It might just be the first money bush! Lol. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it because the plant is freaking happy. Trim the shoots if you want to keep the braid visible, or let it go if you don't mind. There's a lot of energy going into the lower shoots, so if you do cut them off I bet the top will get more full!

I cast a strong vote for removing them asap. Reason: A heavy swelling always develops where several branches emanate from points very close to each other. That means your tree will develop an area with reverse taper. Instead of the tree's diameter increasing from top to bottom, it will gradually decrease to the attachment points, then suddenly increase, then decrease in the area between the swellings and the soil line. This will look unnatural and attract the attention of people who might not know exactly what's wrong, only that SOMETHING is.

These sprouts also retain a lot of juvenile vigor because of their proximity to the root-to-shoot transition area where the roots attach to the trunk. Plants don't age chronologically like animals - they age ontogenetically. W/o going into a lot of explanation, I'll just say that shoots near the basal transition are younger tissue, which means they will command a large share of the plant's energy outlay, detracting from top growth and vitality.

Also, now would be a good time to establish a pruning rhythm. Your plant is very leggy. I would prune a very large fraction of the leggy growth off the top of the plant, soon, and move the plant outdoors when temps allow. Let it grow for a year, unencumbered by additional pruning, and next Memorial Day - prune all the leggy growth off that occurred over winter. This will ensure your plant will be much fuller than if you leave all that leggy growth on the plant.

Just some thoughts ............. your vision for the plant's future might vary.

Al

Friends, this is so helpful. Thanks very much for confirming the stuff I was guessing at, I know zero about pruning, just want this guy to be happy. I'll cut all of the shoots off the bottom (will try to root a couple! Shame to let it go to waste), cut some leggy off the top and take it outside in May/June — am in New York. THANK YOU!

Meg - plants have natural rhythms that play a very large part in governing their behavior, most of them based on day length. Actually, it's night length, but that's beyond what we're talking about. Some growers go about their interactions with their plants with no thought given to the plant's rhythms, and some growers take advantage the rhythms by playing to their plant's strengths and avoiding adding unnecessary stress when the plant is weaker and more vulnerable. An example of working WITH the plant is choosing the best time to prune. Your plant is healthy enough that you CAN prune the top now with little concern your plant will suffer a long recovery because of a lack of food-making machinery (cutting off the leaves). However, when you prune, the plant will back-bud from the crotches (axils) of the leaves remaining on the plant.The new leaf forming in the leaf axil just below the pruning cut is the beginning of a new branch, and predictable after the pruning cut with a great deal of certainty.

Pruning now means the new growth that starts to show in a week or two is going to ALSO be leggy. Ideally, you would wait to prune until about a week before you think you can safely move the plant outdoors - maybe the last week of May, for you in NY. That way, any new growth the plant pushes will have nice tight internodes - the kind you WANT to keep. Then, you get into that rhythm of pruning every year around Memorial Day to get rid of the long, leggy growth that occurred over the winter months. This practice also allows you to shift your mindset from 'all growth is equally valuable and should be retained even if it reduces eye appeal' to 'I'm in charge and I have a vision for how I want my tree to look'.

If you plan on repotting (as opposed to potting up) this summer, we will need to revisit the timing for pruning. If you repot, pruning the top should be done after the repot and when the tree has pushed a little new growth. So the repot would be around Father's Day & the pruning around Independence Day.

There's no major considerations to keep in mind when removing the sprouts near the tree's base. You can do that now. Make the cuts as close to flush with the trunk as possible, even though that practice is at odds with how trees in the landscape are pruned. After removing the sprouts, keep an eye on the area and immediately remove any new growth that will likely occur at the pruning wound sites.

Al

Wow, this is amazing. All of what you're saying, Al, makes so much sense and it's wonderful to meet something who has so much knowledge they can put all of this together! I have read so many articles about it, but lacked the know-how to see how it all came together.

This bit I found especially valuable:
> This practice also allows you to shift your mindset from 'all growth is equally valuable and should be retained even if it reduces eye appeal' to 'I'm in charge and I have a vision for how I want my tree to look'

(I think my primary goal was "not dying" so it's great to feel enough confidence to take the next step!"

I don't think I'll repot this year...do you think this timeline is okay?

Today: remove the sprouts > rooting powder, see what happens, be vigilant around pruning sites
Mid May: prune
Memorial Day: pop him outside
Bit after Labor Day: come back inside
Father's Day 2017: repot
Indy 2017: prune

etc.

You decide what's right for you. What you need to know top make the decision is this: We repot to eliminate the limitations imposed by root congestion on vitality and growth. Limitations appear at about the point where the root mass becomes congested enough that the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact. From that point forward, the limitation becomes more severe as root congestion increases. Potting up can offer some degree of rel;ief from the effects of root congestion, but cannot relieve the limitations entirely, by a wide margin. Once a root system is allowed to reach the point it can be lifted from the pot with soil intact, only a full repot with root pruning can eliminate the limitation - even if we were discussing a tree that could be planted out in the landscape.

If your tree has congested roots, it would be best to repot or pot up in June and plan a repot summer '17. Your schedule looks fine, with the possible exception of when it goes outside. It shouldn't be subjected to temps below 55-60*. So, if you move it outdoors over Memorial Day, be vigilant about the temps - especially night lows, and move the plant indoors accordingly if required. Other than that - your plan is a good one.

You will need to start supplementing nutrition, so let me know if you want guidance in that direction. Light, soil choice/watering habits, and nutritional supplementation are the main factors that will determine how happy you are with the results of your efforts.

Al

Personally, new trunk growth is the Holy Grail of Pachira growing....I long for the day when mine sprouts down low.

I follow the guidelines that Al has described, getting the tree outdoors as soon as safe to do so, re-potting somewhere between the end of May and mid-June, and pruning 2 - 3 weeks after (once the tree has recuperated and begun to exhibit new growth).

Josh

hmm... if lifting out of the pot is the definition, then I guess I should repot this year then! this is a 12" plastic pot (just what he came in), shall I go to a 14" ceramic pot with drainage? I have had him for over a year, he's always been in a well-lit rom but indirectly, weekly waters with miracle gro liquid nutrion infrequently (like every few months). would love thoughts on light, soil choice and watering habits! thank you so much.

If you follow this link, you should find the info very helpful. It will cover light, soils, watering practices, and inspire questions, hopefully.

What are the NPK %s listed on your MG container?

Al

Meg, check this Thread.

Pachira (Money Tree) - Spring re-potting pics

Josh

you guys are the best! wow.

Josh - that was the sweetest comment earlier. now I feel much better about pruning!!

also, thanks so much for sharing that! I actually had read that thread before I started this one and I was 1. terrified of the roots and 2. couldn't figure out why the reporting was necessary. It looked very advanced! There is so much knowledge here - thank you for sharing your repotting. How have you found your soil mix?

Al - thank you for that tremendous thread. What a read. I now have so many questions, way beyond the Pachira.

Bit of background: When the Pachira started doing well, this also inspired me to take on a few more friends and I now have a Bird of Paradise (leaf-singe), Monstera (leaf-singe), maybe 10 succulents (some yellowing, fat leaf collapsing from too much water I think), two orchids (that really don't want to bloom again) and a really gorgeous stag horn fern planted into driftwood (he's quite happy). I'm also growing some tomatoes. I lived in a top floor (5th floor) apartment with North and East facing Windows but it actually gets pretty bright. I let in air, move the guys around for optimal (in my opinion light) and change temperature accordingly. I also have a fire escape, which is where they will hopefully go outdoor. my bedroom and the bathroom are the brightest rooms - so the bird of paradise, monstera (closest to light) and Pachira (furthest from light) live here in the bedroom with me and fern + very large succulent and seedlings in bathroom. We also bought two fiddle leaf figs for the office which are not doing well and definitely likely need a repot looking at their foliage.

I'm very happy to give everyone a repot when it gets a tad warmer. Would love suggestions on soil mix! (and where to order from...I don't have a car so buying anything and carrying it in the subway has been an ordeal...) also, what is the suggestion re: best type of water to use?

I have been using two MGs: a liquid at 12-4-8 and a solid at 6-12-6.

thank you, thank you!

(set up not quite like the below anymore, but you can see the space limitations I'm dealing with!)

bedroom - best light, but not many hours, access to fire escape from here

bathroom - pretty decent light plus good humidity residue. big succulent and snake plant on the windowsill here

and then everyone else goes into the kitchen window sill (same space as the living room, only served by this window). thanks, New York! I only moved in last month so have been painting vigorously and rearranging greenery optimally... welcome any suggestions here!

Meg, that bark, pumice, perlite mix is superb. Water and fertilize without a fear of root-rot. If you can't make your own, you could try a fine-grade "Orchid Mix" and then add a bit more perlite to it. That's my recommended off the shelf mix.

The 12-4-8 MG is the one to use, supplementing with Calcium and Magnesium of course.

Get that Pachira as close to the window as possible.

Josh

I new to planting and I purchased a Money tree because I liked the braided look well needless to say my plant died during the winter I moved it outside hoping for a miracle but two of the 3 braid rotted completely but the one braid that survived is now sprouting what should I do.

notmuchyoucandotherthanletitgrowunlessyouhaveatoolthatwillworktoeatawayatthedeadstemssoyoucanpullthemawayfromlivingtissue

knobcutterabovebelowisabranchsplitterbotharetoolscommonlyusedbybonsaipractitioners

Al