A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 My Money tree is sick!

Recently my money tree began growing new stems and leaves and the old, large beautiful leaves began to brown and wilt on the edge and then fall off. I have placed a dish with pebbles and water under the pot for humidity and I water the pot whenever the soil is completely dry. I also fertilize very sparingly. The plant is against my north facing wall and about 12 feet from the window so it recieves light all day, but no direct light. Any suggestions on how to stop these leaves from wilting and falling off?

I had a money plant with very similar problems. I transplanted it into a larger pot with fresh potting soil and that helped tremendously. Other than that, your care of the money plant is good, so that should be continued. You can also try giving it more sunlight and consequently more water.

Also, how old is the soil? If it is more than year old, give it some fresh stuff.

Hi Rob,

The reason your Pachira is dropping leaves is because the plant is not receiving enough light. Pachiras need bright indirect light - 12 feet from a north facing window is not enough light. Move your plant directly in front of the window and you'll soon see an improvement.

Water when the top 1/4 of soil is dry.

Houseplants generally do better when they are moderately rootbound - unless the plant requires watering more frequently than every 3 days, you are better to leave it in its original pot. Repotting often leads to overwatering and root rot. Replacing the soil is unnecessary at best and, at worst, could do more harm than good with an ailing plant. Avoid fertilizing the Pachira. Even healthy houseplants consume very few nutrients, less when they are ailing. Fertilizers are not medicine and should only be given to healthy, actively growing plants.

Cricket

Thank you for the reply! I have placed my money tree in our window area and hope for the best. I also was wondering if the size of the pot is correct. It is still in its original plastic pot of size dimensions: 3.5 inch diameter by 4 inch depth with original soil from where I bought it. The tree is probably now 1 foot tall. Should I get a bigger pot or keep the same? Thanks!

Hi,

I was reading that the "Money tree" is a fresh water swamp plant. Doesn't that mean it would want a bunch more water than most houseplants?

Hi Rob,

The decision to repot should be based on what's happening below the soil surface, not the visible part of the plant. Different plants have different root structures. Some species can grow quite large yet have small, delicate roots, while others have larger roots that belie the plant's small size. Ideally roots should fill about 80% of the pot volume, soil 20%. Don't be afraid to slip the plant out of the pot to inspect the root system. (It's amazing what you can learn about the health of your plants by inspecting roots!)

Another guideline that is commonly used is how frequently the plant needs to be watered. If you are watering less frequently than every third day, chances are the plant doesn't need repotting. A plant that needs watering more often will still be okay in the same pot but most people (myself included ) don't care to water that frequently. If you decide to repot, do so in a pot 1-2" larger.

Now have I confused you even more?

I am having the same trouble as the original poster. I spent (too much) money on the money tree and had it on my patio for a few days. The big leaves began shedding almost immediately! Two days ago, I took the plant (about two feet high) into the house. I trimmed it and put it near a window. I am watering sparingly and misting it daily. It seems better now. New growth looks healthy. But it continued this morning to lose a couple of leaves (an improvement over the last few days.) Any advice? I've never owned this plant before and I hate to lose this baby.

i have tried the seeds to this plant i get it to sprout after two leaves it just dies.what could i be doing wrong?

This is one scary scary plant! I moved it to my "hospital" - the guest room shower that has a large window in it. Just today, I had to trim off NEW GROWTH (it killed me!!) b/c the little leaves had turned brown. I'm thinking misting daily and water very very sparingly, Joanne...I'm really upset about it, because it looked full and beautiful in the store (Home Depot) outside. It's lost about 80% of its' leaves. Some of the newer (not newest) leaves are doing well, though...??

Has ANYONE had success with this plant?

I think I may have turned the corner on this plant. It is looking MUCH better, and has a few new leaves sprouting. Even the existing leaves that are fairly new, are growing beautifully. I think my problem was overwatering. I'm still misting daily, and that seems to be encouraging new growth.

I was "killing it with kindess", I guess!!

I have one of these plants that I bought at the grocery store. It was about a foot tall and had just a few leaves. I have had it now for about two years and it is enormous! I don't do anything special for it and only water it when it seems dry. It is in a south facing window and seems to like it very much! I love this plant! I am new here but if someone would tell me how to post a picture of it I would love to do so.

Lori

Mamalori,

Hi and Warm Welcome!! I see you're from the North Shore. My youngest daughter lives in Southy & loves her life in Boston.

Here's the link to our instructions for posting pictures . The thread is located under the Welcome Wagon/New Members area. If you have any trouble, just send me a private message by clicking on the envelope icon on the top of this post.

Can't wait to see what a healthy "Money tree" looks like!

If there's one thing I've learned from owning my Pachira, it's that these trees are a learning process. I bought my Pachira about two years ago. I was working at the Home Depot at the time, and someone had returned it claiming that it was dead. There were still leaves on the poor little thing, and since it became a write off item anyway, I decided to care for it at work until I eventually bought it. I will say this, that is one resiliant plant. I brought Henry, as I like to call him, home to live with me, and unfortuately my cat had a great time tearing up the leaves. Not only that, the leaves began to die, and the soil quickly became home to little flies. Eventually I learned that the flies were a result of overwatering, and the development of a fungus in the soil. Truthfully, I had given up home for Henry at my house, because the only place I was able to keep him safe from my cat was my dark office. Eventually I landed a great job and an office with a huge window and I brought Henry to work. I can't even believe the difference. That plant started out withered and dying, he was torn to shreds by my cat, and infested with flies, and since that time Henry has at least tripled in size and every day I swear there is another leaf. So what I have learned is only to water him when the soil is completely dry on top, keep him close to a bright window, but not somewhere where the sun is going to beat directly on the leaves and burn them. When a leaf starts to turn yellow it usually indicates over watering, so I pull these leaves off and lay off the water for four or five days, and this always seems to resolve the problem, and I try to change the soil every 8 months or so. One thing I think is important to note is that when you change the soil try to do it quickly and without moving the plant. For instance if you are like me and have a pachira at work, don't bring it home to change the soil, bring the soil to work. I brought Henry home once to change the soil and the stress of the moving cause the leaves to turn overnight. I have upgraded the pot size for my pachira three times, and just this afternoon bought an even larger pot for him. The leaves are getting so large that I suspect the roots must be starting to get a little cramped. I will let everyone know how that works in case you are wondering what repotting in a larger pot will do. So far, the transitions to larger pots has not been a problem.

I am happy to talk about my Pachira anytime! I will also post a picture shortly for everyone to see!

Welcome, Baby Green, & you've captured MY interest!! What an amazing story of survival, that Henry is. And you are so persistant as to not give up on the (not so little) fella. Wow!!

My Pachira is doing so very much better. I put her in the guest room shower on the shower seat and most importantly, STOPPED OVERWATERING!! This forum has been a lifesaver, reminding me to use my water moisture meter. I only water her when dry. After new leaves began to sprout, I moved her into my "indoor garden area" near a Northwest facing window. So, Pachira and I are both doing better. Now I'm waiting for my good luck and money to roll in, as it is also called a Money tree!!

Very anxious to see your pictures...

Hello,

I have the same problem: my pachira tree is suddenly losing its leaves, and even the "baby" leaves die immediately. Lots of the leaves have very tiny brown dots or they are entirely yellow or brown.

I think it sometimes gets burnt (it's close to the window directed to the South because there isn't much light in the appartment), sometimes too much water perhaps (I water it once a week) and sometimes too little, when I forget it... (I should buy a sprayer as some of you suggest). I'll try to save my tree by following your advice, although I'm not so sure yet what I should change (how much light and water, repot it or not,...).

But I have a more specific question: my pachira plant has got new leaves on the stem now. Perhaps because it wants to save itself? Is this ok or should I remove them? From an aesthetic point of view, it's a bit weird, because they are really very low on the stem. Could these leaves on the stem be harmful to the rest of the tree?

Lucie

Hi!
I have a few questions if anyone has the time...
What kind of soil should I be using for my Pachira? I've got regular soil in there, but should I switch to a cactus type soil? It's not really "drainy" in there, but I haven't had any real issues. Just the typical overwatering which makes the leaves go brown and fall off.
Secondly, I've read a lot of misting on this thread. Why do you all spray the plant with a mister? Does that do something for the plant?
I've had my plant for over a year now. Whatever I've been doing has been working I've never fertalized it, tho. Should I?
Any help would be wonderful!
And I would also like to add that after searching the internet for any type of helpful info on this plant, this site was the only useful one! I'm so glad to have found you guys