Please post an image of the entire plant.

another view.

If I'm not mistaken, this is pretty normal for Pachira. It seems like they give most people a headache.

I'm guessing here, maybe too much water? I have one of these and I let it get pretty dry about an inch down in the soil before I drench it again.

If it were just spots on the leaves I would say sunburn but since the entire leaf is funky I'm going to go with watering issues. The tub looks pretty big.

Maybe someone else with more experience can help.

It's in a huge volume of potting mix, first of all.
I would downsize considerably - by at least half. Secondly, give it direct light...as much as possible this time of year. Continue to fertilize at 1/2 strength or 1/4 strength if you're worried about fertilizer burn. During the Winter, treat it more like a succulent, watering when dry, which may be every 5 - 10 days depending on weather, warmth, light, and vitality.

Josh

thank you all. very useful info...I shall proceed.

Roksee, I wouldn't advise re-potting into a new potting mix right now (wait until June for the fastest recovery), but I really do suggest that you downsize that pot as soon as possible.

Josh

Glad you added that Josh...I would have changed all. Now I will put it back in a smaller and keep the soil as is.
Any suggestions as to what fertilizer to use ?
Thanks very much

Glad you added that Josh...I would have changed all. Now I will put it back in a smaller pot and keep the soil as is.
Any suggestions as to what fertilizer to use ?
Thanks very much

Do you have a fertilizer already?
If not, what do you have available? Garden centers, nurseries, home depot?

Josh

I live in the SanFrancisco Bay area so I have access to anything you might recommend, I beleive.

Indeed! My personal fertilizer is Foliage Pro 9-3-6 by Dyna Gro, and it is available at most hydroponic shops (I know you have those in the Bay). If the shop carries other Dyna Gro products, they should be able to order Foliage Pro if they don't stock it. It runs about $20 for a quart, and you use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water for full-strength during the Summer. The beauty of Foliage Pro is that it contains all the macro and micro-nutrients, so you wouldn't have to supplement with Calcium or Magnesium. One stop fertilization.

Here's a pic of my Pachira.

Josh

Josh that plant is absolutely beautiful...and I clearly see that my pot size is WAY off. Do you notice the difference in the 'stem' of my plant as opposed to yours? Are there different varieties or something ? mine is crisscrossed.

Typically, they're sold braided - several trunks braided together while the stems are green and pliant. But I actually grew mine from a leaf, and so it has just a single trunk. They are the same variety.

Josh

Don't be upset that a Pachira Aquatica has been troublesome. They were very briefly fashionable in commercial interior landscaping (because they were cheap) until everyone realised how unreliable they were.

The joke at my place was that they were in fact an annual, because after a year they dropped dead.

They are a very reliable plant when grown halfway properly, StewartsJon.

These plants are a joy to grow.

Josh

Hi Josh.... here is a photo of my plant after I downsized the pot....so far so good.
Thanks for your help.
Lynne

how this happened?

Hey, Lynne!
Thanks for the follow up! I hope you had a merry Christmas. I'm glad to see the tree in the sunlight there...that'll really help it recover. When you downsized, did you get a chance to look at the roots? Were they in good condition, and was there a good root-mass? Healthy Pachira roots have an orange to tan to yellow and white sort of color.

Josh

Hi Josh.... well I don't really know what to look for but as I transplanted the roots looked healthy to me... and I'm getting lots of new leaves now ..the way it used to be. So I'm thinking all is well.
It feels good to save someone. :)
Lynne