HOW TO CARE FOR A MONEY TREE

So, there are about 350 species of this succulent. The oval-leaved fat plant has best taken root in our apartments: oval, fleshy, dark green leaves and a light brown trunk – that`s its calling card. Due to good growth rate and dense branches, this plant can reach, you won`t believe it, 2–2.5 meters in height!

How to grow a money tree

There are 2 reliable ways to grow a healthy fat plant: using a young shoot and a leaf.

SHOOT PLANTING METHOD

1. Place an approximately 8 cm long shoot in a glass of water and remove leaves from the base about 3 cm long.
2. After that, add root stimulator to the water. Do this if you want the shoot to root faster. The procedure is not mandatory.
3. After a week, plant the shoot in the soil 2-3 cm deep, spray with water.
4. Take a small pot, first add drainage, then loose soil on top. Roots will appear on the plant in about the third week.

The leaf planting method is practically no different. You can even not put the leaf in a glass of water, but plant it directly in wet soil. The plant is very resilient, so there shouldn`t be any problems.

Care

The fat plant likes soil suitable for cacti and succulents. If you use a universal mix, add sand to it in a ratio of 3 parts soil to 1 part sand. Do not plant the plant in soil with high acidity or add dolomite flour, that should fix the situation.

The pot needs to be wide, approximately the same diameter as the crown. Not too deep. And also, as we said, use drainage. A few centimeters will suffice.

Place the pot with Crassula on the east side. Direct sunlight or simply too much of it can destroy the tree, so it needs constant shade. Water the plant abundantly and frequently. Only in the winter period should it be reduced a little.

Fertilize the plant in spring and summer. You can use standard fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

Crown pruning and shaping

Pruning a money tree is necessary and essential. Don`t be afraid that it will grow worse or even get sick because of it. It needs to be done for several important reasons:

1. to give the tree a decorative shape
2. removal of sick or infected shoots
3. stimulation or, conversely, retardation of plant growth

Pruning and shaping the tree`s crown is done in spring. It`s not a complicated process, the main thing is to nicely cut off excess branches and arrange the trunk. Correction is usually done in summer, which allows the tree to achieve perfect symmetry.

During pruning, the plant cannot be transplanted into a new pot and a milky white liquid will be released at the cut sites. This is normal, no need to be afraid.

Now let`s analyze the pruning process step by step:

1. Prepare secateurs or garden shears, disinfect them. Put on gloves.
2. Find 2 branches that form a V shape from the trunk. Above that place, a neat crown should be formed.
3. Cut the trunk 1-3 cm above the V-shaped branches. At the same time, hold the shears at a 45-degree angle, this will positively affect further growth. You should get a clean cut.
4. Remove branches from the top and sides of the tree. Immediately cut off dry and brown leaves.
5. Pruning should remove half of the plant`s volume. We do not recommend more, as it can stop its growth.

Medicinal properties

According to Chinese Feng Shui, the fat plant brings luck and financial prosperity. Actually, you can understand that from its name - “money tree”.

But in addition to that, Crassula also has medicinal properties: it purifies the air, reduces stress and beneficially affects the room`s microflora. Of course, all this positively affects your health.