roots, removing all the wet soil without any harm to the roots. I left it out on it side, roots exposed for about an hour or so to evaporate the extra moisture and repotted it with fresh new potting soil. I did not add water yet because the new soil is pretty moist. I plan on adding a little water (like a cup) around the base in a couple of days.

Since you posted a comment to Madgey back in September that "there's always a chance for survival", and that situation sounded worse --with a soft trunk, and no leaves, I hope that my situation has a better outlook. I also took the last several leaves that just fell off (still mostly green) and put them in water on the window sill since I saw your comment on how you grew yours from s broken leaf. I put it back under the grow light that it used to like so much and I am not going to water till the soil feels dry again. And I plan not to allow any water to lay at the bottom or in the drip tray.
JD

My Pachira slowed growth for quite a while after I re-potted. They don't like their roots to be exposed. A lot of roots die in the open air, and your plant could be severely shocked. They seem to be resentful, sulky plants as it is.

Now, most importantly, What kind of potting soil did you use?

If it was bagged peat-based potting soil, it will probably stay too wet. Then, if you allow the soil to dry appropriately, it will be too hard to re-wet the next time you water.

So I'd do a second re-potting into a faster-draining medium composed of perlite, pumice, gravel, small bits of bark, and charcoal. Peat-moss soils hold too much water and will rot roots. With a fast-draining mix, you can water thoroughly and deeply without fear of root rot. This has the added benefit of flushing chemical salts that build-up in potting mixes.

Can you post a pic of the soil, by chance?

Josh

Secondly, the tree should be near a window, receiving light.

For more advice, post a picture of the tree, as well as the type of soil it is in.

Josh

If the trunk is still firm, there's still hope.

Josh

I'm no expert - I want that to be perfectly clear!
My basic knowledge of this plant comes only from having grown one.

That said, the growth-tip on your plant looks healthy; and, unless someone with better advice comes along, I'd say 'hang in there.' The plant has no leaves, so you SHOULD NOT be watering! Check the soil every 10 days - add just enough water to moisten the soil once it is dry. Do not keep the soil moist. Also, put the plant close to a window - although it has no leaves, the warmth will help the soil dry, and the light will hopefully cue the plant to regenerate.

However, there is the issue of the heighth of the plant, which must eventually be addressed. It seems to have grown rapidly, as you confirm, perhaps in search of light. So the question becomes: Do you want a plant this tall with sparse leaves?

If you prune this plant down to just above the brown woody trunk, it *might* resprout. You could attempt to grow a new plant from the pruned tip cutting, as well.

Before you do anything, though, research propagation technique for Pachira - Malabar Chestnut. I will do the same, and then I'll report back to you.

If you do prune your plant, you'll want to know the best time of year (which is exactly the piece of information that I'm lacking!).

Josh

I took it to work with me (can't have it at home cats will eat it) and I have it sitting right near a huge window. However, its very cold in our office usually and right now in the eastern part of the US its winter so its pretty cold at all times.

I noticed some little flea looking bugs on it a few weeks ago but I dont see any on it now. I'm trying hard to not overwater but i dont know if i have the right kind of planter for it.

Recently almost all of the leaves curled under and got crispy so i cut them all off.
Now all i have is just the one leaf with the one baby right next to it on one trunk. Everything else looks rather sorry.
Well here are some photos maybe they will explain better than me.

Any advice what I can do to help my plant?

Thank you

If you are worried about pests on your plant, perhaps you could mist/spray your plant with a mix of water and alcohol (50/50). Some folks even add a drop of non-scented, plain soap. After a few minutes, spray your plant with regular water (as a rinse). You can repeat this mild treatment every few weeks, until your pests disappear or your plant dies ;) Just kidding!

Josh

Thank you so much :)

If you want total saturation, you could immerse the whole thing in water, until air bubbles stop appearing from the potting medium. Then, lift the container out of the water so that it drains entirely. I don't usually recommend this method, but with your fast-draining medium it might be the ticket to get water to the roots.

Good luck!

Josh

Kelly

Just found this forum today because I'm trying to find an answer to the Money Tree I purchased for my Husband for Fathers Day.

I bought it at the local OSH store, it's about 3 1/2 feet tall and was lush with dark green leaves when I purchased it. We placed it in our den where there is alot of indirect sunlight. I first had it in the corner on top of his desk. The leaves are now a pale green and some have some spots chewed in the leaves but they are the older leaves of when I bought it. It has a ton of new growth, but not sure why the leaves have became so light.

I'm thinking I did over water. I water it every Monday in the sink so it can drain, but the mistake I think I've made is watering from the top, completely saturating the soil and let it drain for a few hours before placing it back in the den.

From reading all the above comments, I also made the mistake of pouring the water over the trunk base thinking like a normal tree would love it and absorb all the water through it's roots. Silly me, now the base of the trunk just above the soil appears to be "peeling" like after a bad sunburn. The stalks are still really firm, no mushy at all.

So it's been a month now and not sure if there is anything further I need to do or just let it dry out and not water once a week. I know now to let it soak up from the bottom. Is it ok to do this in the sink, and fill the sink about 2" and let the soil absorb from the bottom? And if so for how long?

It is still in the original pot I bought it in as you can see in the picture. I really wanted to purchase a large clay pot to have it as a nice display in our home being it's such a large tree, I thought it would look funny in a little pot! Guess I can't do that now :( but at any rate the pot it's currently in is 9" in diameter and 10" tall. There is only about 2" or less of exposed soil, how do I mist this without getting water on the trunk base?

I've also now moved it in front of the window which which faces east & gets morning sun but never gets direct sunlight shining in and then has good light all day.

With holes in the older leaves, do I have a bug? I don't see anything on the tree itself or the leaves munching, and no holes on any of the new growth.

In all the pics...the leaves are actually lighter in person. A pale greenish yellow, if that helps. Any help would be appreciated :)

[IMG]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/JDaglis/IMG_0031.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/JDaglis/IMG_0032.jpg[/IMG]

You know what's interesting: Relative to the Stock Market Conditions... The leaves fell off when the DOW went under 8000 for the first time in September-October, and when the DOW went back up over 8000 toward May my money tree started performing again!

Just One Concern. Do you think its sprouting new leaves too high at 3.2 feet?

Kind Regards

JD

Well, my own Pachira took a beating this summer.
It began leafing out on schedule, then in June we were hit by a powerful rainstorm that knocked branches out of the maples and down onto the Pachira. As a result, the leaves are battered and ugly. After that, I decided I'd pinch off the growth-tip, hoping that perhaps I'd get some branching (since I was too cowardly to chop the tree in half). A few weeks later, the growth-point re-emerged.

As Al mentioned, now is the time to fertilize. The healthier we can get our plants during summer, the better they'll handle the winter.

Thanks again, John.

Josh

I don't have any problems with my money tree just yet, as I have only had it for a couple of weeks and it seems to be doing good. When I bought it, there's a layer of pebbles over the soil, as well the pot that it is in does not have any holes for draining. I was just wondering if those things will cause a problem with it in the future, and what the best solution would be for it.

Thanks!

Update for more information when you're ready to re-pot. I'd recommend that you plan to re-pot this weekend, or sooner. Just so you know, this is what I'd consider an 'out of season' re-potting, since now is not the best time of year (in my experience) to fiddle with Pachira.

I find that the plant will sulk for months, and the first one or two leaves of the new growth will be a bit malformed. Then, by June, the Money Tree is back on track.

Josh

Gigi

Al

Help please!

Al