How to Cultivate Money Tree Successfully
The editor answers your questions about how to cultivate the Money Tree and provides knowledge about the green plant cultivation methods for indoor Money Tree, as detailed below:
The Money Tree is a popular indoor ornamental leaf plant in recent years, also known as Cloud Tree, Golden Bell Tree, Coin Tree, Snow Iron Arrowroot, and Dragon Phoenix Tree. It belongs to the Portulacaceae Portulaca genus, a perennial evergreen herb with thick leaves that are neatly arranged like coins, giving it a beautiful leaf shape and color with some ornamental value. Let's take a look at how to cultivate the Money Tree!
Growth Habits of Money Tree
The Money Tree prefers a sunny, warm, and dry environment, is drought-resistant, and dislikes shady, wet, and cold conditions as well as waterlogging in the potting soil. Although it can grow normally under semi-shade and scattered light, the leaf color will fade, the internode distance will lengthen, causing the leaves to become loose and not compact, which affects the ornamental value. It is sensitive to high temperatures, and during the hot summer, watering should be reduced, or it may cause leaf wilt and defoliation. Also, keep the temperature above 10°C in winter, otherwise, it is easy to freeze. It is suitable for growth between 20°C and 32°C, and during the growing period, watering should follow the principle of "no watering when not dry, and thorough watering when watering."
Propagation Methods of Money Tree
1. Division: In April, when the outdoor temperature reaches above 18°C, remove the large Money Tree plant from the pot, shake off most of the soil, divide it from the weak point of the tuber junction, and apply sulfur powder or wood ash to the wound before planting it in a new pot. Note not to plant it too deep, with the top of the tuber buried 1.5-2 cm below the soil.
2. Cutting: Cuttings can be made using a single small leaf, a section of the leaf axis with two leaves, or just a single section of the leaf axis. In terms of rooting effectiveness, cuttings with leaves attached to the leaf axis root faster, have higher germination rates, and are easier to form larger tubers. Plant the single leaf cuttings in a mixture of river sand and vermiculite, and after 10-14 days, a small bulbous stem with roots will form at the base of the leaf. After 2-3 months of cultivation, it can grow into a small plant, but the seedling rate is generally not high.
How to Cultivate Money Tree Successfully?
1. Soil: The basic requirement for the cultivation medium of the Money Tree is good permeability. The cultivation medium should be mixed with peat, coarse sand, or washed coal slag with a small amount of garden soil, and the pH value should be adjusted to 6-6.5, making it slightly acidic.
2. Temperature: When the temperature in summer reaches above 35°C, the plant grows poorly, and measures such as covering with black netting and spraying water around the environment should be taken to cool down. In winter, it is best to maintain a greenhouse temperature above 10°C. If the room temperature is below 5°C, it can cause the plant to suffer from cold damage and seriously threaten its survival. In late autumn and early winter, when the temperature drops below 8°C, it should be moved to a well-lit indoor area. During the entire overwintering period, the temperature should be maintained between 8-10°C.
3. Light: The Money Tree loves light but also has strong shade tolerance, and it should be provided with an environment that has good sunlight but also some shade. Avoid direct sunlight, especially in the late spring and early summer after a long rain and during the 5-6 hours before and after noon in the summer, as this can easily cause the new tender leaves to be burned.
4. Water: When cultivating the Money Tree in a greenhouse, when the room temperature reaches above 33°C, the plant should be sprayed with water once a day. As the plant has strong drought resistance, the soil should be kept slightly moist but not too dry, but occasionally excessive watering will not cause root rot. In winter, it is important to spray water on the leaves and the surrounding environment to maintain a relative humidity of over 50%.
5. Fertilizer: The Money Tree prefers fertilizer, and in addition to adding an appropriate amount of composted cake fertilizer or multi-release compound fertilizer to the cultivation medium, during the growing season, it can be watered with a mixture of 0.2% urea and 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution every 2-3 months, or with a balanced fertilizer of 20-10-20, at a concentration of 200-250ppm combined with calcium nitrate. When the temperature drops below 15°C, all forms of top dressing should be stopped to avoid root damage from fertilizer in low temperatures.
6. Repotting: The Money Tree should be repotted every two years, in late spring or early summer. The potting soil should be well-drained and slightly acidic, using peat, coarse sand, or perlite, coal slag mixed with a small amount of garden soil and slow-release fertilizer. As the tuber is large and the roots are developed, it is suitable to use a deeper pot for planting, with stones or tiles placed at the bottom for drainage. When planting, part of the tuber should be left above the soil, and a layer of陶粒 or small stones can be placed on the pot surface to enhance the ornamental effect.
Disease Prevention and Control of Money Tree
1. Frostbite
【Harm】When the temperature in winter drops below 5°C, combined with moist potting soil, it can cause the tender leaves to freeze and collapse, and in severe cases, it can lead to tuber rot and difficult recovery.
【Prevention and Control】During the overwintering period, the greenhouse temperature should be maintained above 10°C and the potting soil should be slightly dry.
2. Sunburn
【Harm】In hot summers, or on sunny days after long rain, or when potted plants are moved from indoors to outdoors for recovery, direct exposure to sunlight can easily cause the fat and tender leaves to be burned, resulting in some parts of the leaves losing their green color and turning white, or the entire leaf being burned and the necrotic parts turning brown and black later.
【Prevention and Control】Avoid direct sunlight, especially in late spring and early summer after long rain and during the 5-6 hours before and after noon in summer.
3. Brown Spot Disease
【Harm】Brown spot disease commonly occurs on leaves, with spots that are nearly circular, gray-brown to yellow-brown, and slightly darker on the edges. This disease is prone to occur under high temperature and humidity, and poor ventilation. Control methods: When a small number of diseased leaves are found, they should be promptly removed and destroyed. In the early stage of the disease, spray the leaves with a 50% wettable powder of carbendazim at a concentration of 600 times or a 40% wettable suspension of chlorothalonil at a concentration of 500 times, once every 10 days, for 3-4 times for good control.
【Prevention】After the summer, promptly move the plant to a semi-shaded environment. In late spring and early summer after long rain, shading should be provided for potted plants.
4. Scale Insect
【Harm】In environments with poor ventilation and insufficient light, the leaves of the Money Tree are easily attacked by scale insects.
【Prevention and Control】During the peak period of nymph hatching, spray 20% wettable powder of buprofezin at a concentration of 1000 times for good insecticidal effect.
The above introduction to how to cultivate the Money Tree and the indoor cultivation methods of the Money Tree are for reference by netizens.