|
| Hello. I have a money tree in a pot about 5 inches in diameter. I actually received this plant from a friend of mine who knows next to nothing about gardening of any kind. She told me what was going on with her plant and I was fairly sure I could help, but now that I have the plant, I'm not so sure. It has just one "trunk" and its knotted, instead of several small ones braided. I know that the problem is the type of soil, the type of pot, and the amount of watering. The soil is moisture control, the pot has no drainage (just a catch rim at the bottom, no holes at all) and she watered it every day! There is no root rot, that I can tell, but the trunk is wrinkled and very soft. I'm not sure what else to say about the actual plant. I'm scared to replant it while its so sickly, I've just cut its watering down a bit (once a week) and making sure its got plenty of indirect sunlight. Its the middle of October right now, and the temperatures are around 80 on average so I'm not very optimistic that the little guy will make it through winter. At this point I suspect a fungus. Any tips on this, or should I break the bad news the my friend? Thanks in advance! |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by hopefulauthor z5IL (hopefulauthor@sbcglobal.net) on Sun, Oct 16, 11 at 5:30
| Justin, since the trunk is wrinkled.......... Not a good sign. If you fear repotting, 'I'd repot,' insert a stick/stake deep inside container. If the stick comes out moist, the soil is still wet. Don't water. Wait a few days and retest. I don't care for self-watering pots, but some people swear by them. Can you place the plant outside? Since it's so warm, the soil will dry faster. If it was my Pachira, I'd carefully remove 'and toss' its current pot, add fresh, well-draining soil, pot up, then place in bright light. But it's up to you, of course. Good luck, Justin...Toni |
|
- Posted by greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a (My Page) on Sun, Oct 16, 11 at 13:32
| Yep, sounds rotten. Soft trunk is pretty much the nail in the coffin. I've never seen a soft Pachira trunk recover.
Josh |
|
| @Toni- the pot is possibly glazed ceramic with basically no drainage at all. Since my friend knows next to nothing about taking care of plants, I would guess that she watered the soil only. @Josh- yes, my fears were confirmed today. I got the soil to mostly dry and now its leaning from side to side- almost no roots to speak of. :( Thanks guys for your thoughts, I guess I will tell my friend to start mourning! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the House Plants Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.