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How to take care about Pachira aquatica ?

2 months ago

I bought my first flower, can you advise how to take care of it? I have no experience with flowers, so I'm counting on help.

I've heard that I should water once every week or two. Am I right?

Thanks a lot in advance! :)

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Comments (6)

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
2 months ago
That's a nice looking tree. The first step would be to remove the white wrapper. Then see if the pot has a hole in the bottom. The botanical name "aquatica" tells us it's an aquatic plant so if the soil gets too dry, it will not be happy. But too much water in a pot without a hole could cause the roots to rot (overwatering.) Do you have a spot near a window?
Jagoda Skr
Original Author
2 months ago
Yes, I have a place next to the window. Should the flower be exposed to the sun, is that correct ?
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I'm going to refer you to several recent Threads on this very subject! You're in luck! Probably the most relevant: Pachira (Money Tree) Prune and Growth Progress Recent update on my plant: Pachira (Money Tree) - Spring re-potting pics And the big Pachira Thread (various topics): Sick looking braided Money Tree Josh
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That is a tragic story, indeed! I have done this very procedure many times, so have courage. You can go about this two primary ways: the first is simply to repot the entire tree; the second is to cut off the healthy top and root it, and also repot and hope the trunk and rootmass survive. I think it is imperative that you use a free-draining potting mix. I use bark, perlite, lava rock, and just a little potting mix as a binder/moisture retentive ingredient. And when I say "a little potting mix," I mean less than 10% of the overall mix. If you can't mix your own, I recommend a fine-grade Orchid Mix, to which you will probably add some coarse Perlite. Repot keeping the roots moist at all times, thoroughly water and saturate the new mix when done, and place the tree in outdoor shade if available - no direct sun. Keep the mix uniformly moist with light waterings for at least a week after repotting. You can either repot the tree first, and the cut the top off....or you can cut the top off and repot the tree all at once. It's a bit of a gamble, as I don't know the vitality of the tree, but I have confidence from repeated experience that the top will root (if it is healthy as you describe). I place the cut top in a vase/jar of water, and I wait for white root primordia to appear. As soon as they appear, I transfer the cutting into a container of the same moist, free-draining mix, and I keep it moist while the cutting continues to root. I use #1 nursery containers.
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My "Momma" Money Tree is now about 15 years old and about 10 feet tall. It hates the weather out here in Anaheim where we recently saw 112 degrees Fahrenheit !! I have babies grown from seeds of this tree which are quite happy in the shade. In winter, temperatures are no lower than mid 40's. The little trees I have, get lots of water, no fertilizer (since planted in MiracleGro laced potting soil) and are quite robust. I think I have a couple of grasshoppers who try to munch on the 3 small trees on my porch, otherwise, these trees/plants are quite low-maintenance. I've mailed seeds to people, but they live in quite severely cold climates (Pittsburgh, for one). Southern California is generally fine as long as you keep them out of the sun! The porch "trees" have not been harmed by the 112 degrees, but the "Momma" tree which is out in the full sun, is quite unhappy, with much smaller, yellowish leaves. Poor baby. It was originally bought by me as a "twined" group of several plants; all but one died. This is common as the plants get older. I wouldn't torture the poor plants like that; give them a good chance at life!! The Momma hasn't put out any flowers this year, again probably due to this outrageous weather. At least we don't have fires where I live! The several plants I've given away locally are all thriving in shade or part sun. The seeds here have usually sprout in a week or two, and grow amazingly quickly. The porch trio were planted altogether; I believe I started with about 5 seeds and have 3 robust 2 foot trees now. The trees appear to be deciduous, at least Momma has been, even in the milder Huntington Beach climate where it started. I was shocked to see the leaves all fall when I was in Huntington, not expecting a "tropical" plant to be deciduous! But I left it alone, and lo and behold it got all of its leaves again. In Anaheim, in full sun, the leaves are smaller, yellowish, and fall out in late September. Several branches have died; I hope this valiant tree makes it to next year!
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i agree, this is not the time of year to do any major work on a plant. Try to give the plant strong light and keep it a bit moist, don't let it dry out totally. I grew mine in NY for years. I now live in Florida where it has grown quite large. As Josh explained, they really don't branch well. They tend to grow tall with growth on the top. I have cut mine numerous times and plant a big chop this Spring. But, in my experience they do not really branch. They grow taller and taller. You might be lucky and get a couple of offshoots, but that's rare...at least for me. I honestly don't think they make good bonsai candidate. Al would be the expert on that. But, you can continue to root prune and keep the top cut back so it can live in your house. I strongly recommend putting it outdoors in Spring and let it grow outside. It really makes a big difference. I keep mine under control by root pruning and top pruning every few years. This was taken five years ago growing out on a patio. It had been chopped at least 3x. This is the same tree this past summer (5 years since the above photo). I had just root pruned and repotted. I did not top prune. I will do that this summer. Since this repot it has grown a lot and is now against the screen roof. I plan to prune all the growth off the top to lower the tree and hope to get some side growth. Honestly, not sure how you could bonsai this tree. Jane
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 months ago
it is a plant.. not a flower ... if you treat it good.. maybe it will flower some day ...

heres a lot of links for you ... once you get down past the adverts ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=Pachira+aquatica&ia=web

you water a plant when it needs to be watered.. based on your house... environment.. etc ....

you can not rely on someone elses concept of how to water your plant in your house ...

Al will come along with his tutorial on using TELLS ... one way to tell how much moisture is in your media... is by the weight of the pot ... when its real dry.. the pot will weigh nothing.. relatively speaking ... and the plant will probably be wilting by then ... and not watering until the plant shows some sign of wilt.. will give you a great idea of how often it needs to be watered ...

i water my plants every other week .... IF THEY NEED IT.. and my furnace is running now.. so it dries out the pots pretty quick ...

let us know if there is no drain hole in the pot.. and get it out of the wrapper.. so the pot can properly drain ..

have fun.. its isnt rocket science... just try not to love it to death by over watering it..

ken
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 months ago
btw.... WHERE ARE YOU.. BIG CITY NAME ... oops ...

this might dictate whether it can take full sun thru a window ...

im far enough north that full winter sun thru a window is so weak it cant do much harm at all ...

ken
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
2 months ago
The embedded link will take you to An Overview of Good Growing Practices. If you put the information into practice, it will help you to avoid all the most common pitfalls that encumber nearly every grower on their path to a green thumb.

It will also provide you with a better ability to ask questions, the answers to which will have the greatest impact on your own growing experience.

Al
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
2 months ago
Yes, it should be near the window to get some sunlight.

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