Does the Money Tree Bloom? Detailed Explanation of Blooming Conditions
The money tree is a popular potted plant. It is an evergreen small tree of the Malvaceae family, also known as Gua Li, Chinese and American kapok, Goose Palm Money, Malabar chestnut, etc. It likes warm, humid environments and sunny or slightly shaded locations, with an optimum growth temperature of 20°C to 30°C, and grows best in loose, fertile, well-drained soil. Many people like to grow it. Let's take a look below at whether the money tree will bloom!
Will the Money Tree Bloom?
The money tree does bloom. As long as it reaches a certain age and the environment, temperature and other conditions are suitable, the money tree may bloom, because today's money trees are all grown in pots, so blooming and fruiting are rarely seen. Someone once looked up information and found that even in suitable tropical wild conditions, only one out of 1,000 money trees will bloom, and a potted money tree blooming is even rarer.
The Blooming Time of the Money Tree
The money tree usually blooms from May to November. The petals are pale yellow-green, narrowly lanceolate to linear, up to 15 cm long, with the upper half rolled back. The stamen tube is relatively short, splitting into many stamen bundles, each bundle further splitting into 7 to 10 slender filaments. The filaments plus the stamen tube are 13 to 15 cm long, yellow at the lower part and turning red upward. The anthers are narrowly linear, curved, 2 to 3 mm long, and borne horizontally. The style is longer than the stamens, dark red, with a small stigma that is 5-lobed.
How to Grow the Money Tree
1. Cuttings: The best time to take money tree cuttings is in May to June. Cut sturdy branches with buds and insert them into sand, while paying attention to moisture retention and shading. They will take root and survive in one month.
2. Sowing: Money tree seeds should be sown immediately after harvesting. Cover the seeds with a 1 cm layer of soil, keep moist and shaded, and control the temperature at 20 to 25 degrees. They will sprout in about a week. Note that the seedbed soil should be fertile and well drained, preferably containing sand and gravel, which helps new shoots take root.
3. Temperature: The money tree likes high temperatures and humidity, and likes sunlight. It needs to be grown in a place with plenty of sunlight and cannot be shaded for a long time. The room temperature is best kept at 20 to 25 degrees.
4. Humidity: The money tree should be watered frequently, thoroughly and evenly, with little standing water, and avoid overwatering. Water should often be sprinkled on the leaves, on the one hand to maintain the plant's humidity, and on the other hand to wash away floating dust and ensure its ornamental value.
5. Fertilizing: The money tree is a flowering plant that likes fertilizer and needs frequent fertilizing, with a greater demand for fertilizer than common flowering plants. Common nitrogen fertilizer can meet the money tree's needs, and fallen leaves and humus soil are also very good organic fertilizers.
6. Pruning: The money tree grows very fast, growing one meter in a year, so it must be pruned to ensure its shape is suitable for viewing.
7. Sunlight: The money tree likes sunlight and needs to be grown in a place with plenty of sunlight. Insufficient light will cause the money tree's leaves to turn yellow.
8. Repotting: The money tree's strong demand for fertilizer means the soil must be changed every year, and the replacement soil should mainly be fertile soil, so as to ensure the money tree's fertilizer needs.