I got this money tree less than a week ago. The day I got it, I watered it with two ice cubes (as instructed). I saw that you aren’t supposed to let the ice touch the plant, and didn’t want to immediately replant it, so I put a barrier of aluminum foil and fabric around the roots so it wouldn’t touch directly (it’s not tight or directly attached to the stem, just sitting around the surface).
First, I put it on the windowsill, but I moved it after two days when I noticed the leaves were sad. I figured it may be too direct or to drafty.
Now it is on a table surrounded by windows, so it still gets a lot of light, but it’s not as direct.
Please help, I feel like it’s terrible luck to immediately kill a money tree the first week of January in the year I graduate and need to get a job 😭😭😭😭
by cuntyjackantanoff
9 Comments
Never water with ice cubes. Instructions just say that so inexperienced plant owners don’t overwater their plants. When you water your plants you should thoroughly soak the soil in water. For your money tree you should make sure the water can drain. The pot you have it in right now is decorative and doesn’t have a drainage hole at the bottom for the water to drain from. Also the decorations aren’t directly harming your plant but over time it will want to grow past those restrictions, so I recommend taking them off soon.
1. The “ice cubes” nonsense needs to stop. It’s setting you up for failure. When the soil is mostly dry (say, the top 1-2 inches), water it thoroughly. Otherwise, leave it alone.
2. Does this pot have drainage?
More experienced plant folks can chime in, but I’m wondering if this is a fungus, based on pic 3.
Is it cold where you live? Even just walking it from target to your car in the cold scan damage the leaves like that. If it’s cold damage, the plant should be just fine. It will grow more leaves that look normal
How wet is the soil?
You can save this plant but you might need to act today
The plant lived its best life being raised in ideal greenhouse conditions… its every need being catered to. Then it was put in a dark box and loaded onto a truck. For the next… I dunno, some number of days/weeks, it was shipped to various warehouses and cold loading docks and hot/cold trailers, random storage facilities, whatever. Eventually, it landed on a store shelf. It then got who-knows-what kind care in a big-box retail situation until you brought it home and gave it ice-cold water. Plants don’t like that sort of treatment. They are slow to acclimate to changes in their environment, and their leaves will show it… but not until they get to your house, or course! Hopefully, you can make the plant happy and it will reward you with pretty new growth.
These plants, called *Pachira aquatica*, are tropical. Your 10 minute walk home was enough to cause cold damage, sadly. Combined with the system of getting the plants to retailr, your plant is stressed.
Here’s a guide that may be of some help to you.
https://www.thespruce.com/growing-guiana-chestnut-indoors-4773440
Did you carry it outdoors through the cold to get it home? It could be cold damage
Have you checked it for pests? Sometimes they are very hard to see. Look at pictures online and then do a thorough check 😊