Our plant took a slight setback from Santa Ana Winds:

I cut down on the fertilizer last month. Using only 1/8 Pro-tekt & 1/8 Foliage Pro for 2 gallons of water.

I'm just happy that our plant was able to survive the high gust winds.

Well the plant looks pretty good, despite the winds, Phil!

I highly recommend that you increase the fertilizer to at least 1/2 strength for the next couple feedings, then you can ease off again when the plant comes indoors.

My two trunk propagations are leafing out with new growth, and one will be going to the school staff-room as soon as I repot it. I am slightly concerned that it will be neglected over the Christmas Break, which runs from 12/23 - 1/6. It will be in a lower light setting, though, so if I put it in the right sized container and give it a really thorough watering before I leave, it will probably be just fine.

The other trunk propagation will be going to furnish my girlfriend's new studio apartment. She needs space-saving upright plants and this will be perfect to create a lush feel without too big of a footprint.

The leaf propagations will be an interesting project...I think I will see if I can get them to fuse into a thick trunk.

Josh

Appreciate your advice :) Will do this weekend.

Glad to hear your propagations experiments is all coming together!

Fertilize! hahaha

Josh

Update on the Pachira I gave to my sister. It's doing great!

And an update on the leaves that I propagated. They all formed roots!

Here's how they looked...not super green, so I wasn't sure what I'd find.

YES!! :) Happy to see Josh!

Really a great surprise! I'd been wondering!

Now I just have to hope that they transition well and begin some top-growth, then I'll bind the leaves together and start the fusion process.

Those who haven't followed my long journey of Pachira propagation may not know that my original tree was started from a single leaf that my brother bit off his now long-dead plant. He told me to root it, and I did. Years later, a plant writer named Will Creed (or something like that), contested my account and said that Pachira aren't propagated by rooting leaves. Essentially, I felt that he was calling me a liar. Anyhow, I responded by immediately rooting more leaves and proving again that it was not only possible, but actually pretty easy.

Josh

Josh @greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a, your Pachira propagation experiments show, once again, that empirical evidence should take precedence over any unsupported claims/statements, published or not.

Thanks, Green Vibes, I really appreciate that!

When I was challenged, I had to ask myself if perhaps my experience was a fluke. But, after repeating the experiment four or five times, I am confident that I, or most others, could also experience the same results.

Josh

Hello, all! Any updates on your Pachira?

Mine is about to hit the ceiling again, so I might find myself pruning it sooner than I thought. This Spring I'm also going to unpot it and check on the roots.

Glad to see your plant making it through every winter Josh! :)

----

I kept mine outdoors all winter to see if it's tough enough to withstand the weather (45-60°F average)

Happy to say the experiment worked and it's still standing with only a few foliage dropping. It doesn't look as healthy as before the major wind gusts but hopeful it didn't do any long-term damage.

Started micro-fertilizing again. Will take an updated photo this week.

Thanks, Phil.

I just fertilized full strength over the weekend. I really want to haul the tree outside and flush the heck out of the mix, then fertilize again. I'll probably do that this weekend.

I'm looking forward to seeing your tree.

Josh

Money tree looking like stock market this week with it's foliage beating

Hope it stays strong this year :)

Oh yeah, those winds will do it, but it looks healthy!

Josh

Thank you! Top starting to sprout. Hoping for a good season.

Still in the original nursery pot and soil. Thinking about repotting this year. Josh if you're making a fresh mix batch this year can I buy some? I'll be willing to pay for your special mix and time :)

Hi everyone!

I'm relatively new to plant care and new to this forum, so sorry if I'm not posting this in the right area. I recently bought a pachira aquatica tree and am looking for some advice on the issues I've had. I didn't want to hijack this thread with unrelated questions, so posted it all here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5884322/snapped-my-money-tree-pachira-aquatica-looking-for-care-advice#n=0 . I hope you could help me with these. Thank you! :)

About the hit the ceiling again, so you know what that means....take it outside and prune it down! I need to take a look at the roots, too, as there was an ant infestation about three weeks ago; but I'd prefer to wait until high-May when the weather is consistently warm.

Well, it's hit the ceiling...so now I guess I have to do something! Probably chop it down tomorrow.

Lots going on now. I've put two of my rooted cuttings in full sun as an experiment. One is the top from last time I pruned, and the other is the long trunk section that I cut the top from. The trunk section lost its leaves during the Winter when my greenhouse got too cold, so any leaf that grows will be fully acclimated to the sun exposure. I figure that the new growth will harden off nicely, and the returned vitality will be incredible.

59 inches pruned off the top.

I kept just the tip and a few leaves to root this time.

Now it's out to the greenhouse to kick growth into high gear.

I will most likely repot and evaluate the roots around June 1st.

Looking good Josh! :)

About ready to change to a gritty mix. Do you recommend this for our plant?

https://www.repotme.com/products/gritty-mix-imperial-potting-mix?variant=18463663521865

https://www.etsy.com/listing/806519099/free-shipping-fir-bark-fines-for-als

https://www.etsy.com/listing/785271850/1-1-1-gritty-mix-best-indoor-soil-non

Phil, I sure do. That's a great mix.

Both the 511 and the Gritty Mix work great with these trees because they offer drainage and aeration, and you can water and fertilize copiously. Highly recommended.

Also, my latest cutting and my leaves are showing root primordia, so it's time to pot this next round of propagations. I gave away three of the last rooted leaves, but kept one for myself. I'll have a lot more very soon.

Thank you Josh! :) Would you recommend 511 or gritty mix? Which one would require have to water less?

The 511 requires less watering, and you could increase the peat/potting mix portion to a 521 even. Mine are growing in a mix that is much closer to 511.

Josh

Some exciting news.

I see three new growth points (potentially) at the site of the most recent pruning.

I could only take a pic of these two, as the third growth point is on the back side.

And all of the leaves and the tip cutting are definitely ready to be potted!

These plants are so easy to propagate.

Leaves and cuttings are now potted and in the greenhouse.

We'll see if they survive this next stage of propagation. I did 4 single leaves, a pot of 3 leaves together, and then the prominent tip cutting (which should be guaranteed to survive).

Tip cutting, ready to go!

Leaves, ready to go!

Everything potted and sitting in a tray with water.

Amazing! What is your process for propagation? Do you slant scissor cut or hand snap it off? Would like to experiment as well! :)

Can't find all the necessary to make the mix here. Do you have any extra laying around that I can purchase from you enough to repot 3 gallon pot?

Phil, I don't have any more mix left, since I make it as I go. Plus, the shipping would be expensive as the mix is fairly heavy! However, look for a fine-grade Orchid Mix at your local nurseries or garden centers, and check if the bark is small enough (1/2 and smaller). This makes a decent base for a well-draining mix. Depending on the particular Orchid Mix, you would then simply add a little more perlite or a little more potting mix.

As for propagation, it couldn't be easier. I just snap the leaves off at the trunk, getting as much of the stem attachment as possible. The main stem cutting I used a pair of meat scissors. The cleaner the cut, the better.

After that, I just put the leaves/cuttings into a vase of water for a week or so, and when I see those white little growths begin to form, I pot them into moist potting mix and keep them moist until they begin to grow well. Leaves obviously take longer to show new growth, but stem cuttings are fairly fast to begin pushing new leaves again.

Josh

Hello everyone :) Seeing as you're all pachira aquatica enthusiasts, I was wondering if anyone could help me out in regards to something odd that's happening with my pachira's leaves. I'm not entirely sure what to do in terms of care now. I've posted photos of them on here. Thank you :) https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6002302/help-pls-pachira-aquatica-leaves-going-matte-and-browning-money-tree

Pretty normal for them to shed older leaves. I would advise you to flush the soil thoroughly, and then fertilize.

Josh

@greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thank you for getting back to me! :) it's not just older leaves, but some of the small new growing ones too. Is that also normal?

No, that's not normal. Still, thoroughly flush and then fertilize.

Josh

@greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a I see, thank you. I've done that. Would you suggest I cut off all of the leaves that I can tell have gone matte and are starting to lose their green colour or are they ok to be left on the tree till they fall off?

You can leave them on until they fall off.

Or you can snip them if you supsect there's disease or other pathogen present.

Josh

@greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a I’ll keep observing. Thank you for all you replies 🙂

Hello, I'm back with an update on my Money Trees. I hope yours are doing well, and that you'll come by with updates. My propagations look to be doing well. I lost one of the leaf propagations, gave two away, and kept three for myself. My mother-tree has done exceptionally well this Summer, with many new growth points and a nicely developing shape. Soon I'll have to bring her back indoors.

The current propagations, looking a bit nutrient deficient from very heavy watering and diffused greenhouse light:

hi everyone. I was just wondering if it's ok to repot a pachira in autumn? I've cut off all of the leaves that had the blotches of odd texture, but there seem to be more and more of them anyway. A few of the leaves also started getting small dark discolouration underneath the leaves and a couple of new leaves went yellow and fell off. I'm kind of wondering if it could have anything to do with the pot being too large and it taking too long for the tree to drink the water and standing in wet soil. or if it's possibly some kind of a fungus. Although I'm not entirely sure how it got there. My idea was to cut off all of the leaves/branches and let the trunks regrow new ones and to repot the tree. I'm just not entirely sure if it's a good idea at this time of the year, as the weather in the UK is quite cold now. I'd appreciate any comments :)

I would repot into a fast draining mix. Better to do a late repotting than lose the tree entirely. You can use the same container as long as the mix drains well.

Josh

@greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thank you for the reply! I think the mix it's in is pretty fast draining. It could probably have more perlite, but it's not bad. That's' why I was wondering if it's the size of the pot that's' the problem. The roots were basically non-existent when I was repotting the tree, so I was wondering if it's too large for it. As I only need to water it every 3-4 weeks or so before the soil is dry after on a finger length. Otherwise, if it's maybe some kind of fungus or something like that. I've attached photos of the leaves and the pot below. The odd texture spots seem to be attacking more and more leaves and are getting bigger and discoloured. Do you think repotting as well as cutting down all of the branches apart from trunks might be a good idea for it to regrow healthy foliage? I tried cutting down the unhealthy leaves, but it's not disappeared.

the photos

The lack of roots was related to the potting mix holding too much moisture, not necessarily the volume of the container. With a good fast draining mix, the container will be fine. The mix you're using should be quite fast draining, so be sure to keep it moist during the recovery period. In a week, give it dose of fertilizer, half strength.

Josh

Today I moved my money tree from the greenhouse back into the main house. It did very well this season. All the propagations are still in the greenhouse until they find new homes.

I'm back!

And I finally got around to pruning, root pruning, and repotting my Pachira. Medical events last Summer prevented me from doing any maintenance, so it felt good to work on this tree. I increased container size considerably, and also went with plastic for lighter weight and moisture retention. The mix is a 5-1-1, to which I added an extra 1 part of lava rock (Scoria), thus a 5-1-1-1 for increased porosity and durability.

Now the tree is recuperating comfortably in the warm and humid greenhouse, and I'll do another round of pruning once I see where the new growth is heading.

This is such an interesting post. I have a question about the rooted pachira leaf (petiole) cuttings: once they are rooted in water and transferred to the medium, if it works, will I see new growth coming out of the medium to form a new trunk? Nothing happens to the current cut leaves, correct? Thanks!