How to care for a money tree

There is a belief that the money tree attracts money to the house and if the owner of the house has this flower and grows well, it means there is prosperity in the house. The scientific name of this flower is Crassula or Crassula. Caring for the plant is not difficult, the main thing is to follow some recommendations for caring for it.

Description and types of money tree

The plant was named Crassula for its thick, fleshy leaves, which are capable of accumulating and retaining moisture in their leaf blades during the rainy season. Depending on the type of Crassula, it has leaves of different shapes:

round;
heart;
oval;
elongated, twig-like.

The size of the leaves varies from 0.5 cm to 7 cm. The color of the leaf blades is from light green to dark green, sometimes the leaves, when exposed to sunlight, acquire a red border. The arrangement of leaves on the trunk is opposite each other, and two pairs on one trunk form a cross of leaves.

Flowering at home rarely occurs, since this plant requires certain conditions. The flower originates from southern Africa, but recently it has spread throughout the world thanks to flower centers. Because the demand for them continues unabated.

Types of Crassula

This genus has quite a lot of species, more than 350, but no one knows the exact number yet. Among them there are succulents and herbaceous species, and there are even species that live under water. And they are all divided according to their structure into three groups:

tree-like;
columnar;
creeping.

But not all species are grown at home. The money tree is a tree-like species of Crassula. Because with its trunk and leaves it resembles a miniature tree. The light, woody trunk is covered with green leaves, the underside of which acquires a reddish tint in summer. Almost every housewife in the CIS has this common type. But rarely has anyone seen this beautiful tree bloom.

How to care for a money tree

Caring for this plant is not difficult even for a novice flower lover. But in order for a flower to grow compactly and resemble a small tree, you still need to keep an eye on it, know what soil to plant it in and its other preferences.

Watering

Watering should be moderate at any time of the year. Since leaf plates tend to accumulate moisture, and therefore an excess of it can lead to rotting of the plant. Therefore, it is better to underfill than to overfill. There must be drainage at the bottom of the pot so that excess moisture does not accumulate at the bottom of the pot. Otherwise, root rot disease may appear.

You can actually adjust watering by observing the condition of the leaves. If they become light and pale and slightly wither, then the flower is receiving too much moisture. In this case, watering is stopped until the soil is almost completely dry, and then watering is reduced. In summer, one watering every ten days is sufficient.

Watering the money tree should only be done with settled warm water, so as not to cause the leaves to fall off.

Lighting

Since the plant comes from a hot country in Africa, it will have nothing against an excellent sunny place on the windowsill. Therefore, the southern windowsill is an excellent habitat for this plant all year round, except for the summer months. But, oddly enough, in the summer it will require some shading there and it can be placed deeper into the room or even moved to another window sill. The flower will also grow well on a non-glazed balcony, but not with a southern orientation.

With sufficient lighting, the tree will look compact, the leaves will be located close to each other. And if there is not enough light, the trunk of the tree will stretch and bend.

In order for the trunk of the Crassula to be even, it should not be leveled using various devices. It just needs to be rotated evenly in relation to the sun. In this case, the foliage will grow evenly and the plant will not have distortions.

Soil for Crassula

And here Crassula is not capricious and often grows in any soil. But it is best to provide it with soil that is best suited for its proper cultivation. For this purpose, ready-made soil for cacti and succulents is suitable, to which a little nutritious soil is added, for example for ficus. The soil ratio for cacti and ficus is 3/1, respectively.

Nutrition

Since the soil in a pot does not have endless nutritional value, some time after transplanting the flower you need to start feeding it. Specialized fertilizers for cacti and succulents, which are sold in flower shops, are perfect for this purpose. The dosage is done as written on the label or in the instructions supplied with the fertilizer.

The flower is fed once or twice a month during strong vegetative growth. You can water it every week with fertilizer for cactus plants, but then you need to water the plant, diluting the fertilizer in water in half the dose.

Watering with fertilizer is carried out on slightly moist soil so as not to burn the root system of the fat plant. In winter, fertilizer is usually not used, but if the leaves have darkened and begun to dry out, then you can fertilize the flower once with half the dose of fertilizer.

Trimming

The plant, even with significant longevity, does not need pruning. It is carried out in isolated cases when a branch is too out of touch with the overall growth of the vegetative mass of the plant. And if you let it grow alone, protruding too far beyond the crown, then, firstly, it is not beautiful, and secondly, the center of balance of the crown may shift, and the flower will lose its balance and fall to the floor.

There are also Crassula branches that simply do not want to branch. They grow to a considerable height of up to 20 cm without giving a single branch. In this case, pinch the two upper internodes. In this case, the leaf plates are not removed from the trunk; over time, they will begin to fall off on their own when the trunk begins to become woody, growing in width.

Also, if the crown does not want to branch much, creating a fluffy crown, then you should pinch the branches, which will cause the appearance of new shoots, which will lead to the formation of a denser crown.

Pinching is carried out either with pruning shears, which is best, since it leaves smoother cut edges, and at the same time they heal quickly. They are also cut with scissors and pinched with nails.

Transfer

After purchasing a flower in a store or from the market, it is worth replanting it in new soil. Young Crassulas are transplanted annually to new land, and old ones whenever possible. The container is selected close to the root system of the plant. It is advisable to use gravel instead of expanded clay for older money trees. This will create an excellent counterbalance to the growing vegetative mass of the crown, and the flower will be more stable.

Old trees are replanted mainly by transshipment, so as not to damage its root system. To do this, take a container that is only 4 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. Gravel is poured onto the bottom, a flower is placed and new soil is poured around.

If the size of the pot suits you and the condition of the flower does not require replanting, then in the spring you can replace only the top 2 cm of soil.

Reproduction

Crassula propagates quite easily using layering. To do this, cut a cutting no larger than 10 cm and place it in water. After 10 days, it already has a small root system, after which it is planted in the ground. You need to make sure that the young tree’s soil does not dry out, but is slightly moist.

The cutting can not only be rooted in water, but can be immediately stuck into the ground next to the mother bush. When it begins to grow, it is carefully lifted with a tablespoon and, together with a lump of earth, moved into a separate small one.

It can also be propagated by leaves. To do this, place the leaf on the soil and lightly press it with the end into the ground with which it was attached to the tree trunk. After some time, the leaf acquires its own root system. But this only happens if the leaf was absolutely healthy and did not fall due to wilting.

The money tree does not reproduce by seeds, since flowering, and, consequently, obtaining seeds is a rather rare phenomenon. It is easier to use cuttings. But, if desired, they are sown in a bowl on slightly moist soil and covered with glass to obtain friendly shoots.

Such a small greenhouse requires daily ventilation. It is carried out twice a day in the morning and evening. This is done so as not to get mold instead of small crassula sprouts. The temperature in the room where the seeds are grown must be within 25 degrees Celsius, otherwise the seeds will not hatch. When the sprouts emerge into the light, the glass is removed.

And when the seedlings acquire 4 leaves, they are planted either in one planting box at a distance of 10 cm from each other or in separate 200 grams. cups for their further development.

Air humidity

Air humidity is not particularly important for the Crassula, but the leaf plates need to be washed and it will not refuse a warm shower in the summer. This is all done for hygienic purposes so that the foliage can breathe, saturating the bush with oxygen.

In summer, Crassulas feel great in the fresh air and therefore the best place for summer keeping is an open terrace or simply a place in the garden, but sheltered from the midday heat. Since sometimes the summer temperature in our country goes beyond 40 degrees Celsius and then the Crassula can burn in the sun and lose its leaves.

He likes to be sprayed with a small spray bottle, but this cannot be done in the sun, as the leaf blades will burn and after such a burn they will not recover. Comfortable temperature for living in summer is 25 degrees Celsius.

When the temperature rises above 30 degrees, Crassula stops absorbing water and you need to be careful with watering so as not to destroy the plant. Summer bathing in the shower is also welcome, but the pot must be placed in a bag and tied so that no water gets on the ground. Because an excess of moisture, even in summer, can cause rotting of the root system, and then the death of the entire plant.

in winter

The winter temperature for keeping fatworts should ideally be close to 10-15 degrees Celsius. The dryness of winter air in the apartment due to central heating does not pose a threat to life for Crassula. But at the same time, it is worth ventilating the premises and wiping its leaves from dust.

In order for the plant to bloom with small delicate flowers, it needs to be provided with certain care in the winter. To do this, the following rules must be followed:

The flower must be at least seven years old.
The plant should be placed on a windowsill with a southeast orientation.
Avoid sunburn of the leaves.
In winter, the plant must, first of all, be maintained at the correct temperature. That is, the temperature in the room should not exceed 10-15 degrees Celsius. Under this condition, Crassula flower buds will be formed. There is no point in pruning, as the buds are formed at the ends of the branches.

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Crassula diseases and infections

Most often, the plant begins to hurt only when the rules for caring for the money tree are not followed. If a plant receives too much sunlight, its leaves will wrinkle.

Falling leaves

Sometimes the money tree experiences unhealthy heavy leaf fall. Causes:

Watering too often.
Cold water used for irrigation.
Lack of moisture.
Overfeeding the plant with various fertilizers.

Adjust the watering mode.
Excess moisture can be removed by carefully removing the flower from the pot and wrapping it in disposable towels, which will absorb excess moisture.
Adjust the feeding regime.

When purchasing a flower, you should always read the literature on how to care for it in order to achieve good growth. As people say: “Get a money tree, and it will attract monetary well-being to your home.” Whether this is true or not is up to each individual to decide. But this wonderful plant, when well-groomed, always attracts the admiring glances of people who love flowers.