Hi,

I'm new on the board and have very little experience with plants so I'm desperately in need of some advice about my money tree - or Crassula ovata as I have recently learned its proper name.

I have had it for 9 years now and realized after searching on various forums that it was in really bad shape. It was fine until last year when we had a really bad summer (I live in north-east England) with very little sun - it was overcast for most of the year. The tree started growing spindly branches that grew down and I read that's because it's not getting enough light. So I decided today to prune it back quite harsly and see if this helps.

My problem is I don't know whether to repot it now. The roots are growing up the side of the pot but the last time it was repotted was 5 years ago. It's in ordinary potting soil I think and I'm wondering whether putting it in a new mix of soil/sand would actually be good for it at the moment or whether it might be too much of a shock.

Also I wanted to know where I should place it. My house faces north/south but the south facing rooms all have radiators under the windows. Will central heating hurt my tree or will the heat be good for it? At the moment it is on a small table in a south facing room about 6 feet from the window. It gets the full sun for about 2 hours a day (when the sun shines)but the room is very bright even on duller days.

I really want to do everything I can to keep my tree alive as it's my favourite plant so any advice you can give would be grately appreciated.