Money tree - how to care for it

Hello, dear flower lovers! The other day I was replanting one of the oldest windowsill dwellings, a huge and lush crassula, or crassula, which is often called the money tree for its leaves that look like coins, and I realized that I know little about it. Apparently, it’s time to learn more about what a money tree is, how to care for it, the rules of transplantation, propagation and some useful information.

According to Feng Shui, if you grow a plant yourself and place it in the southern part of the house in a well-lit place, it will bring wealth to the family. Well, let's try to get rich with the help of a home flower?

Before studying what the money tree is and how to care for it, it is worth learning a little about its origin, where it comes from.

The fat woman came to our area a long time ago and has firmly established itself in apartments and houses, but where does it come from? It turns out that the culture in the wild is widespread in the tropical climate of Africa, as well as in Madagascar, part of the Arabian Peninsula, and some species grow in Australia and on the nearby island of Tasmania.

Money tree (krasula, crassula) is a succulent, that is, a plant whose leaves contain tissues that can accumulate and retain moisture for a long time, this helps the flower survive in harsh tropical climates, surviving seasons of drought.

In nature, there are about 300 types of culture, there are ampelous, groundcover, and rosette krasulas, but probably the most famous in our country is the tree type.

In nature, and even at home, with proper care, the flower can reach a height of up to two meters; it is considered a deciduous and ornamental plant, although it can bloom occasionally.

Money tree - how to care for it

Although the succulent money tree is accustomed to the harsh climate of the tropics with frequent lack of rain, it still needs to be properly cared for. Although I note that minimal care is required for the plant, this is why many busy housewives or those who are not particularly knowledgeable about floriculture love it.

Lighting, temperature, watering

The heat-loving plant requires a special temperature regime, sufficient lighting and moderate watering. So, everything in turn.

Considering that the homeland of the Crassula is Africa, the culture requires sunlight. But here everything is not so simple; if there is too much light, the leaves can get burned, and if there is not enough light, the sprout will stretch out, turn pale, and the leaves will fall off, worsening the decorative effect of the flower.

Lighting

It is better to grow a money tree on south-eastern windows, trying to place the pot so that the leaves do not touch the glass to avoid burns. Young plants require shading at first. And in the spring, after a long and cloudy winter, it is better to accustom the leaves to the sun's rays gradually, exposing the pot to the sun for a couple of hours a day.

Real sun is also beneficial for the crop, so if possible in summer and warm spring, the flower can be placed on the balcony or courtyard of a summer house or private house so that during the hottest hours the sprout has shade, for example, under a tree or bush. And for the winter it can be moved to a bright, but cooler place in the house.

Temperature

As for the temperature, the fat woman tolerates a drop to +5 well, but does not like heat above 20-30 degrees. Sometimes in the heat the plant withers and drops its leaves. The ideal temperature for active development of the crop is 15-18 degrees.

This is quite enough to grow a pot of a fleshy flower at home, which is traditionally used to keep money in the house. Let's not give up wealth!

Even though the plant is a succulent, it still requires regular watering. At the same time, it is important to make sure that the soil has had time to dry out after the previous application of water, since the roots of the fat plant are more dangerous from rotting than from overdrying. If necessary, the flower can use the water available in the leaves. When watering, you must be careful not to get droplets of moisture on the leaves to avoid burns and damage.

Watering can be reduced in winter, waiting until the soil in the pot dries to a depth of 5 centimeters (it’s convenient to check with a regular wooden stick, but you can also do it the old-fashioned way, with your fingers). After all, in winter the plant is in a dormant period, it stops growing and rests before a new breakthrough.

In principle, the flower lives well in almost every home, since it is quite easy to care for.

Feeding the Crassula

You shouldn’t get carried away with feeding, because the desert plant Crassula is accustomed to independently, with difficulty, extracting nutrients from the soil. But still, a little mineral and organic fertilizers won’t hurt.

Fertilizing should be done once a month in spring and summer, and once every two months in autumn and winter, reducing the dose of the substance by half. Complexes developed for cacti are suitable for the money tree, since their preferences and historical growing conditions are the same.

Money tree diseases

Even the unpretentious money tree gets sick. Let's look at the main problems of the plant and how to neutralize them.

Most often, owners notice that their flower sheds its leaves, they become soft and lethargic. There may be several reasons for this:

excessive fertilizing, especially with mineral salts;
pests;
sunburn;
sudden changes in temperature;
improper watering, especially excessive moisture;
use for cold water irrigation;
aging of the sprout.

Naturally, we will have to fight the cause here. For example, if there is excessive feeding or moisture, transplant the flower into dry and less fertile soil. Sunburn can be eliminated by shading or moving the pot to a less lit windowsill. We destroy pests with special means, and the aging tree will have to be renewed by cutting off the shoots.

A regular soap solution, which thoroughly washes the surface of all leaves, helps well against mealybugs. If unsuccessful, you can resort to insecticides.

Spider mite

The presence of a spider mite on a plant is indicated by the presence of yellow spots on the surface of the foliage; subsequently, without treatment, cobwebs appear between the shoots. It is not easy to remove this pest; you will have to alternate insecticides with soap solution and infusions of tobacco or garlic.

Shield - how to get rid of it

This insect settles on the plant, after which brown, yellowish and red spots appear on the foliage. This disease is very dangerous, so you need to act quickly: apply kerosene to the insects, remove them from the leaves and trunks, treat the money tree with soapy water and tobacco decoction, clean with water, and finally spray with an insecticide.

The good news is that, in general, the crop is not very susceptible to disease and can grow for decades without requiring special care.

How to replant a money tree

I note that a money tree can grow and bloom only if there is enough space for the development of the root system, so its owners need to know how to properly transplant the sprout.

This should be done once every 1-2 years, sometimes with rapid growth even more often, moving the enlarged sprout to another pot, one size larger.

This culture prefers low, wide containers, because it has a superficial and shallow root system. And here there is a small nuance - the pot should not only be large enough, but also heavy, so that the massive trunk does not overwhelm the plant, as it can easily fall out of the container and be damaged.

Transplantation is carried out in the spring, ideally at the end of April or the first half of May. The plant needs good drainage and soil suitable for cacti or other succulents. In the absence of one, you can make your own substrate at home by mixing 1 part turf soil, 3 leaves and 1 sand.

Money tree - how to plant a shoot

If you were given a money tree shoot, then planting it is very simple. It is enough to leave the planting material for a couple of days to remove excess moisture, and then place it in a pot of soil or a container of water so that the leaves and twigs take root.

The requirements for planting a sprout are the same as when replanting an adult tree: a wide pot, soil for cacti, drainage, moderate watering, and we have already talked about how to plant a plant correctly.

How to plant a money tree to attract money

According to Eastern beliefs, a money tree can bring prosperity to your home, but in order to attract money to yourself, you need to plant and grow the sprout correctly.

So, first you need to buy a shoot, it is better to do this in a store, and not from friends or at the market, so that the flower does not absorb other people's energy. It is equally important what pot the sprout is planted in; here we choose the container without skimping, because we are making a real talisman!

We place the succulent branch prepared for planting (wilted or already taken root) on the drainage, next to it we place coins of the same denomination with the coat of arms facing up, saying:

“You will grow, and I will begin to bloom in wealth, you will flourish, but I will not know grief.” Next, we fill the roots with soil, water, pamper and nurture the sprout, and replant if necessary.

It should be installed in a sunny area in the south-eastern part of the house. As the tree grows, you can decorate it with coins, gold ribbons, and hide the big money you earn in cellophane under the pot. And some even advise watering the flower with water infused for 10 days on small coins. Try it too!

Money tree propagation

It is quite simple to propagate an existing money tree; the branches and leaves obtained during the pruning process take root well. Let's take a closer look at these two methods.

Propagation by cuttings

The money tree propagates, as a rule, through shoots or, as they are also called, cuttings. This is the easiest and most win-win method, even if the branch is still without roots.

To do this, the shoots, after pruning and withering for 1-2 days, are immediately planted in the soil or pre-germinated in containers with water. I like the second method better - this way I see that the shoot has taken root and is ready for independent life.

The plant can be propagated at any time of the year, but it is better during the active growing season, that is, in spring or summer, since in the cold season the money tree “sleeps” and its pruning is prohibited. And one more thing - the young shoot needs good watering, high-quality drainage and light shade, since the sun's rays can burn it.

Propagation by leaves

It is a little more difficult to propagate Crassula leaves at home; for example, for me they rotted more often than they sprouted roots. As it turns out, there are several tricks here.

First of all, to obtain a young shoot, you need to cut a young and healthy leaf from the flower without signs of lesions or damage. It needs to be slightly withered for 1-2 days, and when the planting material becomes soft, act. Then there are three methods of germination:

place the leaf in a glass or small glass so that no more than 1 cm of the bottom of the leaf is in the water;
dig it into the soil to the same depth;
We use sphagnum moss instead of soil.

In the first and last option, it is more convenient to monitor the presence of roots; as a rule, they appear after 4-6 weeks, sometimes earlier. When the leaf begins to rot, it’s not scary, you just need to cut off the affected part and repeat the whole process again. And after the roots appear, the leaf is planted in a pot; we already know how to plant it.

Money tree blossom

The money tree can bloom not only in nature, but also at home, although this is quite difficult to achieve. It turns out that there are some conditions under which the plant forms buds:

after 5 years of life;
during short daylight hours;
with proper care.

That is, in order for flowers to appear on your favorite plant, you need to replant it once a year, place it in the shade in the real sun for the summer, avoid temperature changes, water it on demand, but not overwater it, and feed it according to the schedule described earlier.

And then the flower will delight you with small white or pink buds with a sweet aroma, and the flowering lasts for several months, so it’s worth it!

Knowing what a money tree is and how to care for it, you can grow not just a beautiful flower, but also a real amulet that attracts money to your home. Go ahead, become richer and more successful with the help of a beautiful plant, subscribe to the blog, good luck to you!