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Money /tree/ Problems

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

So my grandmother was Irish and she had this green thumb that I would kill for. when I was young she had inspired me to grow a wisteria as large as the one in her majestic garden. She gave me a 6" potted wisteria for my twelfth birthday, which sadly died from a most painful fertilizer overdose.

That was just the beginning of this long and unsolved mystery surrounding the unintentional mass murder of anything green under my roof.

So I am here now on your forum, posting a call for help. I have a Pachira aquatica or "money tree" that I purchased at IKEA in Emeryville almost a year ago. I left it in the car on the back seat on a hot California summer day while I had lunch with my girlfriend.

For the record, I've killed a lot of plants. But I've never almost killed a new plant within an hour of buying it. When I returned to the car it was fried. Any leaf touching the glass had turned brown. I immediately felt a bad omen. "Why did you buy a money tree?", I asked myself, with no suitable response.

I transplant it into this pot from ikea that has a gauge for overwatering (who would overwater a plant that much for the gauge to even move??) and take it to my office where I can nurture it back to health. I was able to save two of the three stalks and the new growth came strong and the tree was how it should be.

Then the leaves started to curl.

I stopped watering for 3 weeks to try and stave off root rot. This didn't seem to help. I transplanted and washed off all the dirt and broke off any roots that appeared limp or felt slimey. This didn't leave many...

The new soul was a mixture of 60% homemade compost, 40% sand. I had no idea how heavy I was making this pot. What would I have done without wheels? I pushed the soil/sand away from the trunk of the plant and filled this in with a mixture of wood chips and sand to try to keep residual moisture away from the trunk. i know I wasn't using the right ingredients for this project but it was on a Sunday night and I'm not sure it would have endured another week.

I lightly watered it the day of repotting but haven't watered it since. Now it's been 5 weeks or so and you can see new growth in the attached images, but you will also notice the leaves are pale and twisted.

I'm not sure there is anything i can do to save my plant, but if anyone has any suggestions I would sure appreciate it. Many thanks in advance for the help!

J

Comments (3)

Judson Hanna
Original Author
8 years ago
Photo Synthesis
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I wouldn't have used sand in the mix. I would transplant it into a fast draining soil such as "Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm and Citrus" potting mix. This has excellent drainage and works great for Pachiras.

I would also give it more sunlight. Perhaps a shaded porch at first, then gradually moving it out into brighter light when you see new growth budding out. This would give it time to adjust to the brighter sunlight without getting sunburned. Any new growth will already be used to the more intense sunlight.

I grow mine outside in full, direct sunlight all summer long and keep it well watered during that time. But it has been used to these conditions for many years now. Pachiras love as much sunlight as you can possibly give them, but they'll need time to adjust to it. Especially in such a weakened state. Be patient and don't give up hope. Pachiras are quite hardy and can pull through.
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5 meters from a window? And watered once a week? If it hasn't been dead for a while now, it surely needs more light. Your friend should try 1 meter from the window. Also, which leaves are yellow? The very bottom leaves, or leaves throughout? Josh
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A mix of peat-based cactus soil and peat-based potting soil really won't increase drainage. If you must use a pre-bagged potting mix, cut it with 75 percent coarse Perlite. I, however, recommend a mix of durable ingredients, such as screened bark, turface, and some other grit - quartz, granite, small gravel, scoria, et cetera. In a truly free-draining mix, these plants are a breeze to grow. Josh
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What kind of soil is it in? How big is the pot vs. the tree? In the picture, the plant looks good; a nice, crisp green. But, if you say the leaves are going brown, the obviously you have a problem. The plant is NOT dead though, but obviously there is a problem. If the leaves are browning, I suspect you have a root issue, where the plant isn't taking up water. The funny thing is, overwatering causes it by rotting the roots away, which, as you describe, is what happened to the other ones. It sounds like you may have cut off the watering before the trunk rotted, but the roots are likely rotted. As you know, having defective roots will not allow the plant to take in water, giving symptoms of underwatering. Most people then apply more water, which aids in the rotting process. So, what to do? I personally think that an emergency repot is in line. Although early to do, it's your last shot I think. You could try the cutting thing, but if you are a newbie, as you say, you'll quickly find that rooting cuttings isn't all THAT easy, especially from a plant that is weak. Rooting cuttings relies on the energy stored in the cutting to pop roots out, and a stressed plant doesn't have much energy to spare. I'd cut off the water, and start looking into getting your pachira into a new pot, if needed, and definately new soil; one with good drainage and aeration for the roots. Miracle Grow doesn't fit this description. Please let us know what you intend to do, so we can help you out. If there's one plant that is special to me, it's my pachira, so I'd like to see yours be saved. Joe
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Comments (49)
Hi All, We purchased a money tree a year ago. It was doing great: fast growing, green, lush, and lots of enjoyment. Then, it seemed to be outgrowing its pot, and about two months ago I re-potted it. Now, I am getting yellow leaves (about 1 leaf turns yellow per day). The new growth (top canopy) after the re-pot is also very lime green and droopy. But, there was fast growth at first. I am so worried, I love this plant. I want to care for it before the poor leaves/whatever is wrong spreads. Any advice? Based on the literature, I think the roots are holding too much water. But, I am worried to re-pot into more porous soil, since I just re-potted. I've attached a few pictures to aid in our discussion.
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Joe1980
8 years ago
The pot is too big for the plant, and it's very leggy, indicating a lack of light. I don't recommend using bagged peat moss type soil in any form. Looking into gritty mix or 5-1-1 mix would help your plant immensely.

Joe

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