Money Tree Care: Light, Watering and Yellow Leaves

Money tree care indoors is straightforward: give Pachira aquatica bright, indirect light, water when the top 5 cm of soil is dry, use a well-draining mix in a pot with drainage, keep it warm and away from drafts, and feed it monthly in spring and summer. Yellow leaves are usually overwatering, and dropped leaves are usually a reaction to a move or a draft.

The money tree is a wetland tree from Central and South America, where it grows into a large tree with chestnut-like seeds. Indoors it's usually sold as several young trunks braided together, a style that became popular in East Asia, where the plant is associated with good fortune. It's tolerant, fairly fast-growing in good light and listed as non-toxic to pets.

Money tree care at a glance

Light

Money trees want bright, filtered light. A spot near an east or west window, or a metre or two back from a south window, works well. They tolerate medium light and office lighting, which is why they're popular gifts, but in dim spots they grow long, weak stems and drop lower leaves. Rotate the pot every couple of weeks so it doesn't lean. Check your spot with the plant light meter converter.

Watering

Although Pachira grows in wetlands, potted money trees rot quickly if their soil stays waterlogged.

1. Check the soil. When the top 5 cm is dry, water.
2. Water thoroughly until it drains out.
3. Empty the saucer within 15 minutes.

That usually means every one to two weeks in summer and two to three weeks in winter. Money trees store some water in their swollen trunk bases, so they cope with a missed watering. Small pots, sold with pebbles glued on top or wrapped in decorative foil, often hold water at the bottom; remove foil and glued stones so water can drain. The watering schedule tool gives a starting interval.

Soil and pots

Use a peat-free houseplant compost with a quarter perlite or bark. Use a pot with drainage holes, only a little bigger than the root ball. Money trees are often sold in small pots and can stay there for a couple of years. See the soil mix calculator.

Temperature and humidity

Keep money trees between 16 and 27°C, away from cold windows, outside doors and air conditioning in summer. They dislike sudden temperature changes. Average household humidity is fine; very dry air near heaters can brown leaf edges.

Feeding

Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Pale new leaves on a plant in good light often mean it needs feeding. Stop in winter. Use the fertilizer dilution calculator.

Pruning and shaping

Prune in spring or early summer to control height and encourage a fuller crown.

1. Cut just above a leaf node with clean secateurs.
2. New shoots usually grow from below the cut.
3. Remove weak, crossing or leggy stems.
4. Remove yellow or damaged leaves at the base of the leaf stalk.

Each money tree leaf is a "hand" of five to nine leaflets on one stalk. Remove the whole stalk, not single leaflets.

Caring for a braided money tree

• Leave the braid alone. Don't try to tighten or unbraid it.
• Remove ties gently if the nursery left plastic ties on the trunks, as they can cut in as the trunks thicken.
• Continue the braid if you like: gently weave new, flexible growth and tie loosely, checking ties every few months.
• If one trunk dies (soft, shrivelled or bark peeling), cut it out at the base. The others will carry on.

Propagation

Take stem cuttings 10 to 15 cm long with a couple of nodes in spring or summer. Remove the lower leaves and root in water or moist mix in a warm, bright spot. Roots take three to six weeks. A cutting won't have a thick, braided trunk for years, but it will grow into a single-stemmed tree. See how to propagate houseplants.

Repotting

Repot every two to three years in spring, or when roots circle the pot. Go up 2 to 5 cm in pot size. Keep the trunk at the same depth as before. See the repotting pot size calculator and how to repot a houseplant.

Common money tree problems

Money tree in winter

Shorter days are when most money trees drop leaves. Move it a little closer to the window, keep it away from radiators and cold glass, water less often and stop feeding. If it loses a few lower leaves but keeps pushing out small new ones at the tips, it's coping fine.

Leaf drop after buying

New money trees often drop a few leaves in the first weeks as they adjust from greenhouse conditions. Put it in its permanent bright spot, water only when the top 5 cm is dry, and avoid moving it again. New leaves usually appear within a month or two.

Is the money tree really lucky?

In feng shui tradition the five-leaflet "hands" and braided trunks are linked to good fortune, which is why money trees are common housewarming and business-opening gifts. Whatever you believe, the plant itself is a good gift: it's forgiving, it's pet-safe and it looks good on a desk or floor.

Money tree vs jade plant ("money plant")

Several plants are called "money plant", including jade (Crassula ovata), Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) and pothos. The money tree (Pachira aquatica) is a different plant with hand-shaped leaves on woody trunks. Care differs a lot: jade is a sun-loving succulent (see jade plant care), while money trees prefer bright, indirect light and more regular water.

Money tree care checklist

• ☐ Bright, indirect light
• ☐ Water when top 5 cm is dry
• ☐ Remove foil wrap and glued pebbles; use a pot with drainage
• ☐ Keep away from drafts and heaters
• ☐ Feed monthly in spring and summer
• ☐ Rotate every couple of weeks
• ☐ Prune in spring if leggy

Sources and further reading

• Royal Horticultural Society: Pachira aquatica, for cultivation.
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Pachira aquatica, for the species profile.
• ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants list, for pet safety.

Want more pet-friendly options? See pet safe houseplants.