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Hello, Lindu! I responded in the Grower's Practices thread about your Pachira. But I'll add here that the potting mix is not optimal, whether or not it is the cause of the discolored leaves. These plants thrive in a more porous potting mix - something closer to an orchid mix made mostly of bark with perlite and other grit for excellent drainage. Being able to thoroughly water and flush the roots, especially during the Winter, is what makes a porous mix so important.

Josh

Thanks Josh for your answer!
I'll have a look for the new orchid mix soil then. Could you recommend me a good one? Can I repot the tree again? If yes I will change the type of the pot as well for a normal one which is got holes at the bottom because you mentioned you are not a fan of the water reservoir ones.
You asked me about the fertilizer. To be honest I did not fertilize this tree until the previous month. The thing is that I tried to read lots of forums about the pachira aquatica but still not sure what sort of fertilizer shall I use and how often. Is the common plant food one okay? Sorry about all the questions but I'm really worried about my tree and I wanna make sure that this time I will do everything right!
Thank you very much in advance for your time Josh!

Linda

If I put everything together the problem could be underfertilizing and the soil. Since I have this tree it has been always in the same place in the living room where is 4 big window facing it, no direct sun but lots of light, so light wise the tree should be okay..
I'm really newby plant wise so do appreciate all your advice soil and fertilizer wise! I just hope I'm not gonna loose more leaves til I repot it.

I would give it more light. When I grow mine indoors, I place it right next to a South-facing window. Money trees loves lots of bright light. Fertilizing won't do much good if the plant can't properly photosynthesize it. For mine, I use the regular Miracle Gro fertilizer, but not as often as I could.

I planted mine into a self-watering pot going on two years ago. Since then, it has exploded with new growth. The type of self-watering pot I use is one called "Plant Spaâ¢" from Wal-Mart. I had to get the largest one that they sold, because it was the only one that it could fit in to with a little more room to grow. Even tho this is a self-watering pot with a water reservoir, only the bottom "X" of the pot actually sits in it. The "X" is completely surrounded by ventilation slits, allowing the pot to still breathe in fresh air. As long as you use a fast-draining soil with them, you'll never have to worry about your plant's roots rotting. These pots are very cleverly designed. When I water mine, I completely soak all the soil, which drains away pretty fast, leaving the reservoir full of water. Even then, my money tree drinks it all up fairly quickly.

I just went and took this photo to show what the inside looks like. It's of a smaller pot, but it's still the same basic design. I couldn't recommend these pots any higher. They're the only ones I use for almost all of my plants (except for my orchids).

Hi Tommyboy69!

Thank you for all your advice I'll try to move the tree where it can get more light. But not direct right?
My pot is quiet similar to yours but I think in the future I'll definitely go with a regular growpot with holes at the bottom.
Now I'm trying to find the perfect soil, any recommendation?

Josh could you please help me out with the perfect mix please? I found in one of your old thread this mixture:
"The mix is bark, pumice, and perlite" 1-1-1
Is this the mix which I need? I already find the right orchid fine bark, just want to make sure I'm getting the right things....
Thanks again for your time!

I use that Miracle Gro soil for Cacti & Succulents for mine with no problems. They can take direct sunlight, but they have to be slowly acclimated to it at first. If you just stick it out in direct sun, their leaves will get sunburnt. I grow mine outdoors in full sunlight all day long, and it grows just fine. But I gave it time to adjust first, back when I moved it outdoors at the beginning of Spring. Now it loves soaking up as much sunlight as it can get, no matter how hot it gets. Just as long as I keep it well watered. Which in this hot weather, is usually about every other day. Tho, once I bring it back indoors for the colder months, I scale back significantly on how much I water it, letting it dry out somewhat before watering it again.

Okay, so or the orchid compost or a cacti soil. What is the difference between them?
By the way I can not find that Miracle Gro one which you have Tommy here in the UK.
I'm so confused, I just want to make sure I'm gonna do everything right this time. :/
I already ordered a regular growpot, it's gonna be here soon now I just have to find the best soil for it...

Both mixes will work just fine. Both are fast draining and don't hold on to a lot of water. Which is what you're going to want to look for in whichever potting mix you choose to go with. So don't worry yourself over it. :)

Thanks again Tommy for all your help! I'll keep you up to date about the tree!
:-) xx

Without question, the mix of fine orchid bark, perlite, and pumice (lava rock) will outperform any bagged potting mix made of peat moss (such as cacti soil). Drainage and aeration is so essential in the UK, given the limited light, cooler temps, and higher humidity. It's easy to add water....but not always easy to get a pot to dry out in timely fashion. And that's why I stress a free-draining mix.

When preparing the mix ingredients, soak the bark ahead of time, and incorporate some slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote.

It is important to remove all of the old soil to transition to the new mix - and very important to keep the roots moist while you work (fine roots will dry out and die within minutes, and will cause the plant to sulk after the transplant). Setting the root-ball in a large bucket of water as you get the pot and mix ready is a good idea. Also, have someone help you hold the plant level as you re-pot. Build a small mound of mix in the pot, set the root ball on top of the mound, then begin to add the new mix, working it into all the spaces between the roots with something like a chopstick. Don't leave any air-pockets or else the roots will dry and, again, the plant will sulk (and slow recovery).

Josh

Thank you very much Josh for your help! It is quiet hard to find pumice here, but will sort out definitely! So far this one is which I found, hope this one is what I need:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007K0RGM8/ref=gno_cart_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2U8X73B1KRB4O
I checked the roots today and they look okay to me but please have a look at it maybe I'm wrong...

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Sorry this is the right url for the pumice:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumice-gravel-3-5mm-2-Liter/dp/B007K0RGM8/ref=sr_1_2?s=outdoors&ie=UTF8&qid=1406817672&sr=1-2&keywords=Bonsaischule+Wenddorf+pumice+gravel+3+mm

Will do everything exactly how you recommended Josh, I can not be thankful enough!

Hello! I must tell you, there are hardly any roots there at all. Certainly not enough roots to support such a large tree, so the sooner you get it re-potted, the better. I will attach a picture of my Pachira's root-ball (you might have seen it before), just as a comparison of the amount of roots you should be seeing.

I can't tell much about the Pumice gravel, but if it is porous then it should be good to use. Rinse off any dust before mixing the pumice with the bark and perlite.

Given the height of the tree, you might need to use some large stones to hold the tree up while it re-establishes itself in the new mix.

Josh

I already ordered all the ingredients, hopefully they will be here next week, and I will repot it straight away! God, I'm so worried! I'll do everything how you said, there is just one more thing, what is the amount of the osmocote which I should put it in a mix? The pot which I'm gonna use can hold around 12 L of soil..

So that's about a 3-gallon pot (for my reference). I'd start by mixing in 1 full tablespoon of Osmocote. That should be a good start.

Josh

Nice set of roots you've got there, Josh. :)

Yeah, my money tree didn't have many more roots than yours did, Lindu, back when I first bought mine years ago. When I originally repotted it, I had to raise the whole plant up and wedge big rocks around the trunk to support it until they had a chance to establish themselves.

Now I'm on my 2nd repot (into the self-watering pot), and my money tree is bigger than ever. It's already sent out roughly two feet of branch growth all over, and now it looks like it's fixing to do it again. I may have to interve, because it's so big right now. Last year, this tree was difficult enough to move indoors, and then back out, once Spring arrived. Not to mention how much room it took up all Winter long, lol.

Don't be nervous when you go to repot, it'll be a piece of cake. I'm sure your pachira will love its new home and thank you for it. Please keep us informed on your progress.

In this photo, some of the leaves were damaged in a severe thunderstorm that came thru. The winds were so strong, it actually knocked my tree over. Twice. Finally, I left it lying down until it passed over. Considering the damage other areas of the city received, I guess I was pretty lucky.

Good luck with your money tree! :)

Lookin' good, Tommy!
I've already pruned my tree once this season (after a nasty sunburn), and it's shot out another burst of branches.

Josh

....of course, I didn't leave the root-ball in that state of binding when re-potting. I pruned (actually tore) a good amount of the roots and opened them up. Here's a shot of the roots after loosening....

Josh

Yeah, I pretty much did the same for mine when I repotted it. I knocked off all the loose soil and then blasted it with the garden hose sprayer. That loosened them up and washed off all the old soil. Pachiras are pretty forgiving when it comes to repotting them.

Nice Pachira Tommy! I'll definitely keep you up to date about my tree boys! Fingers crossed for me that everything is gonna be al right!
Thank you very much once again for all your help Josh and Tommy!

Linda

Hello again!

So I finally managed to get everything which I need for the gritty mix. Just one more question Josh: I just have an 1/8 sieve. Am I keeping those particles which is left on the top? All the particles are around 3-5mm size and the bark is fine.
Thanks for your time!

Linda

Hello! Yes, you will keep the particles that are larger than 1/8 inch. Good luck! Soak your ingredients ahead of time, and get a helper if you can. Keep those roots wet to prevent transplant shock :-)

Josh

Will do Josh, thanks a lot!!!
When do I add the osmocote to the soil, before or after the soak?
And I think this was my really last question. :))

Linda

After the soak.

Josh

Thanks again!

Linda

Hello Josh & Tommy!

The repot is done. Phew! :)
I was a bit worried because this was my very first time to do a thing like this, but I think I did everything right. There was just one thing: the pumice was slightly smaller than the other particles (1/8) but there was no other option for me to get biger ones. I even had to order it from Germany from a Bonsai shop.
Anyways I did everything just like Josh said, so hopefully from now on the tree will be really happy! :-)
Please have a look at the pictures boys, what do you think?

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I read about the fertilizer, that Foliage-pro is really good. I will order it from ebay just not sure when shall I start to use it, after I did put this full tablespoon osmocote into the new soil today..

Linda

Looks good, Linda!
In two weeks, you can resume fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer. The Osmocote should give you some overlap, and you can start with a reduced strength dose of fertilizer.

Josh

Will do Josh! Thank you again for all your help!! I will keep you updated about the tree. :-)

Linda

Hi Josh!

Finally received my foliage-pro from the USA. When you saying reduced strenght fertilizer what do you mean? The foliage pro's label say to add a table spoon to a gallon water. Shall I half it?
Thanks for your time!

Linda

Hello!
That's great to hear that it arrived!
For half-strength, you will use 1/2 Teaspoon per gallon of water.

Josh

Great, Thanks again Josh! :)
Will keep you up to date!

Linda

Hello Boys!

How I promised I'm here to keep you updated.
Everything was okay with the tree until 2-3 weeks ago when it started to turn yellow again. I went for a holiday and I did asked my room mate to take care of the tree. She said she did everything how I asked (watering with a half strength fertilizer once in a week, around 1 litre per watering). I don't think it's overwatering...We lost lots of leaves again and I really don't know what else can I do, what is went wrong again. Will post some pics as well. Please Josh if you have any idea what is what we are doing wrong let me know asap because I'm really worried about the tree! Thanks in advance for your time!
Linda

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Well, if I had to guess.....overwatering. Just a guess, though.

Could also be the lack of light to support that much foliage.

It might be time to increase the fertilizer, as well.

Stick a wooden kabob skewer into the soil, a couple inches from the edge of the pot, and use that to determine how well the soil is drying out. If damp and or wet, resist the temptation to water.

Josh

My guess would have to be a lack of sufficient light. If it can't provide enough energy to support that many leaves, it will sacrifice the leaves that receive the least amount of light to photosynthesize properly.
Mine is still growing outdoors for the moment, but once I bring it back indoors, it eventually sheds some of its leaves as well. Not right away, but will eventually. Even tho it's near a South-facing window, it still doesn't receive as much light as it does when it's outdoors.

I moved the tree into our room where hopefully can get some more light. Picture attached. Just the little right side window which is South-facing, and because there is a bigger building next to us it does not get direct sunshine after 11.30 am. If you say that is not enough there is gonna be another solution which is move it to my room mates room which is the brightest with a bigger South-facing window. But I hope it's gonna be okay with the new place with us.
I will keep an eye on the watering as well, but I always used skewer before... How many times do you water yours and how much water you give?

Linda

That looks like the perfect spot for it. I wish that I had a bay window like that for mine, HaHa. Even if it only gets indirect sunlight after 11:30. Now that the Sun is moving south for the winter, mine gets indirect/dappled sun throughout most of the day now.

As for watering, I water mine about once a week. More frequently during the summer, and less during the winter. I don't check the soil in mine, but I've had my Pachira for so long now that I guess I can read its needs fairly accurately by now.

Yours looks pretty happy, and will definitely be even happier in its new location. :)

My Pachira is still outdoors, as well (pic included).

I water every 3 - 5 days, sometimes every 2 days when the Summer weather is really hot. But I use a very porous, fast-draining mix that mitigates any chance of rot, so I water and fertilize freely.

Your window does look very nice. I think it will be fine.

Josh

Your tree looks really good Josh!
Thank you very much again for all your help Josh & Tommy, looking forward to see how happy my tree will be in it's new location!
Will keep you updated boys!

Linda