The Latest Guide to Growing and Caring for Money Trees: Methods and Precautions Explained

The money tree is a very popular indoor foliage plant, also known as Malabar chestnut, Pachira aquatica, and Guiana chestnut. It is a small tree in the Bombacaceae family, genus Pachira. The plant has an attractive shape, with stems and leaves that stay green all year round. The branches of young plants are soft and tolerate pruning, so they can be trained into various artistic stump and bonsai forms. In the south it is often used as a street tree and landscape tree. Now let us take a look at the growing methods and precautions for the money tree!

Growth Habits of the Money Tree

The money tree is native to Mexico in Central America and as far as Costa Rica, and it is cultivated in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. It likes a hot and humid climate and has poor cold tolerance. Seedlings cannot tolerate frost, while adult trees can withstand light frost and long periods of low temperatures of 5 to 6°C. In South China it can overwinter outdoors; in areas further north it must be moved into a greenhouse in winter for protection. It likes fertile, loose, breathable, water-retaining sandy loam and prefers acidic soil. It dislikes alkaline or heavy clay soil. It is relatively tolerant of wet conditions and also slightly tolerant of drought.

Propagation Methods for the Money Tree

1. Seedbed preparation: Choose a nursery site with deep, fertile soil and work it into beds 1 m wide. Deeply turn the bed surface, remove the topsoil, and firm it. Spread a 3 cm thick layer of gravel on the lower layer, then spread 10 to 15 cm of fresh river sand and furnace slag on top. Then spray the bed surface with 40% formalin at 400 times dilution, cover with plastic film for 3 days, and disinfect the soil.

2. Cutting collection: Select healthy, vigorous, semi-lignified branches of the current year and cut them on a cloudy day or a windless morning. Cut them to a length of 6 to 7 cm, with the lower cut made at a slant below a leaf or axillary bud. The cut should be smooth to help callus tissue form. Generally each cutting should have two palm-like leaves; be careful not to damage the leaves, so as to support photosynthesis.

3. Careful cuttings: For the money tree, choose a cloudy summer day or early or late in the day and insert the cuttings as soon as they are cut. When inserting, place half of each cutting in 25PPM No. (I) ABT rooting solution and soak for 20 to 24 hours, then remove and rinse clean with water. Use a small wooden stick to make holes in the bed surface, then insert the cuttings along the holes and seal the holes and firm the soil.

4. Seedling management: After cuttings are inserted, ventilate once every 3 days, keep the temperature between 23 and 25°C, and keep humidity at about 80% of field water capacity. Before the end of August, spray 0.2% monopotassium phosphate, and spray the bed surface once every 7 days with thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim. Generally callus tissue forms in about 15 days, and rooting begins in about 30 days.

5. Transplanting seedlings: Before potting the seedlings, prepare nutrient soil first by mixing 3 parts leaf mold, 1 part sand, and 2 parts garden soil, then plant. When transplanting, be careful not to damage the roots, and set the depth based on the original base of the plant. After planting, water thoroughly, place in a shaded spot, and avoid direct sun exposure. Afterward, water daily according to the condition of the potting soil, following the principle of watering when dry and withholding when wet.

Growing Methods for the Money Tree

1. Light: When growing a money tree, place it indoors in a spot with plenty of sunlight. When positioning it, make sure the leaf surface faces the sun, and do not leave it in shade for a long time, otherwise the branches and leaves will twist and deform. It is best to spray the leaves of the money tree with water once every 3 to 5 days, which both helps photosynthesis and makes the branches and leaves more attractive.

2. Watering: The money tree has strong adaptability to water. The first principle of watering a money tree is to keep it moist rather than dry. In the hot summer season, water more; in winter, water less. During vigorous growth, water more; for small newly planted plants, water less. Under normal conditions, watering once every 15 to 20 days is enough.

3. Fertilizing: The money tree has a high demand for fertilizer. When repotting, the proportion of fertilized soil can be one third. Fertilized soil includes a mix of decomposed leaf litter, crushed bone meal, and soybean cake residue. During the growth period of the money tree (that is, from May to September), apply decomposed liquid fertilizer or flower-growing fertilizer once every 15 days, so that it develops deep roots and lush leaves.

4. Temperature: If the temperature is too low or the humidity is insufficient, the money tree may drop leaves. In severe cases, the branches may become bare, and the plant may even die. Keep the temperature above 15°C and frequently spray the branches and leaves with water to increase humidity. In late autumn and winter, take care to protect against cold and freezing.

5. Repotting: Newly acquired money tree plants do not need repotting in the same year, to prevent the tree shape from becoming distorted. The suitable season for repotting is spring, and it can also be repotted in July or August when the plant is in a semi-dormant state during the high-temperature period. The potting soil requirements are relatively strict; it should be slightly moist and well drained, and an acidic sandy loam containing humus can be used.

Precautions for the Money Tree

1. The money tree is a plant that likes a hot and humid climate and has poor cold tolerance. It comes from the Malay Peninsula and the South Sea Islands, so when growing a money tree, place it in a spot with plenty of sunlight, but it does not tolerate strong direct light.

2. Watering is the most important part of the plant-growing process. The amount of water, whether too much or too little, will have a great effect on the potted plant. For the money tree, use a spray bottle to spray the leaf surfaces and stems twice a day, morning and evening, to keep the pot moist.

3. The money tree has a relatively high demand for fertilizer. Under normal conditions, apply a light fertilizer once about every 20 days. Applying too much fertilizer when repotting can also cause the money tree leaves to turn yellow.

Summary: The money tree is a plant that symbolizes rolling in wealth and carries people's wish for great prosperity and high status. It is a typical foliage plant, evergreen in all four seasons with beautiful leaf shapes. That is all the Qiannong Network editor has to introduce about the growing methods and precautions for the money tree. Next, let us take a look at how to place a money tree to attract wealth and what to do when the money tree leaves turn yellow!