How Often Should You Water a Money Tree? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Watering Frequency
The money tree (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is a perennial evergreen foliage plant in the Araceae family, genus Zamioculcas. It is a fairly popular large indoor bonsai, especially when placed in a relatively spacious living room, study, or sitting room, where it lends an elegant, understated style with a touch of southern charm. During cultivation, special attention must be paid to the question of watering. Let us take a look below at how often the money tree should be watered!
How Often Should You Water a Money Tree
When cultivating a money tree, for plants kept in a greenhouse, once the room temperature reaches above 33°C, the plant should be misted once a day. Because this plant has strong drought tolerance, it is best to keep the potting soil slightly moist but leaning toward dry. Even an occasional excessive watering or fertilizing will not cause root rot. In winter, take care to mist the leaf surfaces and the surrounding environment so that the relative air humidity reaches above 50%. After Mid-Autumn Festival, reduce watering, or replace watering with misting, to help the newly sprouted tender leaves safely through the winter. In addition, in winter, special care should be taken that the potting soil is not overly moist; leaning toward dry is better, otherwise under low-temperature conditions, overly wet potting soil is more likely to cause root rot and even the death of the whole plant.
How Often Should You Fertilize a Money Tree
The money tree relatively likes fertilizer. Besides adding an appropriate amount of composted cake fertilizer or a multi-element slow-release compound fertilizer to the growing medium, during the growing season you can apply a dilute cake fertilizer solution once a month, or use a mixture of 0.2% urea plus 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate. For potted money trees in areas north of the Yellow-Huai region, an appropriate amount of ferrous sulfate can also be added to the watering and fertilizing solution to prevent physiological yellowing of the leaves. After Mid-Autumn Festival, to help it safely through the winter, nitrogen fertilizer should be stopped, and 2 to 3 consecutive applications of 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution should be given to promote the hardening and filling out of the young leaf stalks and newly sprouted leaves. Once the temperature drops below 15°C, all forms of topdressing should be stopped to avoid fertilizer burn to the roots under low-temperature conditions.
Notes on Growing a Money Tree
1. Soil mix: The growing medium for the money tree is mostly peat, coarse sand or rinsed coal cinders mixed with a small amount of garden soil, with the pH adjusted to between 6 and 6.5, in a slightly acidic state.
2. Temperature requirements: The optimal growing temperature for the money tree is 20-33°C.
3. Watering requirements: To care well for a potted money tree, growers must create an environment for it that is both moist and leaning toward dry. In commercial cultivation, for plants kept in a greenhouse, once the room temperature reaches above 30°C, the plant should be misted once a day, and watering twice a week is sufficient.
4. Fertilizing requirements: The money tree relatively likes fertilizer. Besides adding an appropriate amount of composted cake fertilizer or a multi-element slow-release compound fertilizer to the growing medium, during the money tree's growing season you can apply 2-3 times a month a mixture of 0.2% urea plus 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate, or apply a balanced fertilizer 20-10-20 at a concentration of 200-250 ppm in combination with calcium nitrate.
5. Preventing root rot: The most important point in growing a money tree is preventing root rot. Generally, the cause of money tree root rot is watering-induced rot. The plant should be promptly taken out of the pot, part of the old soil shaken off, placed in a semi-shaded, cool spot to air dry for 1-2 days, and then replanted in fresh sandy loam.