Hey. I just bought a pachira aquatica from a store and im not sure how to raise it. I am thinking along the lines of: water once a week mist once a week 3-5" pot braided indirect sunlight in summer/winter; direct in spring/fall watered from bottom apparently it is native to wetlands so i am going to try more water...i hope it grows for a long time. is it bad to have a few shriveled leaves here and there? Also: it came with a tie to keep it braided; i loosened it and i saw indents in the trunk! will that harm the tree? Just in case i loosened it. Thanks ahead, A.B.

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

The true measure of growth is not in how tall your tree gets or how long the branches are; rather, growth is measured by the increase in the trees mass, more specifically its dry weight. Trees grow fastest when cultural conditions (light, fertility, soil choice, watering habits, .....) are optimal. Plants make their on food via photosynthesis, so the more leaves on the tree the more food it makes and the faster the growth rate; so pruning is the enemy of true growth. Something called inosculation will occur with the plaited trunk. That's a fancy word for fusing or approach grafting. Before long (in tree time) you won't be able to tell the trunk was plaited. The existing plaiting was planned and the tree grown in such a way that it facilitated the plaiting. Any attempt you might make is much more likely to end in disappointment (from the perspective of eye appeal), so you're best bet is to enjoy watching the existing plait form a single trunk. Trees have outgrown their pot when the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact. At about that point, root congestion begins to exert limitations on growth and vitality. These limitations are permanent unless lifted by manually relieving the congestion through root pruning. Much of the information you read is from people simply repeating what they read somewhere or what they've been taught by someone who read something somewhere. Unfortunately, this is how myths and misinformation are perpetuated, and trying to untangle all the conflicting information can be a daunting task. One thing beginners usually fall prey to is trying to implement every single idea that sounds good to them. Growing well isn't that hard. If you get the soil right so you can keep roots happy, can provide appropriate light and temperature, the rest is easy. Fertilizing is even a snap if you're using a soil you can water correctly. Make sure you have the basics right before you embark on a side trip that includes any magic methods or elixirs replete with promises of miracles. Click me for more help. Al

Jane I feel for you. I had the same situation with my Duranta. Like you I brought it with me from KY when we moved here. I had it in a 30 gallon pot for the last five years and every couple years had to wrestle it out of the pot, cut part of the rootball off, cut a good part of the top off and repot it. It finally got too big to keep doing this and too heavy to wheel in the GH so we planted it in the ground a few weeks ago. They don't like temps below 40 so I'm sure I'll have to cover it a few nights in the winter.