Pets are not only cats and dogs, but also indoor flowers. They no less delight their owners with their appearance. In order for the plant to bloom well and be he althy, it is necessary to provide it with good conditions. Surely each of you has seen a money tree at least once in your life. This is a very interesting plant, which attracts with a variety of forms and crown design options, relative ease of cultivation and decorative effect. Today we'll talk about how to grow it at home, avoiding the mistakes of beginner growers.
History of the plant
Money tree is not exotic at all. It will grow on any windowsill, often decorates hotel lobbies and office buildings, and grows in school classrooms. The fat woman is known to most flower growers. She is loved for her decorative round leaves. By the way, it is for their resemblance to coins that the plant got its original name.
By the way, this is not his only nickname. It is called the breadfruit tree and the tree of happiness, the keeper of family well-being. With such beautiful epithets flower growersreward the fat woman. And of course, a plant endowed with such important functions should always be he althy and branched.
Guest from hot Africa
Today, looking at the usual money tree, it is already difficult to imagine that this is a typical inhabitant of hot countries. Especially when you consider that it willingly forgives cool temperatures, abundant watering and drought. The latter feature is due to the fact that the fleshy leaves store a large amount of moisture.
In nature, it blooms willingly and for a long time, but at home it is almost impossible to see such a phenomenon. The fact is that for this the money tree must be quite old.
Varieties
To date, several hundred species have been studied. But only a few normally grow and develop on the windows. Why are there so many different forms? The fact is that a homemade money tree can be ampelous, ground cover, bush, can grow in the form of a tree. To correctly determine the type of your plant, you can use the following classification:
- Treelike - it can grow almost to the height of a person. You can shape the crown as you like, which opens up opportunities for decorating the room. An adult plant over 10 years old can please you with white or pink flowers.
- Oval Crassula - grows as a shrub, grows up to a meter in height. The leaves are neat, thick, rounded.
- The lycopsform form is an ampelous fat woman.
- Shoveled fatty. Tetrahedral, with processes and aerial roots, they easily turn intonew plant.
- Cooper's Crassula is a herbaceous plant whose slender shoots twist as they grow.
Reproduction
Where can I get planting material from which I can grow a homemade money tree? The fat woman propagates by seeds, but this process is long and rather laborious. Much easier to buy a small twig. You will need a he althy cutting 5-8 cm long. It will root well in almost any soil, but for optimal growth and development, it is recommended to choose a soil for succulents.
If there is none on sale, then it does not matter. In order to make a suitable soil, you will need:
- turf and leaf land;
- coarse, well-washed sand.
How to plant a money tree
When you bring home a shoot, do not rush to plant it in the ground, let alone put it in water. Succulents are rooted in a slightly different way. In nature, a young shoot stimulates natural drying to form roots. Therefore, put the cutting in an empty glass and put it in a dark place. After two days, the plant can be planted in the ground.
A good drainage layer should be laid out at the bottom. It can be broken bricks or expanded clay. As a fertilizer, wood ash, humus, universal mineral complexes are suitable. A slightly “dried” stalk can be put to take root in a glass of water or immediately planted in the ground. In both cases, the result will be excellent. Usually in one to two weeks small roots will appear. If agermination took place in water, now you can safely transplant the plant into the ground.
Choose a pot
Almost all varieties of this plant are large. So that they do not lose their decorative effect, grow and develop well, a rather spacious pot is required. Unlike flowering plants, in which a small pot encourages bud formation, here volume is of little concern and will help form a nice, spreading crown. Large capacity will eliminate the need to transplant the plant again in the near future.
Water and lighting
Money tree at home willingly grows on almost any window. But the plant develops better in a bright room. It reacts painfully to sunburn. Therefore, it is necessary to shade it.
Because the crassula (money tree) is a plant from the succulent family, it tolerates drought very well. Even if you go on vacation, the green pet will survive several weeks without watering. Meat leaves are able to accumulate a significant supply of water. But this is an emergency, and for the full development of the plant, watering is necessary and very important.
Be sure to take settled water, and even better filtered. It is best to pour a little at a time into the pot regularly. In hot weather, the amount of watering must be increased. Before the next irrigation, loosen the soil. Thanks to this, you will evaluate the throughput of the soil, as well as the need to introduce a new portion of moisture. in winterthe soil is only moistened as it dries.
Fertilization
Feeding is necessary and important if you want to grow a beautiful money tree. Home care must also include fertilization. New branches are usually formed from spring to autumn. It is at this time that he needs support. It is best to choose complex fertilizers for cacti. Scheme of application - once a month. In the cold season, the needs of plants are significantly reduced. In this case, the frequency can be maintained, only reduce the dosage by half. Do not forget that an overdose also threatens the death of the plant.
Pruning and crown shaping
Money tree is a plant that can grow as a chaotic bush. Even in this form it is not devoid of grace and charm, but still it is not quite what you need. Some craftsmen form an amazing bonsai garden based on this plant. It is required to start forming the crown quite early. To do this, cut off all side shoots to form a strong trunk.
Pinch the plant regularly, about every 4-5 leaves. In this case, a trunk of sufficient length is formed. At this point, a branching is formed, which in the future also needs to be pinched. All sections must be sprinkled with wood ash or activated charcoal. After the central trunk is formed, it is necessary to cut them off every 3-4 leaves so that the crown is lush and beautiful. But what will be the form - depends on your preferences.
When a transplant is needed
This will be noticed by every owner, carrying out daily care. The money tree stops growing, although it does not show obvious malaise. As a rule, the need for transplantation occurs 2-3 years after rooting. It depends on the size of the pot.
It's pretty easy to appreciate with the naked eye. If the roots are entangled in a clod of earth, then they do not have enough space. The transplant procedure itself is not complicated. To do this, prepare a new pot, lay out the drainage and fill in fresh soil. Now it remains to carefully shake out the plant from the old pot and place it in a new one. Fill the empty space with fresh potting mix and water.
Home doctor
Most succulents have useful properties. But if in relation to aloe this is a well-known fact, then almost no one uses crassula for medicinal purposes. What diseases can it be used for?
- Rubbing and lotions with the juice of this plant are excellent for various dermatological diseases. These include psoriasis, eczema, herpes, and lichen.
- Infusion successfully treats the kidneys.
- Gastritis, ulcers and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are successfully treated with the help of a fat woman. To do this, eat fresh leaves on an empty stomach.
- Alcohol infusion is used to heal and disinfect wounds.
Do not forget that the treatment of any disease begins with a doctor's consultation. Talk to him andthe possibility of individual intolerance.
Diseases and pests
In the photo, the money tree we usually see is lush, bright green, with a decorated crown. Of course, such a plant attracts the attention of flower growers. But often your own copy is far from perfect. It is worth noting that pests almost never pay attention to it; the fat woman is quite resistant to viruses and fungi. That is, most often the problems are associated with incorrect content. You need to analyze the growing conditions of your talisman and work on the mistakes. Then the fat woman will quickly grow, and maybe she will delight with beautiful flowers.
Leaves fall
This is the main decoration of the plant. Without thick, swollen droplets, its stems lose their charm. Therefore, it is necessary to find out why the money tree falls. By the way, some flower growers claim that dried leaves can be used as a flower tray decoration, as they resemble precious stones. But it is best to prevent their mass dropping. There are not many reasons for this phenomenon.
- Most often it is a banal waterlogging of the soil. If this happened once, and the soil was given time to dry, then nothing terrible will happen. Africa also has a rainy season. But regular flooding of the pot will lead to unpleasant consequences. The leaves will turn pale and crumble. If this symptom is ignored, rot will spread and the plant will die.
- The second reason is just the opposite. Insufficient watering on hot days causes the plant to shed its leaves. This saves moisture.
- Irrigation with cold water.
The leaves are turning red
Despite the fact that this plant comes from hot Africa, it grows only in the shade of large trees. And at home, its ground part should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Forgetting the plant on the windowsill, you can see that the leaves have lost turgor. The next day they usually turn red, after which the leaves fall off. The money tree can recover, but it will take some time.
Leaves can fall off even if the plant is in the dark and there is a catastrophic lack of light. Therefore, it is important to adjust the mode of lighting and watering. Experts recommend periodically turning the pot around its own axis. It is important that the fat woman grows well, and her crown is lush and beautiful.
Spots on the leaves
Usually they are black or brown. This phenomenon introduces a novice grower into a stupor. If the leaves turn black, this most often indicates a bacterial lesion. In this case, all diseased leaves must be removed immediately, and the plant should be treated with a preparation designed to eliminate pathogenic microflora. Most often, this phenomenon occurs if the room has high humidity. In this case, it is recommended to establish a ventilation system and mulch the soil well.
Dry and round black spots are the result of sunburn. Fixing this situation is easy. It is enough to make shading fromsun. Affected leaves can be removed, in which case the growth points are activated, and the crown is even more magnificent.
Infestation by plant parasites
It cannot be said that pests often attack the fat girl. Rather, on the contrary, if there are other flowers on the windowsill, they will quickly become their victims. However, the mealybug, spider mite and scale insect may well choose the money tree. In this case, your talisman will need protection. How to recognize the signs of defeat?
When the scale insect is damaged, yellow or brown spots appear on the surface of the sheet, which rise slightly above the surface. Be sure to inspect the plant and remove adult scale insects. After that, you can process the entire ground part with a soapy solution. In case of a mass defeat of a fat woman, the stem part and leaves are treated with a special complex insecticide.
Instead of a conclusion
If you do not have much experience in floriculture, but really want to breed plants at home, then start with a fat woman. The money tree is quite simple to grow, willingly forgives many mistakes. Even if, as a result of excessive moisture, it dropped its leaves, it does not matter - it will be enough to change the soil and revise the irrigation schedule. In a few months, the plant will release a new crown. It is possible that she will be even more magnificent than before.
