Pachira (Money Tree) - shoots on roots
hello,
I have had a lot of new growth onto the roots of my Pachira recently and wondering if I should clip these off? I have no plans to root them so wonder if they are sapping away resources the main plant could use.
I have been experiencing some yellowing (never happened before) almost immediately after I moved apartments - this guy is in a similar situation, bright indirect light, infrequent watering, but I guess he hasn't really gotten the hang of the new location! hence trying to do whatever I can to help. my guy is approaching 5 feet tall!
thanks!
Comments (16)
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Pachira (Money Tree) NOT Growing for 2-3 months
Comments (6)My Pachira sits in a VERY sunny window, recieving direct sun pretty much from sunup to sundown. My setup is ideal in that the shelf that my sun loving plants sit atop is located directly in front of a southwest window, with a southeast sliding glass door immediately adjacent to it. This leads to all day sun, and even with that, my Pachira only popped one small leaf out all winter. It has now started to put out small, new leaves. Have no fear, it WILL start growing. As for the part about them being fussy, I woudld have to disagree. Mine has been a joy, for about 8 years or so now. It typically grows about 6 feet per year, which I cut back in spring. Last year though, I put it in barkless gritty mix, and regulated the fertilizer a bit to keep the rampant growth down. The best tip I have though, is to watch your watering. Although they are a wetlands plant, that logic does not apply in container culture. They dislike wet feet, and WILL rot if you overwater. Also, if you grow in bagged soil like Miracle Grow, you will likely find unhealthy roots, especially in the middle of the rootball. This adds to the threat of rotting. Josh has it right in his last paragraph, in fact, he has it perfect. Joe...See MorePachira (Money Tree) Problem. Should I Propagate to Save it?
Comments (11)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...See MoreIt hursts so that my Pachira Aquatica "money tree" plant is hurting so
Comments (5)Your plant is providing you with indications it has an unhappy root system (I looked at the video), and a healthy plant isn't possible unless the roots are happy. FWIW, the overwhelming % of growers who arrive here seeking help are here because of issues related to poor root health/function. If you can't water your soil to the point where it's fully saturated and at least 15-20% of the total volume of water you applied during the watering process has exited the drain hole, your soil is a limiting factor and you'll be fighting it for control over your plant's health until you get the plant into something more appropriate. Simply adding a large fraction of perlite to an already inappropriate soil is a step in the right direction, but all you end up with is an inappropriate soil with a lot of perlite in it. Additionally, you have the fact that Feb thru Apr are probably the worst months to consider repotting to work around. The extra soil volume you added is counterproductive at this point (increases the impact of issues related to excess water retention), so I think I would probably remove the recently added soil and return the plant to it's old pot, after inspecting the roots for rot and correcting any issues I discover. Then, I would flush the soil thoroughly and learn how to deal with the excess water retention until mid to late Jun when I would repot into something more appropriate. There is more to talk about and more specific instructions, but I'll hold on that until I learn whether or not you're interested in following a course that approaches the situation from the plant's POV, which is essentially making sure the things that are most likely to be limiting your plant are fixed. Al...See Morefew questions on Pachira (money tree) and ficus elastica
Comments (12)1) When your plants get to the point the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, they will benefit from repotting and root pruning. Left to their own devices beyond that point of congestion, the plant will begin to decline, and potting up can't reverse the decline - only relieving the root congestion can. This is the guideline that every nurseryman knows, even if they don't always follow - a $ thing due to the cost of repotting. Instead, a vigilant plantsman whose living depends on the sale of plants will pot up BEFORE the root congestion reaches the stage noted. This eliminates the need to repot, but eventually the container size will be so large you'll want to do a full repot, which is one reason it's better to include regular root maintenance as a regular part of your plant plan. There is no need to trim laterals if you repot/ root prune. You can always take them off - putting them back on is harder. 2) A physiologic process called guttation causes the droplets of sap from the xylem nutrient stream. They contain a solution of sugar (the plant's food) and nutrients in water taken up by the roots. The mites can be removed with a sharp blast of water or a spritz of rubbing alcohol and water mixed 50/50. Be sure to cover ALL surfaces, including leaf axils. Please don't use dish detergent as a spray for mites. We know for certain that harsh detergents dissolve waxes in the leaf cuticle and are especially harmful to roots if the solution drips or is applied to the soil. The plant uses cuticular wax to make the leaves waterproof, and to keep pathogens from getting at the leaf. If a high concentration of detergent is used, the detergent will even remove the cell membrane of the the leaf cells, killing them. Roots don't have a waxy cuticle, as their function is to absorb water. Detergents dissolve the lipid membrane that surround root cells, which kills these outer cells, and prevent the plant from absorbing water and nutrients. Root hair cells absorb all of the water and nutrients the plant needs, and these would be first killed by detergent. If you're going to use something soapy, invest in some insecticidal soap, which is based on potassium fatty acids and safer for plants. 3) Inspect the plant below ground to determine if you have many branches emanating from nodes beneath the soil or several individual plants - then make your determination as to how you want to proceed. Al...See MoreMeg
6 years ago
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agoMeg - 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.
AlMeg
6 years agoMeg
6 years agohmm... 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.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoMeg thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)Meg
6 years agoyou 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
living room - very low light - only moved monstera here for the photo... light borrowed off bedroom
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!
Francena Griffin
last yeartapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last yearlast modified: last yearnotmuchyoucandotherthanletitgrowunlessyouhaveatoolthatwillworktoeatawayatthedeadstemssoyoucanpullthemawayfromlivingtissue
knobcutterabovebelowisabranchsplitterbotharetoolscommonlyusedbybonsaipractitioners
Al
MrBlubs