Hi Josh,

I thought that this plant thrived best with indirect light, is that not the case? It's grown so much and so fast I thought it was going great. Please do let me know if I'm doing it wrong, because I want to make sure it does well.

Hey!

Indoors, they can take as much light as you can give them.

Outdoors, they will burn in direct sun....unless they've been growing in full sun.

Josh

Thanks so much for the advice! I've opened the blinds fully now, so we'll see how much it takes off from here on out. I've read all of the post history here regarding this plant, and I've also adopted the skewer stick in the soil so I don't over water. There's a wealth of knowledge here, I'm glad I found this resource.

I do have another question. Regarding continuing the braid, do I need to trim back the cut stems (you can see them in the picture above) before I continue the braid? I feel it would look better but I'm not sure what it will do to the health of the tree. Also, in the picture above you can see I have put a little "trinket" (it's a little turtle actually) in the pot so I can make sure I turn the plant evenly each week. What do others do to make sure the rotation is even?

Thanks again!

As for rotating, I usually just rotate so that the foliage of the plant is facing the direction desired.

Now, the braid question. That's a little more tricky. As you've noticed, the pruned parts of a Pachira leave a rather unattractive stub. You can clean up the dead wood, but don't go cutting too deeply or it will impact the health of the tree. If you have a dremel tool with a sanding attachment, that would work well to slowly remove, smooth, and clean up those stubs.

Eventually, all the trunks will fuse together and work a single unique trunk, so I wouldn't worry too much about the details right now.

Josh

Hi Josh,

So the trunks will all fuse together but they won't continue braiding unless I do it for them right? I apologize for sounding stupid, I'm just trying to understand everything completely. I love the braided look and want to extend it as high as possible as the tree grows. Thanks again for your patience and knowledge. Also thanks for the dremel suggestion, that's perfect!

Correct, you will need to continue braiding the tender new growth.

The lower older trunks will begin to fuse eventually, while the new green trunks up top will show the braid. It will take many years, but can be sped up with a good mix, lots of water, light, and fertilizer.

Josh

Thanks a ton! I'll keep updating with new pictures from time to time.