Key Technical Points for Planting and Care Management of Money Tree

The money tree, also known as Gua Li or Malabar chestnut, belongs to the Bombacaceae family as an evergreen small tree. It is native to Mexico and Costa Rica and is now widely cultivated in southern China. Because the name "money tree" represents good fortune and prosperity, and because it has a graceful form, bright green leaves, and is easy to manage, it is suitable for indoor decoration and beautification after potting. During festivals and holidays, hotels, restaurants, and citizens mostly rush to purchase it. Therefore, the money tree has developed rapidly in China's flower market in recent years, and cultivating money trees has become a good project for growers to make a fortune. Today we will introduce the cultivation techniques of the money tree to everyone.

Biological Characteristics of the Money Tree

1. Morphological characteristics of the money tree: The money tree is an evergreen tree with an upright main trunk. The tree can reach a height of about 10 m. It has thick fleshy roots and a swollen stem base. The bark of young trunks is smooth and emerald green, and can also be braided into a plait shape. The leaves of the money tree are palmately compound leaves, with a petiole 10-28 cm long, bearing 5-9 leaflets. The fruit of the money tree is a hard capsule. When the fruit matures, the pericarp changes from green to yellow-brown. Each fruit has 10-20 seeds. The seed coat is light brown, with an umbilical scar on the ventral side. The flowers of the money tree are pale yellow, with slender filaments and 2-3 small bracts.

2. Growth habits of the money tree: The money tree likes light and is also shade-tolerant. It can grow under full sun, partial sun, or shaded environments, but long-term lack of light will weaken its growth. The suitable growth temperature for the money tree is 20-30°C. It can still grow below 10°C, but below 5°C it is prone to disease; in mild cases this causes leaf drop, and in severe cases it can lead to death. The money tree has swollen roots and a swollen stem base that can store a large amount of water, so it is relatively drought-tolerant, while excessive soil moisture will cause the fleshy roots to rot. The money tree is not very strict about soil requirements for cultivation; as long as drainage is good, it can grow normally.

3. Shapes of the money tree: The shapes of the money tree can be divided into single-trunk shape and braided shape. The braided shape is more traditional. Common ones on the market include "three dragons," "five dragons," and "seven dragons." It has the soft beauty of intertwined branches, graceful and varied in posture. The single-trunk shape, however, is natural and beautiful, with strong vitality, and can grow into a spectacular large tree stump, very imposing, and has become a new favorite on the market. For growers, the cultivation techniques for both are basically the same.

Propagation of the Money Tree

Propagation of the money tree can be divided into seed propagation and cutting propagation. Because cutting propagation has the defects of a non-swollen upper stem and unattractive seedling stalks, it is generally rarely used in horticultural production. Seed sowing and seedling propagation, however, has the characteristics of uniform emergence, straight roots and smooth seedlings, being easy to braid, and being able to grow a round and lovely "radish head," making it the propagation method commonly adopted by flower growers. The specific method is as follows:

1. Seed collection and selection: The money tree blooms twice a year and can also harvest seeds twice. The first time it blooms in April-May, and the fruit matures in July-August. The second time it blooms in September-October, and the fruit matures in December. Growers should choose mature and plump seeds, remove shriveled, cracked, and moldy seeds, and must not use seeds from inferior trees or trees with obvious disease.

2. Sowing: Before sowing, the land should be deeply plowed and finely harrowed, and seedbeds suitable for seed growth should be divided. At both ends of the seedbed, we stretch a rope respectively, insert a bamboo stick every 0.3 m to set the row spacing, and use a wooden board to connect the bamboo sticks on both sides to draw a straight shallow furrow. On this shallow furrow, sow one seed per hole at a spacing of 0.1 m. One mu of land can raise about 10,000 seedlings. When placing the seeds, note that the seed hilum should face downward, so that the money trees that grow will be straight and upright. The thickness of soil covering the seeds should be about 2-3 cm, and it must not be too thick, so as not to affect the emergence of money tree seedlings. After covering with soil, also note that the seedbed should be covered with black shade netting to avoid the seeds being scorched by the hot sun, and only when the seeds germinate can the protection of the shade netting be removed.

3. Daily management during the seedling stage: After 4 days, seedlings can emerge. After emergence, the following management should be carried out.

① Watering: After removing the shade netting, water once every 1-2 days. A sprinkler head should be installed at the front of the hose; do not water directly with a faucet. Watering should continue until the surface layer of the soil is fully moist. After full emergence, water once every 3-5 days. After 1-2 months, water an appropriate amount according to weather and temperature conditions.

② Fertilizing: During the entire seedling-raising period, fertilizer can be applied 3-5 times. The first time is after full emergence, and compound chemical fertilizer can be used at about 2.5 kg per mu, applied by manual broadcasting. Because the root system of a single seedling occupies a very small area, it is very important to spread the fertilizer evenly on the soil. This requires the fertilizer applicator to be especially experienced, and the speed of hand swinging and walking speed must be uniform and consistent. After fertilizing, wash the leaf surfaces with water so that the fertilizer can be absorbed quickly. After that, fertilize once every 1-2 months, gradually increasing the amount of fertilizer, with the amount per mu between 2.5-7.5 kg.

③ Weeding: Because the planting density of seedlings is high, they need a large amount of nutrients. If there are too many weeds in the seedbed, it will affect the growth and development of the seedlings. Therefore, growers should promptly pull out the weeds in the seedbed.