Hey, there! I've been growing these for quite some time, and I've overseen the growing of many others. They can be a fickle tree, but are well worth the effort. I can't add much to what's been written, as the advice is sound. Often, Pachira are sold in near-death condition, and so it may have been declining for a long time. Don't beat yourself up over it. It might be out of your control. As long as the roots haven't rotten, and as long as the trunks are firm, there's a chance. Even if all the leaves fall off, it could still recover. Several of us have lost leaves by putting them in the sun too soon, and the plants regrew a full compliment of foliage. I'll include some links, below, that might give you some ideas for a future approach. With more information, and pictures, we can offer even more specifically tailored advice. 1. This is a Thread I put together on re-potting my Pachira last Spring: Pachira (Money Tree) - Spring re-potting pics 2. This is a massive Thread that has spanned several years. Lots of varied information: Sick looking braided Money Tree 3. And lastly, these are the search results for Pachira Threads, which you might pick through: Pachira Search Results Josh

Ian - Indeed that is wet haydite. I should snap a pic of it dry for comparison. I find it quite attractive in my mix and have used it for top-dressing on a couple of "dressed up" plants that I know have sharp draining soil below. I used to use Turface, which is also an excellent grit, just not as attractive. NY - Trying to ship 40lb sacks might get expensive. I suggest that you let your fingers do the walking! Start with your local parks and recreation dept. Get a number for the dept. that maintains the ballfields. Where you find baseball, you will find turface or haydite. Also, haydite has a website that will assist you in finding the closest retail dealer. Here's a couple of addys to read up on it. www.haydite.com www.youkoubonsai.com/haydite.htm SnB gave you the reason why these type products are so desirable in soil mixes: "this type of top dressing tends to suck up the water more than straight grit. This may make it easier to see when there is still moisture in the soil, which can be handy with winter growers. It will also make the soil dry out faster since there will be continual evaporation from the surface instead of it drying out and trapping moisture." And what it does as top dressing it does throughout the soil when used in your mix. It's smooth and uniform, allowing for quick drainage but holds a tad of moisture for the plant to draw on. It dries quickly and is very is to "read", though as Ian pointed out, it is not 'the soil' that needs water but 'the plant'. HTH - Jo

That looks bone dry to me, the soil doesnt look to good also.

I heartily agree with Dave. That's a nice looking plant. Is the potting mix fine grained and peaty or more coarse grained? Fine grained soils usually stay soggy long after you water, which suffocates and kills the fine roots that are responsible for taking up water and nutrients. The challenge, then, is to figure out how to make sure the roots spend most of their time in an environment that's moist, not saturated with water. As you'll learn by reading the posts Dave linked, the solution is to repot the plant into a fast-draining highly aerated mix that will retain very little or no water after watering. Don't despair, though, because there are ways to keep your plant healthy until next June. First, you need to monitor soil moisture in the bottom of the pot, which is where roots get damaged by excess or 'perched' water. The easy, sharp, and reliable way to monitor moisture is to sharpen a thin dowel (1/4" or 3/8" work well), push it all the way through the soil to the bottom of the pot, and water only when the dowel comes out clean and dry to the touch. A wooden skewer or disposable chopstick work too. Check daily until you know how fast it dries up, at which time you'll know how long after watering it needs to be checked. Once the dowel comes out dry, water evenly and thoroughly so all the soil gets wet, until 10-15% of the water exits the pot. Leave it upright until water stops draining, then prop it up at 45 degrees for 15 minutes; if your drain holes are around the outside of the pot, most of the perched water will drain out while it's tilted, and for spot with a hole in the center it will drain out when you set it upright. Repeat the last step if you think you didn't get it all.