How to grow a potted Money Tree? A complete guide to cultivation methods
The Money Tree gets its name from the shape of its leaves. Its leaves resemble the coins used in ancient times, and the clusters of leaves look like strings of coins, which is why it is loved and grown by Chinese people who favor auspicious meanings. The Money Tree has a beautiful symbolism, meaning bringing in wealth and treasures, and glory and prosperity. The Money Tree is named for its small leaves that look like copper coins, so it is regarded as a plant that brings in wealth and treasures and rolling in money. The Money Tree's leaves are emerald green and glossy, very suitable for placing in the living room or office, giving people a feeling of vitality, and it is also an ideal gift for friends, bringing them good luck.
Placing a Money Tree in a living room or office can bring a scene of vitality, add fun to our life and work, bring us a fresh and natural feeling, and have a very positive impact on people's physical and mental health. The Money Tree can purify the air, and its effect on removing indoor cooking fumes and odors is very obvious.
To grow a Money Tree well, it is important to be familiar with its growth habits. The Money Tree is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Zamioculcas in the family Araceae. It is a rare foliage plant with underground tubers, native to the tropical (grassland) climate zone of eastern Africa with relatively low rainfall. It likes warm, hot and slightly dry, semi-shaded environments with small annual average temperature fluctuations. It is relatively drought-tolerant, but afraid of cold, and avoids strong direct sunlight. It is afraid of sticky heavy soil and water accumulation in the pot soil. If the pot soil has poor permeability, it can easily cause its tubers to rot. It requires loose, fertile soil that drains well, is rich in organic matter, and is acidic to slightly acidic. It has strong sprouting ability; after cutting off the thick compound leaves, new leaves will quickly sprout from the top of its tubers.
How to grow a potted Money Tree? The cultivation and protection management methods of the Money Tree are a question that flower enthusiasts often ask. Below is a brief summary of the cultivation methods for potted Money Trees. The specific care and management methods are introduced as follows:
1. Soil
Due to the special climatic conditions of the Money Tree's place of origin, it has developed strong drought resistance, so the basic requirement for the growing medium is good permeability. The basic requirement for the growing medium is good permeability. The growing medium is mostly a mix of peat, coarse sand or rinsed coal cinders with a small amount of garden soil, and its pH value should be adjusted to between 6 and 6.5, in a slightly acidic state. Because its tubers are large, its root system is well developed, and its pinnate compound leaves are relatively long, during the growing season you should promptly observe its growth to decide whether to repot and change the soil. Always keep the growing medium well aerated, so as to create a root environment with good air and water permeability. During the plum rain season, check frequently, and if water accumulation is found in the pot, promptly repot and change the soil.
2. Temperature
The suitable growing temperature is 20-32°C. Whether potted or field-grown, it requires small annual average temperature fluctuations. For productive cultivation, it is best to carry out in a temperature-controlled greenhouse. Every summer, when the temperature reaches above 35°C, the plant grows poorly, and measures such as adding black shade netting and spraying water on the surrounding environment should be taken to cool it down, creating a suitable environment with a suitable ambient temperature that is also relatively dry. In winter, it is best to maintain a greenhouse temperature above 10°C. If the room temperature is below 5°C, the plant is prone to cold damage and its survival is seriously endangered. In late autumn and early winter, when the temperature drops below 8°C, it should be promptly moved to a well-lit indoor location. Throughout the overwintering period, the temperature should be kept between 8°C and 10°C, which is relatively safe and reliable.
3. Light
The Money Tree likes light and also has strong shade tolerance, so it should be given an environment with good sunlight but a certain degree of shade. It avoids strong direct light, and especially should avoid the scorching sun after long rain and the first clearing in late spring and early summer, as well as the unobstructed strong light baking for 5-6 hours around noon in summer; otherwise, the newly sprouted tender leaves are very easily sunburned. In productive cultivation, from late spring to mid-autumn, it should be placed under a shade shed with 50-70% shading, but it must not be too dark, otherwise the newly sprouted tender leaves will become slender, the leaf color will turn yellow and dull, and the spacing between leaflets will be sparse, thus affecting the compact and beautiful form of the plant. For potted plants moved into the greenhouse in winter, supplementary lighting should be provided. Keep the pot soil moisture on the dry side, and the plant can remain disease-free all year round. In addition, the newly sprouted pinnate compound leaves do not show obvious phototropism, and the plant shape remains good.
4. Water
To care well for a potted Money Tree, efforts should be made to create an environment that is both moist and on the dry side. In productive cultivation, for plants placed in a greenhouse, when the room temperature reaches above 33°C, the plant should be sprayed with water once a day. Because this plant has strong drought tolerance, it is better to keep the pot soil slightly moist and on the dry side, but occasionally watering or fertilizing excessively will not cause root rot. In winter, pay attention to spraying water on the leaf surface and the surrounding environment, so that the relative air humidity reaches above 50%. After mid-autumn, reduce watering, or replace watering with spraying, so that the newly sprouted tender leaves can safely overwinter. In addition, in winter, special attention should be paid to the pot soil not being too wet; it is better to keep it on the dry side, otherwise under low temperature conditions, overly wet pot soil is more likely to cause root rot, and even the death of the whole plant.
5. Fertilizer
The Money Tree relatively likes fertilizer. In addition to adding an appropriate amount of decomposed cake fertilizer or multi-element slow-release compound fertilizer to the growing medium, during the growing season you can apply 2-3 times a month a mixed solution of 02.% urea plus 0.1% monopotassium phosphate, or apply a balanced fertilizer 20-10-20 (20-20-20) at a concentration of 200-250 ppm combined with calcium nitrate. After mid-autumn, to help it safely overwinter, stop applying nitrogen fertilizer and continuously apply 2-3 times 0.3% monopotassium phosphate solution, to promote the hardening and filling out of the young leaf axes and newly sprouted leaves. After the temperature drops below 15°C, all forms of topdressing should be stopped, to avoid fertilizer damage to the roots under low temperature conditions.
Problems encountered during cultivation:
1. The situation of "the Money Tree has grown a lot of small white fuzz, and there are also small black insects"
Answer: In an environment with poor ventilation, insufficient light, contaminated soil, and excessive humidity, the stems and leaves of the Money Tree are prone to invasion by pathogens and damage from the piercing and sucking of scale insects. The small white fuzz is caused by fungi. Control methods:
(1) When a small number of diseased leaves are found, promptly remove and destroy them. In the early stage of the disease, use 50% carbendazim wettable powder 600 times solution, or 40% chlorothalonil suspension 500 times solution, or use Shi Gao 1000 times solution and Leimierduo 1000 times solution alternately. Spray the leaves once every 10 days, for 3-4 consecutive times, and the control effect is relatively good.
(2) For the small black insects, you can spray 20% buprofezin wettable powder 1000 times solution or Supesha 1000 times solution, or use 10% imidacloprid 1500-2000 times solution. Generally, spray 1-3 consecutive times, with an interval of 7-10 days each time, and the insecticidal effect is good.
2. The situation of "black spots appear on the stems of the Money Tree, the leaves are a bit scorched, and the most serious thing is that many stems have rotted from the roots"
Answer: The stems of the Money Tree rotting from the roots may be caused by excessive water, resulting in anaerobic respiration of the roots. The stems and leaves of the Money Tree are thick and store a lot of water, and it is also relatively drought-tolerant, so it should not be watered frequently. Generally, it can be watered once every one or two weeks, and watered thoroughly. As for the phenomenon of dry leaf tips, you can occasionally spray the leaf surface.
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