Money tree

Money tree: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright small tree, 1–2 m tall indoors and about 1 m wide, with a crown of leaves at the top.

Stem

Green to greyish brown and swollen at the base, where it stores water. Several young stems are often braided together.

Leaves

Palmately compound, with 5–9 glossy, oblong leaflets of 10–20 cm on a long stalk.

Flowers

It hardly ever flowers indoors. In the wild it bears large flowers with a brush of long, creamy white stamens that open at night.

Fruit

In the wild a large, woody capsule with seeds that look like chestnuts.

Plants: March–April · Pruning: March–April

Why grow it?

• An easy, decorative houseplant that grows into a small tree over the years.
• The braided stems make it an eye-catcher in the living room.
• Glossy, hand-shaped leaves that stay fresh green all year.
• Copes with a spot some way from the window and with the odd missed watering.
• Known to be non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Money tree: where does it grow best?

• Bright light to partial shade: a light spot without harsh midday sun. It is happy with some morning or evening sun.
• Warm: 18–24 °C, never below 12 °C. No cold draughts and not against a cold window.
• Normal room humidity is fine, but in very dry air the leaf edges turn brown.
• Give the pot a quarter turn now and then so that the crown grows evenly.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Sparingly or moderately

Size

2 m tall, 1 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 12 °C

Goes well with

• Swiss cheese plant: Large, cut leaves for a tropical corner, in the same light spot without harsh sun.
• Fiddle-leaf fig: Another tree-like houseplant with big leaves that, like the money tree, dislikes being moved.
• ZZ plant: An easy plant to stand beside it that also needs little water.
• Snake plant: Stiff, upright leaves beside the rounded crown; also content with little water.

Money tree: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, every 2–3 years or when roots grow out of the pot.
2. Choose a pot only 2–4 cm wider, with a drainage hole: in a pot that is too big the compost stays wet for too long.
3. Use free-draining houseplant compost mixed with one third perlite, coarse sand or fine bark.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before: the swollen base of the stems should not be buried any deeper.
5. Water until it runs out of the bottom and empty the saucer after a quarter of an hour.

Care

Watering

Water thoroughly when the top 3–4 cm feels dry. Never leave water in the saucer or outer pot. Even less in winter.

Feeding

From April to September, houseplant feed at half strength every 3–4 weeks. None in winter.

Leaves

Wipe the dust off with a damp cloth. In very dry air a tray of pebbles and water helps.

Braided stems

Remove the tie or wire around the stems as soon as it starts to cut in.

Repotting

Every 2–3 years in spring, in airy, free-draining compost.

Tip: Underwater rather than overwater, and always check after watering that no water is left standing in the outer pot. That keeps the braided stems healthy.

Money tree: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April.

When: In March–April, when it gets too tall or too sparse. Otherwise no pruning is needed.

How:

• Cut over-long shoots back to just above a leaf joint: new shoots grow from there and the crown fills out.
• Cut off yellow or damaged leaves at the base of the leaf stalk.
• Use the trimmed tips as cuttings.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Tip cuttings

In spring or summer, take 10–15 cm tips with a few leaves. Put them in moist cutting compost or in water, keep them warm (22–25 °C) and under plastic. Roots form in 4–8 weeks.

Seed

Fresh seed germinates readily at 25 °C, but it is rarely on sale and soon loses its viability.

Money tree: how does it get through the winter?

• Indoors all year: it cannot take frost and already suffers below 12 °C.
• In winter give little water and no feed; let the compost dry out well between waterings.
• Keep it in a light spot, away from cold windows, draughts and hot radiators.
• Some leaf drop in winter is normal, especially in low light or after a move.

Diseases and pests

• Stem rot: Soft, wrinkled or brown patches on the stem and a musty smell, caused by wet compost. Water less. Cut out a rotten stem in a braid; the others often survive.
• Leaf drop: After a move, a draught, cold or less light, it sheds leaves. Give it a permanent spot and it will grow new ones.
• Yellow leaves: Usually overwatering. Let the compost dry out between waterings and check for water in the outer pot.
• Red spider mite: Fine pale speckles and webbing in dry air. Shower the plant and raise the humidity.
• Mealybug and scale: White woolly tufts or brown scales on stems and leaves. Wipe them off with a cotton bud dipped in a little alcohol.

Through the year

• January: Little water, no feed. Light spot, away from cold windows.
• March: Prune if it has grown too tall. Repot.
• April: Repot or prune. Resume feeding every 3–4 weeks.
• May: Feed. Take tip cuttings.
• June: Feed. Water thoroughly when the surface is dry.
• July: Feed. Watch for red spider mite in hot weather.
• August: Feed. Dust the leaves.
• September: Last feed.
• October: Water less. Move away from cold windows.
• December: Little water. Away from hot radiators.

Did you know?

• Many plants sold as Pachira aquatica are actually the closely related Pachira glabra. It makes no difference to their care.
• The seeds look like chestnuts, which is why it is also called Malabar chestnut in English.
• The name aquatica refers to its natural habitat: swamps and riverbanks that regularly flood.