One of the most popular succulents that take pride of place in plant design is the fat lady. She impresses some flower growers with beautiful decorative leaves, others are delighted with her tree-like trunk with bizarre shapes. Despite the fact that the plant has spread due to its unpretentiousness, some care errors lead to a slowdown in its development. This article will consider the reasons why the money tree does not grow. What can be done in this regard, how to resume the previous development of a withering plant - read on.
Description
Money tree is an evergreen perennial from the genus of succulents belonging to the Crassulaceae family. It has a luxurious rounded crown. The main advantage of the fat woman can be attributed to its size. Sometimes the tree grows up to 1.5 m in height, which is why it servesdecoration of halls and office buildings. The succulent has small leaves with a smooth surface. They are quite fleshy, covered with thick skin. The leaf plates are distinguished by a rich green color, and the presence of a reddish edging in them indicates a he althy state of the plant. In their form, they resemble coins, from which the name of the tree follows. The trunk of a fat woman is tree-like, has a gray color with a slight brownish tint.
Origin
The homeland of the money tree is the Southern Hemisphere, Africa. This means that the plant in its natural environment grows in a hot climate. Based on this, for a fat woman you need to create an atmosphere of exoticism. Flower growers should take into account the biological feature of the plant, which, in fact, explains the unpretentiousness of the indoor flower. The fact is that the succulent is able to create a reserve of moisture for itself, accumulating it in the leaves, due to which it survives in adverse conditions. Therefore, for some owners, the fat woman does not dry out while in cool and shady places. However, the quality of its development and exterior features in this case are significantly reduced.
Leaving one day their favorite plant to their own devices and not taking proper care of it, some flower growers may wonder why the money tree does not grow. In violation of the development of the plant, two conditions were noted. Sometimes the bush grows very slowly and looks painful. But it also happens that it completely stops its development, its branches begin to die off. As in the firstso in the second case, it is necessary to take urgent measures to save the plant.
Suspension of development
Experienced flower growers identify the three most common reasons that prevent the normal growth of a fat woman:
- Root decay. It has been observed that this problem occurs due to excessive wetting of plants.
- Fungus. The disease manifests itself in the form of brown or white specks on the leaves. Although bending affects a tree extremely rarely, it is necessary to carry out preventive spraying of plants in a timely manner.
- Insect pests. Most often, the succulent suffers from spider mites, scale insects and mealybugs. Such insidious pests pose the greatest danger to bushes. For example, a mealybug absorbs nutrients from a plant and it can die. The defeat of the shield is veiled. Often the pest is found after significant wilting of the branches. It is very difficult to deal with spider mites.
All of the above reasons suggest that you need to constantly carry out a thorough inspection and find out the reason why the money tree does not grow. What to do if a lesion is found? When the pest is noticed immediately, then you need to find the places of localization of insects and treat them with special means. If for a long period there are no changes for the better, then you will have to get rid of the fat woman. If there are other types of plants in the house, pests can move to neighboring ones.
Slow growth
When a houseplant fades, it becomes clear that it is affected by some disease, and the owner begins to take measures to save it. But why the money tree does not grow while maintaining a he althy appearance is a mystery to many. Here, observations of flower growers who have managed to find out many reasons that hinder its normal development can help. Let's see what a fat woman might not like:
- Excessive lighting.
- Wrong flowerpot. If the pot is deep and narrow, then it will not fit the money tree. Its root system is short and grows on the sides.
- Excess moisture. Here it is important to be careful when carrying out the spraying procedure. Excessive moisture harms not only the roots, but also the crown of the plant.
- Nutritional deficiency. Without the necessary fertilizing, the plant slows down all vital processes.
- Sudden temperature fluctuations.
- Inappropriate soil composition.
You should not look for reasons and rush to change something if the flower has slowed down in growth in winter. This is quite normal for an exotic plant, such is its physiology.
Restorative measures
It is not so important why the money tree does not grow, the main thing is to give it another chance. A good grower should try to rehabilitate the plant. First of all, the tree must be properly positioned. AlthoughThe succulent loves lighted places and can exist in direct sunlight, it has its own preferences in this regard. He perceives ultraviolet in the morning and evening hours with gratitude. But the scorching sun at noon is not suitable for the plant. The lack of this resource also adversely affects the growth of an exotic representative, its branches become twisted and thin. The best option for lighting the money tree is diffused light.
It is also important to adjust the normal temperature, since abnormal readings on the thermometer lead to growth inhibition. In the cold, the fat woman can go into a state of rest; in hot weather, she experiences stress. The plant also reacts negatively to drafts.
It is necessary to compensate the tree for the lack of nutrition at a critical moment for it. It draws microelements and minerals from the soil very quickly, and when they become very scarce, it tries to provide for existing requests without increasing them, and therefore the money tree does not grow. What to feed a fat woman? For this purpose, it is better to purchase a set of necessary elements for succulents in a flower shop. However, in this case, the allocated dose will not be enough. It must be increased to the maximum. Fertilizers are applied in the warm season - from spring to autumn. The plant is watered first. If such a measure does not help, then the soil will have to be changed.
If a flower needs a transplant, then you need to take care of acquiring a new flowerpot.
Requirements forground
What if the flower was moved to a new container due to a mismatch in the size of the old pot and at the same time did not please the owner with the expected result? Why does the money tree not grow after transplantation? The main reason is the composition of the soil. This requirement must be given special attention. The substrate must be loose, well permeable, low in nitrogen.
If the soil was brought from the store, then it already has all the necessary substances to support the plant. Then it remains to take care of good drainage. Due to this, the earth will quickly absorb water and return its excess. Small coals and pebbles, vermiculite can serve as baking powder. Crushed red brick is placed at the bottom of the pot.
How to prepare the soil yourself?
What soil does a money tree need? The fat woman loves slightly acidic porous soil with the addition of humus. To prepare a suitable soil yourself, you need to take in equal proportions of leaf and sod land. Additionally, small pebbles and coarse sand should be added to the composition (no more than 20%).
Given that the tree will grow, you can prepare another flowerpot and nutrient soil in advance. For this purpose, the upper, soddy layer of soil is removed by no more than 10 cm and rotted leaves are introduced into it. Regarding the latter, you can take any except for oak, needles, poplar and ash. Do not forget to dilute the soil with sand and pebbles (you can use crushed clay shards).
It would be good to buy in the gardenshop indicator to measure the acidity of the earth. For a fat woman, this figure should be 5.5.
How to water the money tree in winter?
In winter, the plant is at rest, its development is insignificant or not observed at all. Therefore, moisture should be kept to a minimum. To find out the needs of the fat woman, you should regularly check the substrate. A dry top layer of soil signals that the plant needs watering. To prevent cracking, moisturizing should be carried out every 20 days. If the house is too warm, then watering is increased up to twice a month. At low, uncomfortable temperatures, they are stopped for a while.
The importance of a suitable microclimate
The fact that the birthplace of the money tree is hot Africa does not mean at all that the plant needs to create too high a temperature. In the summer, in the room where the fat woman is located, the readings on the thermometer should not rise higher than +20 o C. In cold weather - not lower than + 16 oC. It is necessary that the room was warm and humid. This involves daily spraying in the morning hours.
Conclusion
As you can see, the exotic representative is a balanced plant. Rich soil, optimal conditions for humidity and temperature, a ceramic pot that matches the root system of the fat woman - all that is needed for its development. By following these simple requirements, you can grow a beautiful tree.
