What to Do If the Trunk Top and Roots of a Money Tree Rot? Detailed Remedies

The biggest fear in growing a money tree is what problems might arise, because once a problem occurs, it affects not only the plant itself but also the entire home environment and the mood of everyone living in it. Therefore, when growing a money tree, you must monitor the growth condition of the money tree in a timely manner, and once any sign appears, it needs to be controlled and managed promptly.

What to Do If the Trunk Top of a Money Tree Rots

Root (stem) rot disease: This is a common disease that seriously harms money trees, also known as rot disease.

Prevention and control methods:

1. Keep the growing environment dry and pay attention to the disinfection of the growing medium and site;

2. After semi-finished products are taken out of the cabinet and unloaded to the operation shed, immediately spray the top of the money tree with procymidone to prevent the harm of gray mold fungus;

3. Before planting, use a sharp knife to cut off the bruised and rotted tissue at the top of the main root, then spray the wound with procymidone, let it dry, and then plant it;

4. One week after planting, when the medium in the pot gradually dries, healing tissue has formed, and new roots have begun to grow, spray the bare stem of the money tree with propamocarb, dimethomorph, or zinc manganese mancozeb (ridomil-manganese zinc), so that the medicinal liquid flows along the stem into the potting soil. After that, use fungicides such as dimethomorph, thiophanate-methyl, ridomil, or ethylicin in rotation once a week;

5. If Pythium is active, spray with propamocarb, thiophanate-methyl, ridomil, or ethylicin; the general efficacy lasts about two weeks. If the weather is still unfavorable, spray again with a different agent to prevent the development of resistance. If any rotting plant is found during this period, discard it immediately.

What to Do If the Roots of a Money Tree Rot

1. Root treatment

When the plant's leaves turn yellow and the bark becomes soft, prune the roots in time. Cut off the yellowed leaves, keeping only the bud eyes.

Take out the woody stem; do not treat the root system first, and clean off the soil at the bottom. Use scissors to prune the root system and cut off the rotted parts. If the rot is severe, cut off all the tangled root system directly. If the stem also begins to rot, remove the rotted parts until it is reduced to pieces. Place the treated root and stem into a thiophanate-methyl or potassium permanganate solution and soak for 24 hours; or spray the wound with procymidone. Then dry it in a cool, ventilated place and replant it.

2. Medication treatment

When root rot occurs and other Pythium fungi are active, spray with propamocarb, thiophanate-methyl, ridomil, or ethylicin; the general efficacy lasts about two weeks.

In addition, for insect pests of the money tree, non-fumigant nematicides such as ethoprophos, cadusafos, isazofos, and phorate can be used for insecticidal treatment.

What to Do If a Money Tree Grows Leggy

When a money tree becomes leggy, pruning is generally used to improve it. When pruning, you can prune the leggy branches of the money tree; generally most of them need to be cut off, keeping only a few bud eyes at the base, with the length basically maintained at about 10cm, and it is best to cut off all the upper branches. When pruning, note that all branches on the entire plant should be pruned, and it is best to cut off all the weaker-growing branches to reduce nutrient consumption.

After pruning the money tree, be careful not to water it first to avoid rotting, and then place the money tree in a semi-shaded place for care. Before it sprouts, you can use compound fertilizer, and it is best to spray some fungicide.

Habits of the Money Tree

The money tree is a perennial evergreen shrub that likes a warm, humid, sunny, or slightly shaded environment. The most suitable temperature for growth is 20°C to 30°C. In summer's high-temperature and high-humidity season, conditions are very favorable for the growth of the money tree, and it is also the fastest-growing period, so at this stage fertilizer and water management should be strengthened to make it grow robustly.

In winter, it must not go below 5°C, and it is best to maintain 18°C to 20°C. It fears cold and dampness; in a humid environment, the leaves are very prone to ulcer-like cold spots, which detracts from their ornamental value.

Potted money tree care is relatively simple. Generally use loose garden soil or peat soil, leaf mold, and coarse sand, plus a small amount of compound fertilizer or chicken manure as base fertilizer and culture soil.

Generally speaking, the problems often encountered in growing money trees may include trunk top rot, root rot, or even leggy growth and so on. In the face of these problems, we need to find the cause of the problem and then prescribe the right remedy, seeking the correct solution.