Detailed Guide to the Latest Money Tree Care Precautions

The money tree is a perennial evergreen shrub native to the Malay Peninsula and the South Sea Islands. In recent years, through cultivation and selective breeding, it has widely entered urban and rural households in our country. For home cultivation, based on its habit of preferring high temperatures and high humidity and being intolerant of frost and dryness, focus on grasping the following four points:

Pay attention to sunlight

The money tree likes high temperatures, humidity and sunlight, and cannot be kept in shade for long periods. Therefore, during care and management it should be placed in a spot indoors with ample sunlight. When positioning it, the leaf surface must face the sunlight. Otherwise, because the leaves grow toward the light, the entire branches and leaves will become distorted. In addition, every 3 to 5 days, spray water on the leaves once with a spray bottle; this not only helps photosynthesis proceed but also makes the branches and leaves look more attractive.

Pay attention to watering

Watering is an important part of the care and management process. With too little water, branch and leaf development stalls; with too much water, root rot and death may result; with a moderate amount of water, the branches and leaves become plump. The first principle of watering is to keep it moist rather than dry, and the second is “two more, two less” - that is, water more in the high-temperature summer season and less in winter; water more for large and medium-sized plants in vigorous growth and less for small newly potted plants. When the amount of water is too large, the plant is prone to root rot, causing the leaves to droop, lose their luster, and even fall off. At this point, it should immediately be moved to a cool place, watering reduced to the minimum, just enough that the potting soil does not dry out, and water sprayed on the leaf surface multiple times a day with a spray bottle; stop fertilizing with liquid feed, and after about 15 to 20 days it can gradually recover.

Pay attention to fertilizing

The money tree is a flowering plant that likes fertilizer, and its fertilizer requirements are greater than those of common other flowering plants. When repotting each year, fertilized soil can make up 1/3 of the mix, or even more. Fertilized soil has a wide range of sources; you can collect humus soil from the fallen leaves of broadleaf trees and mix it with a little garden soil and miscellaneous bone meal and soybean cake residue. This fertilized soil is highly effective, convenient and easy to obtain, but care should be taken to fully decompose it so as not to “burn” the leaves yellow. In addition, during the money tree's growing season (May to September), apply a decomposed liquid fertilizer or mixed flower-growing fertilizer once every 15 days to promote deep roots and lush leaves.

Pay attention to temperature and humidity

The money tree has relatively high requirements for temperature and humidity. If the temperature is relatively low or humidity is lacking, leaf drop often occurs, and in severe cases the branches become bare, which not only hinders appreciation but also very easily causes the plant to die. Therefore, when cultivating it, care should be taken to maintain a temperature above 15°C and to frequently spray water on the branches and leaves to increase the necessary humidity. In late autumn and winter, on the other hand, care should be taken to protect it from cold and freezing over the winter.