How To Care For A Money Tree To Bring Prosperity To Your Life

The Pachira money tree is a popular ornamental houseplant that adds a tropical feel to any space. It is also known as the Good Luck tree because of the belief that it will bring fortune and money to a house where it flourishes. It is used in Feng Shui to attract material success to a home. It’s easy to learn how to care for a money tree, since it does well in low light and does not need frequent waterings.

This low-maintenance plant is resilient and hardy, which is another reason for its popularity. It can be propagated through seeds and cuttings, which makes it possible to share the plant, and good fortune, with family and friends.

What Is A Pachira Money Tree?

The Pachira money tree is an ornamental houseplant with a unique look. The plant has a characteristic appearance with a braided trunk and long, smooth, palmate leaves that grow in groups of five. The bark is smooth and green. The braided trunk is not a natural feature but is created by gardeners in the nursery when the trunks are young and green, and can be plaited easily.

The scientific name for the money tree is Pachira aquatica, and its natural habitat is in the tropical wetlands of Central and South America. In the open, the Pachira tree can grow to a height of up to 60 feet. As a houseplant, it lives happily in medium-sized pots with only a little care. The plant is also known by other names, including Malabar Chestnut, water chestnut, Guiana chestnut, Saba nut, and provision tree.

The flowers of this tree are the largest found among trees and have long, narrow petals. The seeds are light brown with white stripes and grow inside a woody, football-shaped seed pod. They are considered edible and can be eaten raw or made into a flour. They taste somewhat like peanuts.

Because of its distinctive appearance, and the belief that it brings financial prosperity to any house where it grows and is well cared for, the Pachira money tree has become a popular houseplant. Whatever your reason for bringing one of these attractive plants into your home, you should learn how to care for a money tree so that it can continue to brighten your life.

The plant doesn’t need much attention and can tolerate conditions of low light and low moisture. This makes it easy to learn how to care for a money tree even if you don’t have a lot of spare time.

Meaning Of Prosperity Behind The Tree

The money tree is also known as the Good Luck Tree, and there’s a story about how it earned these names. A poor man who had been praying for money came across the plant and took it home because of its unusual appearance. He made his fortune selling plants grown from its seeds, and the belief in the money tree’s ability to bring good luck took root.

Whether or not you believe in this legend, a flourishing green plant in your home is a way of attracting good fortune to your home, according to the principles of Feng Shui. That’s because a plant that is healthy and thriving is an indication of the state of your life. The plant also acts as a natural air purifier, filtering out pollutants in indoor air.

Feng Shui And Houseplants

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of bringing people into harmony with the environment. It literally translates as “wind and water” and offers some basic principles to allow the flow of qi, or life energy, freely through a home. It is believed that the free flow of qi in physical space also unblocks your own energies and allows your efforts to be successful.

Feng Shui works by balancing out different elements and opposite energies. Plants play an important part in Feng Shui, since their shapes can round out sharp edges and corners. They also bring their own living energy into the house. Plants can also counter negative energy such as that given off by electronics.

The Pachira money tree is one of the plants used in Feng Shui, along with bamboo, jade, and Boston fern. A healthy tree is a sign of good energy, while a tree that is struggling indicates that there is something wrong in the house. Learning how to care for a money tree plant so that it has a healthy energy is part of maintaining good Feng Shui in your home.

According to Feng Shui principles, the best place in the house for a money tree is near the entrance or the living area.

Tips On How To Care For A Money Tree

Money trees can thrive indoors. It’s easy to learn how to care for a money tree, since they are relatively low maintenance. If you follow these directions to care for a money tree, you will be rewarded with a refreshing splash of green in your house.

It’s important to remember that money plants don’t like to be moved around. Once you’ve found a place in the house where it has enough light, and is protected from both drafts and heating vents, you should leave it there. A plant that is not doing well for any reason will begin to drop leaves.

Soil

Money trees can thrive indoors. It’s easy to learn how to care for a money tree, since they are relatively low maintenance. If you follow these directions to care for a money tree, you will be rewarded with a refreshing splash of green in your house.

It’s important to remember that money plants don’t like to be moved around. Once you’ve found a place in the house where it has enough light, and is protected from both drafts and heating vents, you should leave it there. A plant that is not doing well for any reason will begin to drop leaves.

Light

The money plant can do well in indirect light, which is another reason it can flourish indoors. In fact, it should not be kept in direct sunlight but near a window with bright light. When choosing a location for your money plant, it’s important to keep it away from drafts and excessive heat from vents and radiators.

You can keep the Pachira money tree outdoors in the summer if you have a patio or balcony. Even outdoors, it should be kept in part shade or dappled sunlight. Full sun will burn the leaves. The plant should be brought back indoors once temperatures fall below 45F.

The ideal temperature for the money plant is in the range of 60 to 65F. In some parts of the US, in USDA Zones 10 and 11, the money plant can be grown outdoors year round.

Water

As the species names indicates, this is a water-loving plant. It can be happiest in a steamy bathroom or kitchen, or you can make a little aquatic environment for it. You can do this by putting the pot in a shallow tray with small rocks or pebbles, and partially filling the tray with water. As the water evaporates, it creates a humid atmosphere around the plant.

The ideal level of humidity for the money plant is 60%. But even though it loves humidity, the plant itself is hardy and resilient and doesn’t need much watering. It should receive a good soaking each time you water it, but the soil should dry out between waterings.

Care

The commonest problems that the money tree might encounter can be easily fixed. These are over-watering and overexposure to sunlight. They may also suffer from bugs, which can be treated with neem oil or by just taking the plant outside and washing it down with the garden hose. Yellow leaves might indicate a lack of humidity, and spots on the leaves point to potassium deficiency.

Money plants don’t need too much care in the way of pruning, though dead leaves and other matter should be removed regularly.

Repotting And Propagation

The plant may need to be repotted every two years in a mixture of peat and gritty soil. Spring is the best time for repotting, as the plant is just starting a growth spurt.

You can propagate the plant from its seeds and also from cuttings. For cuttings, use clean pruning shears and snip off a stem that has at least two leaf nodes. Dip the cut end in a hormone rooting mix and then plant the stem in a regular potting mix.

It will take about four weeks for the stem to develop roots. During this time, the potting soil should be kept moist and the plant should even be misted occasionally.

Conclusion

The Pachira money tree is a popular choice for an indoor plant for a number of reasons. You can easily learn how to care for a money tree, and it is resilient and hardy. It adds a cheerful tropical air to any indoor space, and the popular belief that it brings money and good fortune to the house adds to its appeal.