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Prune money tree


How to Care for and Grow Your Braided Money Tree — Plant Care Tips and More · La Résidence

Braided Money Tree

AKA pachira aquatica

A symbol of good luck and prosperity, the Braided Money Tree is a gorgeous indoor tree that can grow up to eight feet tall. Learn the basics of caring for this plant including light requirements, watering frequency, and how to troubleshoot common problems you may encounter along the way.

What kind of light does the Money Tree need?

This plant prefers bright indirect light, though they can adjust to medium levels of light. Keep them out of direct sunlight, as too much of it can scorch their leaves!

How to water your money tree

Let your plant dry out between waterings. Water thoroughly when topsoil is dry, usually once a week. Avoid overwatering, and note that your watering schedule may be less frequent during winter months.

Growth

In prime conditions, this plant is a fast grower and can reach up to eight feet tall indoors (and 60 feet tall in the wild!). Fertilize your Money Tree 1-2 times per month in the spring and summer with indoor plant food, or foliar feed year round.

Common problems with Braided Money Trees

Why Are My Braided Money Tree's Leaves Turning Yellow?

Why Are My Braided Money Tree's Leaves Wrinkling?

How to maintain a beautiful and healthy Braided Money Tree

Take care of your Money Tree and it will take care of you! Below are simple tips to continue caring for your Money Tree over time.

Pruning Money Trees

Remove dry or dead leaves all year round, but save any major pruning for the spring and summer months. When pruning your plant, take a step back and look at the entire shape of the canopy, and determine which branches to remove to give it to restore an even, balanced shape. Use sharp, clean shears and cut any excessive growth at the base of the stem.

Cleaning Your Plant

The leaves of this plant are delicate. Mist regularly to keep dust off the plant, but if it gets to be extra dusty, carefully clean each leaf with a damp cloth.

How to Repot a money tree

Houseplants grow much slower than they would in the wild. Depending on the size of your plant and the density of the roots, this is nice to do every couple years to provide fresh nutrients and encourage new growth.

How to propagate a Braided Money Tree

There are many debates around how to successfully propagate a Money Tree. That said, it is a simple process if you take your cutting from the correct place. Follow these instructions to propagate your Money Tree:

Illustrations by our talented plant stylist, Kailie Barnes

Braided Money Tree

Considered a powerful symbol of good luck and prosperity, this indoor tree has a meticulously-braided trunk under a beautiful canopy of leaves which expand with time.

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Care GuideLéon & GeorgeBraided Money Tree11 Comments

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How, When, and Why to Prune Your Money Tree

Money Tree plants (Pachira Aquatica) are easy plants to grow indoors. I have three of them in my house! And while these plants may start out relatively small, they can grow quickly and spread out in sometimes-odd ways. From time to time, they require some strategic pruning to keep them looking the way I want. Luckily, Money Trees are not difficult to prune, and they even benefit from the process. 

When pruning a Money Tree, you should have your end goal in mind and plan your cuts accordingly. You can prune a Pachira Aquatica to maintain or create the ideal size and shape or encourage healthy new growth. Some maintenance pruning is required year-round to remove imperfect, dying, or dead growth. 

Pruning a plant can be intimidating. You might be worried about cutting too much or accidentally damaging the tree, but never fear: Pachira Aquatica is very tolerant of pruning. If you have ever wondered how to prune a Money Tree, this article will give you the basics of when and why, along with step-by-step instructions on the best way to do it. Read on!

Why Money Trees Need to Be Pruned 

Money Trees are, as the common name implies, actually trees. They are a member of the chestnut family and can produce edible chestnuts when grown in the wild. In addition to Pachira Aquatica’s most common name, Money Trees can also be labeled as Guiana Chestnuts, Malabar Chestnuts, Saba Nuts, and several other names. 

Pachira Aquatica is a plant native to South and Central America, where it grows in wetlands. Because of that, Money Trees well-draining soil and a good amount of sunlight. However, this plant can tolerate low light and infrequent watering, making it great for beginners.   

Outdoors, they can grow as tall as 60 feet, but their maximum height will be much shorter when grown as houseplants. Even so, this plant can easily reach ceiling height if it is given the right conditions. That’s why people who are raising this plant indoors often find they need to cut it back to a more reasonable size. 

People prune Money Trees for multiple reasons. Depending on the size or state of your tree, you may be hoping to reach one of three goals:

To limit the size or change the shape: Pruning the top of this plant encourages it to grow more from the lower part of the stem, resulting in a less tree-like plant in appearance. Money Trees have a tendency to get leggy around the top, so many people prefer to keep upper leaves trimmed back for a more balanced appearance.

To encourage new growth or a fuller shape: New stems will very likely emerge from the node below where you cut, allowing the plant to branch out and develop fuller growth.  

To maintain a healthy appearance by removing old, damaged, or dead growth: Regularly removing any yellowing or dry pieces of this plant is part of maintenance pruning, which I’ll cover in more detail below. This keeps the plant looking tidy and focuses its energy and resources on healthy new growth.

Some people who grow Money Trees indoors never choose to prune it at all, and that’s also a valid option. As with any plant, each specimen of Pachira Aquatica will develop its own growth pattern. If you like the way this plant grows naturally, there is no need to force a serious pruning on it. You can just pinch out any unhealthy leaves as you see them and leave it to develop its unique growth pattern.

When is it Time to Prune a Money Tree?

If you think it might be time to prune your Money Tree plant, you’re probably right. When garden centers sell these plants, they are usually already pruned into a tidy, pleasing shape that might look like a small tree or bush and often have several trunks braided together.

However, this plant can soon produce growth that doesn’t fit into the neat pattern it had when you bought it. You may see a stem growing sideways away from the plant or a tall spindly one sprouting above the rest of the leaves. These abnormalities can add to the plant’s charm or make them look like a mess.

Most pruning is meant to improve or maintain the Money Tree’s appearance, although (as you will see below) some types of pruning are intended to benefit the plant’s health. You should not feel bad about pruning a Pachira Aquatica to get the look you want, as being pruned is not damaging to this plant.

No matter the reason, it is best to do all major pruning in the spring or early summer. This is because your plant will be in a state of active growth at that time. When the weather turns colder, most plants enter dormancy and work to conserve their energy for the warmer months of the year. Pruning at the beginning of the growing season will ensure your plant has enough energy to focus on healing and won’t suffer from the small amount of stress a cutting can bring.

If you only need to remove a leaf or two that has begun to yellow or brown, that can be done at any time of year. Simply pinching back leaves will not stress your plant.

Pruning When Your Money Tree is Getting Too Big or Tall

If you want to change the size or shape of your Pachira Aquatica, structural pruning is the method that will give the fastest and most dramatic results. This type of pruning involves removing significant portions of the Money Tree, which can be stressful for the plant. It’s essential to approach this with a clear plan, so you don’t have to do it too often.

Pruning a Money Tree that is too tall is the most common reason people need to prune this plant. Money Trees have a tendency to grow leggy or thin stems from the top that detract from the umbrella-like canopy of leaves that are closer to the central trunk.

In this case, simply use your garden shears to trim the top stems. Cut just above a node since cutting elsewhere will leave a random piece of stem sticking up that will never generate new growth. Usually, a new stem will generate from the node where you have pruned it, so you may need to cut these parts back occasionally. 

For more information on keeping Money Trees small, check out this article from our site that gives you tips for table-top trees.

Pruning a Money Tree for Shape

Often a Money Tree will start to sprout stems and leaves near the bottom of the trunk, which takes away from the tree-like shape that many people prefer. In this situation, you can remove the unwanted growth by cutting it about an inch away from the trunk (being careful not to cut the trunk itself). You don’t need to worry about a node since you want to discourage any new growth in this area.

On the other hand, maybe you are trying to encourage more growth from a specific part of your Money Tree. In this case, you can prune your tree in a way that encourages new growth in a specific direction. 

New growth will emerge from the next node below where you cut, so if you want to encourage outward growth, cut above a node that is facing out. To get more upward growth, cut above a node that is oriented up or toward the middle of the plant.

If you want to read more about shaping your Money Tree, this article has tips for helping grow trees taller, straighter, fuller, and more.

Root-Pruning a Money Tree to Keep it Small

If your Pachira Aquatica is rootbound, but you don’t want to move it to a larger pot, you can trim the roots to keep it compact. To do this, remove the plant from its pot (watering it first can make this easier) and tease out some of the roots. Trim them back with your sterilized pruning shears, not taking off more than one-third of the roots.

Be sure you make clean cuts and remove roots equally from the sides and the bottom of the rootball. Remove as much of the old potting soil as possible from the remaining roots, and then repot your pruned Money Tree into fresh potting mix. Water thoroughly and add more potting mix if needed. Doing this will let you keep your Money Tree in the same container indefinitely. 

Maintenance Pruning

As you can probably tell from the name, maintenance pruning is intended to maintain the health of your Money Tree and to encourage healthy growth. Unlike structural pruning, you do not need to wait for any particular season to do maintenance pruning, as it is less stressful on the plant. Maintenance pruning can be done all year long.

Pruning actually encourages a Money Tree to grow. The places where you trim back stems, leaving behind a node, will divert energy and resources to creating new growth at that node. You can do this in cases where you want your plant to look a certain way.  

Another form of maintenance pruning is getting rid of old, yellow, or damaged parts of a Money Tree. If you see any stems or leaves on your plant that are yellow, brown or unhealthy, it is best to cut them off right away. An imperfect stem or leaf can divert resources away from the rest of the plant. Since these parts can never fully recover, removing them will make your plant healthier overall.  

Steps to Prune a Money Tree

Before you start pruning your Pachira Aquatica, consider the balance of the plant overall. Try not to prune too much off any one part of your Money Tree. You can also encourage balanced growth by orienting your Money Tree so sparse areas face the light source. More growth will occur in this area as the leaves stretch toward the light. 

The steps below describe the process of a big, structural pruning, but maintenance pruning is similar. Maintenance pruning takes less planning for timing and shaping but should still be done with sharp, sterilized tools and an eye toward the final appearance of the Money Tree.  

Before you get started, gather all your tools and the plant to be pruned. Sterilize your cutting tools with rubbing alcohol or diluted bleach, then leave them to air dry or dry them on a clean towel. 

Plan out which parts of your Money Tree you want to prune. If you have a lot of pruning to do, you can mark the spots to cut by loosely tying a small piece of string around the stem. Be sure you do not prune more than a third of any one stem.

Start by pruning the largest pieces first. Make clean cuts with your sterilized shears at a spot about ½” above a node. Nodes are the area on your stem where new growth emerges from and are generally found in the places where that new growth has split off from the main stem to form a “V” shape. Make cuts at 45-degree angles to promote new growth. 

Step back from the plant after every cut to make sure you are still happy with the shape as it changes with your pruning. If needed, follow the instructions above for root pruning.  

And that’s it! You can propagate the cuttings from your Money Tree, as long as the section you cut off includes a node. We have another article about propagating Money Trees (which you can read here) for step-by-step information on what to do with your cuttings.

Best Tools for Pruning Money Trees 

Pruning Money Trees is a simple process and doesn’t need a lot of specialized tools. I have linked to my favorite version of the tools needed to prune Pachira Aquatica. If you have something similar to but not exactly the same as what I have listed here, you should be fine. This plant is not very sensitive about its pruning.

For pruning thicker stems and trunks: Fiskars Steel Pruning Shears

For detailed maintenance pruning and shaping: Fiskars Pruning Scissors

For disinfecting cutting tools before pruning: 70% Rubbing Alcohol

For replacing soil after root pruning: Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix

Final Thoughts

Although most people do not think of it this way, growing a Money Tree indoors is actually a very simple form of bonsai. You are taking an immature tree and growing it indoors while at the same time modifying its size and shape to fit your preferences. 

Money Trees are suitable for being grown in this way because they respond well to pruning and grow for years at a compact size. Although you don’t want to go overboard when you first start pruning your Money Tree, you can rest assured that many people have done significant pruning on this plant in the past with excellent results. So don’t be shy to break out your pruning shears and tidy up your Money Tree!

How to prune the money tree (bonsai from Crassula): formation (photo step by step)

Contents

A plant such as crassula (crassula) can be found in the apartments of many people. The succulent has other familiar names for hearing: fat girl, coin tree, money tree. The succulent looks spectacular, outwardly resembling a small tree with green, rounded leaves that look like coins. It has long been a superstition that Crassula is able to bring money into the house. The mint tree needs basic care, including watering, fertilizing, pruning. Therefore, novice flower growers need to know how to prune the money tree correctly. Sometimes, from an extra pair of leaves and a few branches, the appearance of the plant drastically changes.

Why prune the money tree

Care for the money tree should be comprehensive, including timely watering, good lighting and the necessary temperature. Periodically, the fat woman should be trimmed. Why do you need to prune a succulent plant at all?

  1. By pruning a coin tree, you can give a neat and refined look, create a decorative crown shape.
  2. Sometimes pruning is necessary to strengthen the central trunk of the succulent, because under the weight of the overgrown crown, the trunk may not withstand the load.
  3. Old specimens are pruned to rejuvenate and renew exotic culture; cut if you want the succulent to grow evenly, have a fluffy appearance and not look one-sided.
  4. Pruning is necessary to remove diseased and infected branches and leaves.
  5. Sometimes gardeners practice pruning the plant before transplanting, so that the overgrown shoots do not interfere with the transplanting process.

When is the best time to prune

Some growers are wondering if it is possible to prune the money tree in autumn and winter. It is not advisable to carry out the pruning procedure during the dormant period. Pruning is best done in spring or early summer. During this period, the plant actively grows, it strengthens in the soil. The danger that the money tree will rot or get sick is much less in spring and summer. Cut shoots and leaves can be used to propagate the fat woman.

In the photo, cut cuttings of the money tree are planted in pots

Methods of forming a crown

There are several methods for forming a crassula crown: pinching, pruning or a complex method. Each method has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

Pinching

Pinching is different from pruning and is a more gentle form of crown formation. When pinching, it is not necessary to cut the twigs and shoots, it is necessary to remove the buds on the shoots. With this method, you can control the growth point of new shoots.

After pinching, two new shoots will repeat the direction of the leaves at the point of pinching, as in the photo.

Instructions on how to pinch a money tree:

  1. Pinching should be carried out when four pairs of leaves have formed on a young plant, and a bud has formed between these pairs. You can pinch with your fingers or use tweezers (manicure scissors).
  2. The kidney can be removed by hand, but it must not be torn out, but must be unscrewed. It is more convenient to use nail scissors or tweezers, since the use of tools reduces the risk of damage to neighboring leaves and shoots. When pinching off a kidney, it is important to act carefully.
  3. Two or three new ones should appear instead of the removed kidney. If there is still one kidney formed at the site of the removed kidney, it must also be carefully pinched.

Important! Pinching can be done at any time of the year, except for winter. During the dormant period, the succulent stops growing and forming, so pinching in winter is pointless.

Pruning

Crassula should be pruned in early spring. There are differences between pruning an adult plant and a young succulent. To form a money tree by cutting and trimming the crown, but not harming the succulent, a sharp knife, scalpel or pruner should be used when pruning. In no case should you break off twigs and leaves by hand.

Step-by-step instructions for pruning a young money tree at home:

  1. At the bottom of the trunk, cut off the shoots of the tree, and remove old, small or damaged parts of the plant.
  2. Pruning of branches should be done symmetrically so that later on the crassula does not skew and branching occurs evenly.
  3. Cut off the tops of the side branches.
  4. Top branches should be removed as they impede the stability of the tree.
Pruning a young plant

Cut straight and not at an angle. Be sure to treat the sections with either activated charcoal, crushed into powder, or ground cinnamon. Processing cuts is necessary so that the plant does not undergo rot or fungal disease.

Instructions with a photo on how to prune an adult money tree step by step:

  1. Before cutting the old money tree, you should choose the strongest and largest trunk of the fat woman, it will be the central one.
  2. Shoots located at the bottom of the trunk must be removed.
  3. Long branches of the lower and upper parts of the flower should be cut so that a few buds remain above them. Many growers make the mistake of cutting too close to the buds. In this case, the kidney may not give fresh shoots.
  4. Small shoots thickening the beautiful crown of the crassula, as well as wide and large leaves, should be removed. This procedure is needed to improve air ventilation, as well as for light access.
  5. If an old tree leans to one side, you should pay attention to what contributed to the lean. Perhaps the shoots and leaves have grown only on one side. In this case, cut off the excess parts of the coin tree.
  6. The resulting plant sections must be treated with activated charcoal or other special agent to prevent fungal diseases.
  7. After the pruning is completed, water the soil well.
  8. When cutting branches, at least a few leaves should be left, otherwise larger branches may dry out.

Money Tree Bonsai Technique

Experienced flower growers can make a bonsai from a jade tree. It may take several years to form a tree in this style. But a miniature bonsai will become a real decoration of the home. How to trim the crown of a money tree to make a bonsai? In order to grow Crassula in the bonsai style, you should follow some rules and recommendations.

Money Tree Bonsai
  1. Not every species and variety of Crassula is suitable for creating a bonsai art tree. For the formation of bonsai, tree-like varieties of fat women are suitable.
  2. To create a composition, you need to choose the right container. A fat woman will not take root in a small and narrow bowl. Capacity under the bonsai should not be deep. A suitable pot should have drainage holes so that water does not stagnate after watering.
  3. Crassula must be grown with suitable potting soil. The soil should be loose and consist of soddy and leafy soil, as well as coarse sand.
  4. To form a bonsai, it is necessary to cut off the old and thick roots of the mint tree, which go deep into the soil. The root system should be superficial.
  5. Growing bonsai requires an annual plant transplant. Transplantation will need to be carried out in the spring season. When transplanting, it is necessary to change the pots according to the size of the plant and roots. Only after the fat woman has finally turned into a bonsai, it will be possible to use a flat bonsai pot.
  6. For the formation of bonsai, the strongest and thickest shoots are selected, which must be in an upright position, not interfere with each other and not cross.
  7. The lower branches and top will need to be trimmed. Initially, a very shortened plant will look a little ugly and strange, but then the tops of the plant will quickly grow back.
  8. To make the central trunk stronger and wider, you need to water the coin tree in a timely manner and feed it. The thickening of the trunk is also facilitated by suitable temperature conditions and lighting. Bonsai trees are characterized by a thick, strong trunk.
Crassula bonsai

Beautiful bonsai trees can also be formed from portulacaria afra, jatropha, brachychiton.

Recommendations for care after pruning

After the formation of the crown and pruning, it is necessary to take care of the fat woman, monitor its external condition. Therefore, novice plant growers need to know not only how to properly prune a money tree so that it grows beautifully, but also how to care for it.

A well-formed, well-groomed plant will be less susceptible to various diseases and can please others with strong flowering.

Crassula flowering
  1. Money tree should be watered in a timely manner and the condition of the soil should be monitored. The soil must not dry out. In the summer, you can water the plant once a week. In spring and autumn, watering should be carried out several times a month. During dormancy, Crassula can be watered once a month. For irrigation, be sure to use settled or filtered water at room temperature. Do not water the plant with cold water or water containing bleach.
  2. Crassula does not tolerate high humidity and can rot, for this reason, even on the hottest days, it is not necessary to spray the plant. In case of dust or pollution, it is enough to wipe the leaves of the tree with a damp, soft cloth.
  3. The room temperature must be optimal for a fat woman. Avoid sudden changes in temperature. Crassula needs to be protected from wind and drafts, and also to prevent hypothermia and overheating. In the summer, a pot with a mint tree can be taken out into the fresh air.
  4. A fat woman needs plenty of bright, sunny light. However, the plant on hot, summer days needs to be shaded so that direct sunlight does not cause a burn. Reddened and yellowed leaves indicate the presence of a burn that prevents the normal development of the plant. The affected flower takes on a diseased appearance.
  5. Crassula should be fed periodically. Fertilizers need to be applied in the spring and summer seasons. During dormancy, the tree does not need to be fertilized. As a top dressing, you can use ready-made nutrient solutions intended for succulent plants. Often it is not necessary to feed the flower, it can get sick from an overabundance of fertilizers. It will be enough to make nutrients once a month.
  6. At first, after pruning, you need to monitor the condition of the tree. Treat fresh cuts with a special antifungal and disinfectant that will serve as a preventive measure for various fungal diseases.
  7. Crassula should not be transplanted immediately after pruning, because the plant has not yet recovered from the stress it has experienced. We need to help the tree to recover in full.
  8. Sometimes, after pruning, the fat woman begins to actively shed its leaves. These are the effects of stress. In such situations, it is difficult to take any therapeutic measures, you need to give the plant time to recover. It is necessary to maintain optimal conditions for growing crassula, provide the plant with the right amount of light and prevent the soil from drying out.
Crassula Bonsai

Caring for a pruned mint tree is not difficult, the main thing is to follow the basic rules of care. Timely and correct pruning of the plant will help it rejuvenate, give the tree a neat, ennobled appearance, and also helps to strengthen the central trunk. By forming a crown from a money tree, you can make a real bonsai.

How to form a money tree and what errors in pruning can reduce the decorative effect of a fat woman?

Author: Valery https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=28 Category: indoor plants reprinted: Last amendments:

Content

Friends, today I propose to continue the topic started exactly a year ago: how to form a money tree.
This is a very flexible plant: it can develop and grow in any direction that your imagination gives it. You can do shaping at any time of the year, as long as there is good lighting and a temperature of 15-20 ⁰C.

Types of formation

Crassula can be grown as a tree, having formed a trunk and a crown. The trunk must be strong and thick so that the tree does not fall and the branches do not break. The crown is formed from branches of the first, second and even third order, but it is undesirable to thicken it.

Can be grown with two or three stems. I am now engaged in the formation of a young plant in four trunks. Moreover, one trunk can be branched into two or three both at the base and at any height: in each node there are 2-4 buds that awaken after pruning. The cut should be done 1-1.5 cm above the node from which you expect to get new shoots. The remaining stump will eventually dry out, die and fall off.

Rooting money tree cuttings

Shoots emerging from awakened buds need to be formed: those that are directed deep into the crown should be removed, and those that grow outward should be left. However, there is no need to rush into this.

Wait for the shoot to grow and cover with a few leaves. Then you can cut it off, remove the leaves from its lower part, let it lie in a dry place for 3-4 days, powder the lower part with Kornevin and plant it in the ground for rooting. During the time that the cutting will lie, the cut will dry out and will not rot in the ground. The cuttings of the fat woman are rooting perfectly.

Somehow I was reproached at the market for selling young crassulas formed into only one trunk. But I believe that the one who acquires it should form the money tree, in accordance with their tastes and ideas about beauty.

Thinning the crown of the crassula

The crown of the crassula must be thinned regularly, otherwise it will become heavy and will turn the pot over, and the branches will sag and break off. And for the health of the plant, it is desirable that each shoot and each leaf receive enough light and air. Then the plant will not get sick. You can, of course, tie up sagging branches, but this is unlikely to make the plant attractive.

Do not try to grow a one and a half meter tree from Crassula: it has a small root system, and it will not be able to feed a gigantic plant. Both shoots and branches can be cut at any height, since even perennial brown wood has dormant buds at each node. Therefore, do not be afraid to experiment with the form: what if you get something unusual and beautiful?

Shoots on the money tree grow relatively quickly, and in a month or two after the most radical pruning, it is covered with new shoots. So don't let your hand tremble. Bonsai can be grown from a money tree. The main thing is to ensure that the stem becomes thick and powerful, and this can only be done with regular pruning.

Propagation by leaves and shoot fragments

As for plant residues after pruning, do not throw them away. Lay the cut leaves or a piece of the shoot flat on moist soil in a flowerpot with any flower. After a while, they will root, and you can plant them in a permanent place.

The more young plants you have, the more opportunities you will have not to experiment with them. If you like experiments, then the money tree will give you the opportunity to realize all your fantasies.

Go ahead and share your achievements with us.

All the best to you.

Crassula formation video

Literature

  1. Read related topics on Wikipedia
  2. Peculiarities and other plants of the Crassulaceae family
  3. List of all species on The Plant List
  4. More information on World Flora Online
  5. Learn more