How to Grow and Care for the Money Tree

Common Name	Money tree, Guiana chestnut, Malabar chestnut
Botanical Name	Pachira aquatica
Family	Malvaceae
Plant Type	Tree
Mature Size	6-8 ft. tall and wide
Sun Exposure	Full, partial
Soil Type	Moist but well-drained
Soil pH	Acidic, neutral
Bloom Time	Spring
Flower Color	Yellow, white
Hardiness Zones	10-12 (USDA)
Native Area	Central America, South America

Why Are Money Trees Considered Lucky?

Money trees are thought to bring prosperity and good energy to a home. Money tree leaves are palmate leaves, meaning they have leaflets radiating off of a shared point. There are five leaflets per grouping, with five being a lucky number in feng shui (there are five elements in the universe). The braided stem will supposedly help maintain and preserve the wealth it promotes. Place it in the money corner of your home for extra luck.

How to Plant a Money Tree

A well-draining, nutrient-rich potting soil is best for money trees. A houseplant mix works fine. Pick a pot with large drainage holes, as money trees don’t like their roots to sit in water and easily develop root rot if proper drainage is not provided.

Put down a layer of soil in the pot, then gently loosen the money tree’s rootball and place it in the pot. Fill in around with fresh soil and water deeply.

How to Care for a Money Tree

Here are the main care requirements for growing a money tree indoors:

• Place the plant in a spot where it gets at least 6 hours of bright to medium indirect sunlight every day.
• Use well-draining potting mix high in peat moss.
• Water it regularly to keep it evenly moist, but reduce watering in fall and winter.
• Fertilize monthly during the growing season in spring and summer.

How Much Light Does a Money Tree Need

Money trees should be placed in bright to medium indirect sunlight for at least six hours a day. If you don’t have a sunny window that provides enough light, use grow lights.

What Soil Should You Use With a Money Tree

Money tree needs a potting medium with excellent drainage, ideally, a potting mix that is peat-moss-based because it provides the necessary soil acidity of a pH between 6.0 and 7.5.

How Often Should You Water a Money Tree

Money trees should be watered regularly, when the top half of the soil in the pot has dried out. This ends up being about once a week or every two weeks. Water more frequently in the spring and summer months and cut down on watering in the fall and winter.

The best way to avoid overwatering your plant is to ensure that the container and the soil have the proper drainage.

What Temperature and Humidity Does a Money Tree Need

Money trees should be kept between 65°F and 75°F and should never be placed near any warm or cold drafts. If your home’s humidity is particularly dry (below 30%), add a humidifier.

How Often Should You Fertilize a Money Tree

Fertilize your plant monthly throughout the spring and summer, when the plant is actively producing new leaves, and every two months throughout the fall and winter. An all-purpose houseplant fertilizer that has been diluted to half-strength will work best.

How to Braid a Money Tree

Any young and healthy money tree with thin and flexible trunks can be braided together and potted together as one plant. Any stem over a foot long should work. Here is how it’s done:

1. Unpot plants. Take the plants out of their pots. Remove leaves in the middle of the stem that will interrupt braiding.
2. Loosely braid the stems. Place a twist tie, ribbon, or piece of string around the end where you start to hold it together. Begin braiding. As you braid, keep it loose; tight braiding damages the plant because as it grows, the stems thicken.
3. Test the braid. Release your hold on the braid and see if it stays, but if not, gently and loosely tie it at the finished end with string, a twist tie, or a piece of garden tape.
4. Repot the plant. Pot the plant in its new home. Stabilize the braided plant with a stake placed shallowly in the pot and loosely tie it to the stem with string.
5. Place in a shady area. Braiding will stress the plants so place the pot in a partially shady area for about a month to recover.
6. Remove the tape. After a few months, cut off the tape or string holding the braid.

How to Prune a Money Tree

Pruning is an important part of caring for your money tree, especially if you wish to braid it, train the plant as a bonsai, or control its size. Regular pruning of the lower leaves also helps to encourage new growth at the top of the plant.

How to Propagate a Money Tree

The easiest way to propagate a money tree is from stem cuttings in the spring or summer when the plant is actively growing.

1. Take cutting. Take a cutting at least 4 inches long from a healthy, firm stem, and make sure it includes a couple of nodes. 
2. Remove lower leaves. Remove any of the lower leaves so none of them will come into contact with the water.
3. Place in water. Place the cut end without any leaves in a glass of room temperature water. Change the water regularly to keep it clean and clear. Wait for roots to grow.
4. Plant in soil. Once the cutting has grown roots a few inches long, plant it in a pot with potting mix.

Check out these detailed instructions for propagating a money tree.

How to Repot a Money Tree

Every year or two, check to see if roots are coming out the drainage holes are stick out the top of the soil—those are signs you need a bigger pot (an inch or two bigger in diameter than the current pot).

Repotting your money tree will likely result in it growing larger. Be aware, they can get quite big.

Common Money Tree Pests and Plant Diseases 

Money trees are particularly susceptible to mealybugs and scale. If an infestation occurs, treat the plant immediately using a mild insecticide or horticultural oil, such as neem oil.

Common Money Tree Problems

Money tree plants are easy enough to grow and maintain but a couple of problems may occur, which are usually alleviated by following some simple care tips.

Yellow or Brown Money Tree Leaves

Typically yellowing or browning leaves indicate overwatering or underwatering. One way to tell the difference is to see if the leaves are both discolored and curling, which indicates underwatering. It could also mean you have given the plant too much or too little sunlight so you will need to change the plant’s location to see if it helps.

Soft Stems/Trunk

If the stems or trunk is becoming too soft and heading towards mushy, you are overwatering the plant. Dig up the plant and check for root rot, cutting off any soft and mushy roots. Remove as much soil as possible without harming the plant, and rinse the roots off. Repot the plant in a clean pot with fresh soil.

If all of the roots are mushy, you’ll have better luck propagating the plant.

Leggy Growth

If you notice there’s no new leaf growth and the plant looks too leggy, it may mean you are not giving it enough light.