Pachira aquatica: care

Pachira aquatica cared

Have an Pachira aquatica home? Has it been given to you and now you are looking for information to see how you have to take care of it and make it last for many years. This plant, originally from Mexico and also known as the money plant, is one of the best known and appreciated by many, but how do you take care of it?

If you want to learn details about the Pachira plant, such as diseases, whether to prune it, how it reproduces, etc. then do not hesitate to take a look at this that we have prepared for you. With this guide you are sure to be in the best hands.

How is the Pachira plant cared for?

La Pachira is one of the plants whose most remarkable characteristic is, without a doubt, its braided trunk. It has deep and wide green foliage that, in contrast to its brown trunk, creates a very elegant and showy ensemble.

For this reason, when placing it in a place, there are those who prefer to enjoy the view of this plant inside their home; while others take it outside to give 'life' to the garden. And in each situation, the care may change slightly.

Indoor care

If you have a Pachira indoors, that is, in a pot, the care that you must provide are the following:

  • Lighting: a lot. He loves light and appreciates it very much. Now, let it not be direct sun, because the only thing you will get is that the leaves burn. Try to move it so that the light hits the whole plant, otherwise it will start to grow crooked so that they will follow the light.
  • Temperature: Pachira is an exotic plant, which means that it does not tolerate low temperatures well. Your ideal would be approximately 16-25 degrees.
  • Irrigation: It is important that the plant maintains a humidity, but it does not mean that it needs you to water it constantly or that you leave water at the base. To give you an idea, in summer, unless it is very hot, it needs one watering a week; while in winter it will be once every two weeks. Of course, the environmental humidity does need to be high, so try to pulverize the leaves and that the plant is in a small dish with stones and water so that there is humidity around it.
  • Fertilizer: During the spring and summer months, it may be advisable to add a fertilizer. Of course, if you are attacked by a plague or disease, do not do it, because it can make it worse.

Outdoor care

How is the Pachira plant cared for?

If you have purchased a Pachira to plant in the garden, or one in a pot has grown so much that you have decided to put it outside (keep in mind that it can grow up to 18 meters), the care it will need are the following :

  • Lighting: He loves the light, but he does not like the direct light. That is why it is recommended to place it in an area where it reaches you, but at the same time it is in the shade.
  • Temperature: It is a tropical plant, so if the temperature outside drops below 12 degrees, you are going to have a problem.
  • Irrigation: Being outdoors, the Pachira will need you to water it at least twice a week. You have to make sure that the land is dry to water again, since if it is not you can generate problems. In addition, the humidity must be constant, if not, you will see how it loses its leaves and wilts.
  • Fertilizer: Compost it once a month, but only during the spring and summer months.

How does the Pachira plant reproduce?

Pachira aquatica is a plant that can be multiplied in two different ways: by cuttings or by seeds. Obviously, one is faster than the other, but both are very easy to carry out.

In the case of cuttings, they are shoots of the stems, which usually emerge in spring, and that you can cut, always under a knot leaving each shoot to have at least two knots so that there is a better chance of sticking out. You have to cut it obliquely and there are two options: put it in a glass of water and wait for roots to grow; Or you plant it in a pot, ideally with a mixture of peat and sand, protected from light (you must put it in the shade) and with a bag on top as a greenhouse so that it grows. And how will you know? Well, if sprouts start to appear.

If you choose for the seeds, these must be planted in a mixture of substrate and sand, always in a warm and constantly humid place. Many put a plastic or similar to create a greenhouse environment that maintains humidity and temperature. Their germination is usually fast, and that is when they are taken to a brighter area but they will take time to be large to be able to plant them separately. If they are going to be put outside, it will have to pass a year (until the spring of the following year), while if they are for pots, you can make the change in winter.

Management

Although Pachira is not a plant that is affected by diseases or pests, there are times when some can affect you. The most commons are:

  • Cottony mealybug: You will discover the mealybug because it will have white spots on the underside of the leaves. To fix this, soak a cotton ball in alcohol and wash the leaves with it. If you are outdoors you have to apply some chemical product.
  • Red spider: la Red spider It is one of the most harmful mites for Pachira. You will know if it has it because the leaves begin to yellow and there are also yellow and brown spots on the leaves. To remove it, you can use cotton wool with soap or increase the nebulizations.
  • Aphids: aphids are visible to the naked eye and the best are insecticides for these pests.

How and when to prune Pachira?

How and when to prune Pachira?

Source: Flowers and plants

You should know that the Pachira has a thin trunk, which is not very resistant, which is why, when it grows a lot, it tends to lean or fall directly if it does not have a guide to support it.

For this reason, pruning is important, and when pruning Pachira you have to focus on the long trunks, as this will allow you to release the weight that can knock it down.

La best time to do it is spring and summer, because when it is growing, although at first you can see it more depopulated and that it has a "not very attractive" aspect, then things change and it will be more leafy than before. In addition to being active, the plant will grow more in a few months to solve the loss of those stems that you have cut.

Transplant

With regard to transplantation, the truth is that the plant has no problem being transplanted at any time of the year, But if you want to be governed by the best month to do it, then we recommend that this be March.

You will realize that it needs a transplant because it is about 25-30 centimeters in dimension in the pot. This implies that, every year, or at most every two, you should change it, especially to change part of the substrate it has and renew it for a fresh one that gives it more nutrients.

In the transplant, you must take into account the following:

  • If it's in a pot, is to change it to a larger one (up to the size you consider) by renewing the soil (use peat, sand and fertile substrate).
  • If you are abroad, Make sure that the ground where you put it is clayey and try to make a deep hole and mix the earth with a good substrate that helps drain the water.

Now surely your Pachira will be well cared for and will not give you problems. Do you dare to have one at home?


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.