What to Do When a Money Tree Trunk Turns Soft? Find the Cause and Care for It More Easily
The money tree has air-purifying properties, so growing it indoors is very beneficial for health. In addition, the money tree has an auspicious meaning and is deeply loved by people. Although the money tree is a relatively easy plant to grow, many gardening enthusiasts report that when growing this plant, either the trunk turns soft or the leaves turn yellow and drop off.
In fact, a soft trunk or yellowing leaves in the money tree are caused by root damage. The extent of the root damage determines whether the money tree can survive.
The main cause of trunk damage in the money tree may be overwatering. Some gardening enthusiasts do not know how to water it appropriately, or they water a newly planted trunk excessively, which causes a large amount of water to accumulate in the pot without being able to drain away in time. This prevents the roots at the base of the trunk from breathing properly, so the roots rot from being waterlogged.
When this happens, place the money tree in a well-ventilated spot to air out. If you find that a large part of the root system has rotted, remove the rotten parts and continue growing it.
A money tree trunk sometimes turns soft because the soil is too dry. Some gardening enthusiasts hear that the money tree is not a plant that likes too much water, so they keep it in a shady spot for a long time. A money tree that has not been watered for a long time lacks water and nutrients, which causes the trunk to turn soft and the leaves to turn yellow and drop off.
When this happens, you can repot it, replenish enough water in time, and place it in a very well-ventilated, semi-shady spot.
Some gardening enthusiasts also like to keep the money tree in direct sunlight for a long time. When the midday sun is too strong, the money tree cannot tolerate it and the trunk turns soft. Move it to a semi-shady, well-ventilated spot instead. Some gardening enthusiasts also keep it in a hidden spot for a long time, which is also not acceptable.
What to Do When a Money Tree Trunk Turns Soft, and the Causes of a Money Tree Trunk Turning Soft
The money tree can be said to be a potted plant that many households grow, but many people encounter many problems when growing money trees, such as what to do when the trunk turns soft. Let the editors of Huayu Web answer for you what to do when a money tree trunk turns soft and the causes of a money tree trunk turning soft!
Causes of a Money Tree Trunk Turning Soft
1. Overwatering
2. Insufficient light
One of the causes of a money tree trunk turning soft is that the indoor temperature makes things too humid. A money tree kept in a shady spot for a long time is also prone to a soft trunk.
3. Long-term fertilizer deficiency
If nitrogen fertilizer has not been applied for a long time, or the pot and water have not been changed, the water lacks nitrogen and other nutrient elements, causing the branches and leaves to become weak and the leaves to be thin and yellow. It is necessary to replace it with fresh culture water in time and gradually increase the application of dilute, well-rotted liquid fertilizer or compound flower fertilizer.
4. Improper temperature
On the question of what to do when a money tree trunk turns soft, temperature is actually a very important influencing factor. If the indoor temperature in winter is too low, the plant suffers cold damage, which causes the leaves to turn yellow and, in severe cases, to wither and die. If the indoor temperature is too high, the plant transpires excessively and the roots cannot supply enough water and nutrients, which also causes the leaves to turn yellow.
5. Pests and diseases
Pests and diseases are also one of the causes of a money tree trunk turning soft. Leaf spot disease caused by infection with fungi and other pathogens easily causes local necrosis of the leaves, with yellow spots or blotches appearing, and in severe cases the entire leaf withers, turns yellow and drops off. After infection by mosaic virus, yellow-green mottled patches appear on the leaves; it can also suffer damage from scale insects, red spider mites and so on.
After reading the editor's introduction, everyone should have some understanding of what to do when a money tree trunk turns soft. Below, let us continue to learn about the solutions for a money tree trunk turning soft!
Solutions for a Money Tree Trunk Turning Soft
1. Water appropriately
If you find that the money tree's roots have rotted due to overwatering, you can rinse the soil off the roots with water and use a sterilized blade to cut away all the rotten parts. If necessary, gardening enthusiasts should also cut open the rotten parts on the trunk and completely clean out the softened trunk tissue inside. Then apply a fungicide to the wound on the trunk and keep the plant in a ventilated environment for care. After the wound on the roots has healed, gardening enthusiasts can repot it. During the growing process, first place the plant in a relatively well-ventilated environment with not-too-strong light, and after the money tree grows new roots, place it on a balcony for care. In addition, try not to let the diseased trunk get wet, so that the plant's wounds are not invaded by bacteria.
2. Sufficient light
3. Sufficient fertilizer
What should you do when a money tree trunk turns soft? In fact, the money tree has a greater demand for fertilizer than other flowering plants and trees. When repotting, the proportion of fertile soil can be one third. Fertile soil includes a mixture of decomposed leaf litter, miscellaneous bone meal, soybean cake residue and so on. This kind of fertile soil has high efficacy and is convenient and easy to obtain. But care should be taken to let it fully decompose, so as not to burn the leaves yellow. During the money tree's growing period (that is, from May to September), apply a well-rotted liquid fertilizer or flower fertilizer once every 15 days, so that it develops deep roots and luxuriant leaves.
4. Maintain temperature
The money tree is native to Mexico in Central America and Costa Rica. It likes a high-temperature, moderately humid environment. Its most suitable growing temperature is 18-30°C. When growing it, care should be taken to maintain a temperature above 15°C, and frequently spray the branches and leaves with water to increase humidity. In late autumn and winter, care should be taken to do a good job of cold protection and frost protection.
5. Pest and disease control
For damage from money tree leaf spot disease, we can spray with a 50% carbendazim 1000-fold solution for control. The pests of the money tree include scale insects, whiteflies and leaf rollers, among others, and can be killed by spraying with a 25% phosmet emulsifiable concentrate 1000-fold solution.
More related knowledge about the money tree, for gardening enthusiasts' reference:
Money Tree Planting and Cultivation Techniques and Indoor Growing Management Methods
The money tree, also known as Gua Li and Malabar chestnut, belongs to the Bombacaceae family and is an evergreen small tree native to Mexico and Costa Rica. It is now widely planted in the southern regions of our country. Because the name "money tree" represents good fortune and auspiciousness, and because it has a graceful form, bright green leaves and is easy to manage, it is suitable for indoor decoration and beautification after being potted. During festivals and New Year holidays, hotels, restaurants and city residents mostly rush to buy it, so in recent years the money tree has developed very quickly in our country's flower market. Cultivating money trees has become a good project for the vast number of 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, and 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 braid 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 skin changes from green to yellow-brown. Each fruit has 10-20 seeds, the seed coat is light brown, and the belly has an umbilical scar. The flowers of the money tree are pale yellow, with slender filaments bearing 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 conditions, but long-term lack of light will weaken its growth. The suitable growing temperature for the money tree is 20-30°C. It can also grow below 10°C, but below 5°C it is prone to disease, causing leaf drop in mild cases and death in severe cases. The money tree has swollen roots and stem base that can store a large amount of water, so it is relatively drought-tolerant, while too much 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. Styles of the money tree: The styles of the money tree can be divided into single-trunk style and braided style. The braided style is more traditional, and common ones on the market include "Three Dragons," "Five Dragons," "Seven Dragons" and several others. It has the soft beauty of intertwined branches, graceful and charming, with an elegant bearing. The single-trunk style, 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 of the two are basically the same.
Propagation of the Money Tree
The propagation of the money tree can be divided into two types: seed propagation and cutting propagation. Because cutting propagation has the defects of a non-swollen head stem and an unattractive seedling stem, 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, lovely "radish head," and has become the propagation method commonly used by the vast number of flower growers. The specific methods are as follows:
1. Seed collection and selection: The money tree flowers twice a year and can also produce seeds twice. The first time it flowers in April-May, and the fruit matures in July-August. The second time it flowers in September-October, and the fruit matures in December. Growers should choose mature, plump seeds and remove shriveled, cracked and moldy seeds. Seeds from inferior trees or trees with obvious diseases must not be used.
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 skewer every 0.3 m to mark the row spacing, and use a wooden board to connect the bamboo skewers on both sides to draw a straight shallow furrow. In this shallow furrow, plant one seed at a hill spacing of 0.1 m. One mu of land can raise about 10,000 seedlings. When placing the seeds, be careful to face the seed hilum 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 the money tree. After covering with soil, also be careful to cover the seedbed with a black shade net to avoid the seeds being scorched by the hot sun. Only when the seeds germinate can the protection of the shade net be removed.
3. Daily management during the seedling stage: After 4 days, the seedlings can emerge. After emergence, the following management should be carried out.
① Watering: After removing the shade net, 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 land is fully moist. After the seedlings are all up, water once every 3-5 days. After 1-2 months, water appropriately according to the weather and temperature conditions.
② Fertilizing: During the entire seedling-raising period, fertilizer can be applied 3-5 times. The first time is after the seedlings are all up, and compound chemical fertilizer can be used, with about 2.5 kg per mu, using the manual broadcasting method. 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 must be kept uniform and consistent. After fertilizing, rinse the leaf surfaces with water so that the fertilizer can be absorbed quickly. After that, apply fertilizer once every 1-2 months, with the amount gradually increasing, between 2.5-7.5 kg per mu.
③ Weeding: Because the seedlings are planted at high density, 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, so growers should promptly pull out the weeds in the seedbed.
Field Management of the Money Tree
1. Lifting seedlings: When using a hoe to lift seedlings, be careful and move slowly; do not damage the roots of the money tree when digging. The dug-out seedlings need two treatments. The first is root pruning: cut off excessively long roots, leaving only about 25 cm. The second is branch pruning: cut off the branches from above the stem base to below 1.2 m of the money tree, to ensure sufficient nutrient supply to the main trunk. Because the degree of development of each money tree seedling is not necessarily the same, growers should also grade the seedlings according to height and must not plant them mixed together. Here growers should be especially reminded that the seedling-lifting time for braided money trees is earlier. When the seedlings grow to 0.6 m, they should be lifted, while single-trunk money trees must wait until the seedlings grow to 1.5 m before they can be lifted and planted.
2. Field planting: The field planting of the money tree is divided into two types: braided planting and single-plant planting. Braided planting means that before the seedlings are transplanted to the field for cultivation, they must first be braided. Below, taking the "Five Dragons" style as an example, we will introduce the braiding method of the money tree in detail:
① Seedling selection: First, the five money tree seedlings we choose must be consistent in size and thickness, and each one must not have disease or bruising. Then place these seedlings in a cool place for 2-3 days to dehydrate them, making the stems softer.
② Braiding method: First we number the five seedlings. Then place No. 1 and No. 2 diagonally to the right, then place No. 3 and No. 4 diagonally to the left, and finally place No. 5 in the middle. Then use a rubber band to tie the roots of the five seedlings together and fix them in place. Next, use No. 1 to press down the two seedlings beside it, namely No. 2 and No. 5. Then use No. 4 to press down the two beside it, namely No. 3 and No. 1. Then use No. 2 to press down No. 5 and No. 4. Then use No. 3 to press down No. 1 and No. 2, and so on. We always use the outermost seedling to press down the two seedlings immediately beside it, and finally use a rubber band to tie the end of the braid tightly to prevent it from coming apart. Growers should note that the distance between each braid should be uniform, so that the money trees that grow in the future will be beautiful. During the operation, the braid body will naturally bend to one side, and we need to press it straight with a heavy object in a cool place. Finally, plant the straightened money tree into the field. Apart from the different styling, the field planting techniques of braided planting and single-plant planting are completely the same.
③ Generally, plant at a density of about 450 plants per mu. The hill spacing between seedlings is 0.75 m, and the row spacing is 2 m. According to this standard, growers dig holes 30 cm deep and 30 cm wide in the ground, then place 50-100 g of base fertilizer into each hole, and use a hoe to mix the fertilizer evenly with the soil in the hole. When planting the tree, place the seedling vertically in the hole and firm the soil back in layers. When returning the soil, protect the trunk so that it remains upright. The depth of the returned soil should be roughly the same as the depth at which the seedling was buried in the seedbed. Newly planted seedlings should be given one settling watering, using about 3 jin of water per plant.
3. Daily management: After field planting, the money tree needs strengthened maintenance and management to ensure its survival and healthy growth and development. We need to pay attention to doing the following items well.
① Watering: During the growing period, the money tree is not very strict about water requirements. After field planting, watering once every two months is enough. If the weather is hot and dry, the number of waterings can be increased according to the situation. The irrigation amount should be sufficient to soak it thoroughly. Never let the surface soil be wet while the subsoil remains dry. Generally, watering should penetrate to a depth of 80 to 100 cm.
② Fertilizing: In the first year after field planting, apply topdressing once every half a year, using the hole application method. Hole application is a method of concentrated fertilization and economical fertilizer use. The specific method is as follows: First, between every two trees, dig a hole about half a meter from the base of the trunk, 10 cm deep and 20 cm wide. Then put 25 g of compound chemical fertilizer into each hole. Finally, cover with soil to prevent fertilizer loss. In dry seasons, growers can also mix compound chemical fertilizer into water, using 3 jin of water per hole on average, and apply it as water-fertilizer, which can accelerate absorption by the seedling roots and improve fertilizer use efficiency. In the second and third years, apply fertilizer once each year, with each application being twice the amount of the first year.
③ Pruning: Pruning should be carried out in summer, preferably from early June to early July. The first pruning technique is thinning: for example, for money trees planted for less than 1 year, the main trunk is relatively low, so generally select vigorous, upright branches to keep as the main trunk, and thin out the remaining branches according to the situation, mainly thinning out overly dense side branches and water sprouts on the crown. The second is cutting back: that is, cutting off upright, strong side branches. According to the principle of suppressing the strong and keeping the weak, and removing the upright and keeping the flat, cut back in stages, keeping small branches below the cut, and do not cut from the base, so as not to weaken the tree's growth.
4. Common pests and diseases and their control: The money tree has strong disease resistance, and under normal conditions there are relatively few pests and diseases, but under high temperature and high humidity, pests and diseases are likely to occur. The common insect pests of the money tree are mainly moth larvae, such as the larvae of the stinging nettle moth and the larvae of the swallowtail butterfly. They can be treated by spraying with an avermectin solution diluted 1500-2000 times. The main diseases of the money tree are anthracnose, gray blight and stem base rot. Below we will introduce the treatment methods of these diseases one by one.
① Anthracnose: Its main symptoms are: the lesions mostly spread from the leaf tip downward, and the lesion color is dark brown to gray-brown. The control method is to apply less nitrogen fertilizer, apply more phosphorus fertilizer, reduce leaf surface humidity, change leaf surface watering to base watering, and maintain good ventilation. For chemicals, a 600-fold spray of carbendazim wettable powder can be used, continuously 2-3 times, once every 7 days.
② Leaf blight: Its main symptoms are: the lesions are yellow-white to gray-yellow, irregular in shape, and when humidity is high, needle-tip-like scattered small particles appear. The control method is to keep the environment clean, promptly dispose of diseased leaves, strengthen fertilizer and water management, and enhance the plant's disease resistance. For chemicals, a copper oxychloride suspension concentrate + mancozeb wettable powder can be diluted 800 times at a 1:1 ratio, and sprayed once every 10-15 days.
③ Stem base rot: Its main symptoms are: the color of the cortex at the stem base is abnormal, ranging from grayish dark to grayish black, and spreads deep into the xylem, eventually causing the entire tree to wither and die. The control method is to operate carefully during the lifting, field planting and transportation of the money tree, minimizing artificial wounds. For lightly diseased plants, first scrape off the diseased area with a small knife, then soak and disinfect with a 600-fold potassium permanganate solution. For severely diseased plants, thoroughly cut off the infected parts.
After two years of cultivation, when the stem of the money tree becomes thick and strong, it can be transferred to a pot and sold on the market.
Indoor Management of the Money Tree
In the vast northern regions of our country, winter temperatures are relatively cold, and the money tree cannot survive outdoors, so it is generally grown indoors in pots. The money tree has good shade tolerance, and indoor potted maintenance is relatively simple. We should pay attention to the following items:
1. Light: The money tree is shade-tolerant but likes light. If kept in shade for a long time, its growth will slow down, the leaf color will fade and it will lose its luster. Therefore, potted plants should be placed in a place with relatively strong light, such as near a window, and must also be regularly moved to a balcony or outdoors to receive light to restore vitality. However, moving from indoors to outdoors must be done gradually: first for a short time, such as 1-2 hours, then for a longer time, such as 1-2 days; first weak light, then stronger light, and never expose it to scorching sun.
2. Temperature and humidity: The money tree likes warmth and fears cold. In winter, the indoor temperature should be kept above 15°C. Below 5°C, the money tree may die. The first principle of watering is to prefer dry over wet. In the hot summer season, water more, and in winter, water less.
3. Pruning: Indoor potted money trees are generally pruned twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn. When pruning, first cut off the newly grown buds on the trunk, with the cut close to the trunk. Cut off the aged and yellowed leaves and the redundant weak branches inside the crown. The branches that have already extended at the top should also be appropriately cut back, so as to maintain a beautiful crown.
4. Repotting: The money tree has a well-developed root system and grows relatively quickly. When an indoor potted plant has been grown for 1-2 years and its growth vigor weakens, it should be repotted in time. Repotting is generally carried out in late autumn or winter. Do not water before repotting. If it is difficult to remove, use a shovel inserted along the wall of the pot to separate the soil from the four sides of the flowerpot, then grasp the root stem and shake it back and forth to pull the money tree out of the pot and place it into a prepared container. Never dig out the pot soil, so as not to damage the roots. When repotting, prune appropriately according to the length of the root system, remove rotten roots and excessive tangled fibrous roots, then place it into well-drained acidic sandy loam, which should account for about one third of the pot. Then add 5-10 g of compound chemical fertilizer, mix it evenly with the soil, and then plant the pruned money tree back into the pot. Finally, water until water flows out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.
The money tree has an elegant tree form and remains evergreen throughout the four seasons, and has become an outstanding ornamental plant. We sincerely hope that the vast number of farmer friends, relying on scientific cultivation methods and carrying the beautiful wish of "getting rich," will embark on a true path to prosperity.