QuestionQUESTION: braided money trees are wilting & falling leaves, black spots on bark that is wrinkling. I know this is the dormant season my question. are: How to care for my trees during the dormant season?
How do I know is my trees have fungal or are diseased?
How do I prevent my tree from getting diseased what do I need to purchase and where can I purchase it?
what books can I purchase to obtain pertinant infomation?
ANSWER: Dear Linda, Yes, money trees do go dormant in the winter, and generally the leaves will fall off, and begin to grow again in the spring. The black wrinkling spots on the bark is a bit more troublesome, and may indeed indicate a fungus. A very simple and effective solution would be to purchase NEEM oil product which is readily available and will kill insects, fungus, and mites. I have been a huge fan of NEEM for at least 15 years. It is a botanical product and very environmentally safe. You could actually have fungus gnats in the soil which are causing the problems with the bark, and a good soil drench with NEEM will certainly help. You can also use a systemic fungicide/insecticide which will work. Now besides the possible fungal problems, during the dormant season water less frequently. Money trees like to dry out thoroughly before being watered. If you have a drip saucer under the plant, be sure to empty the saucer after the water runs through because standing water can suffocate the roots. NEEM or systemic fungicide/insecticide products can be found in any garden center, or better yet a feed store as they have loads of chemical products and the personnel should be pretty knowledgeable. (I have worked at many garden centers and while I wholeheartedly recommend them, not every employee will know anything about chemicals or even plants sometimes.) As far as books are concerned, that is a bit tougher. My best advice is to go to a book store, look at the section for houseplants, and then look in the indexes to see if that individual book discusses money trees. You should be able to find several this way. Unfortunately, even if you Google "money tree books" you won't find much of anything, and most of the hits you get will be about investments (money growing on trees, etc.). Oh, yes, the Latin name for money tree is Pachira, so after looking in the index for money tree, also try Pachira. Also, generally money trees like to be watered pretty infrequently - once a week or maybe less. Make sure the soil seems completely dry. One other thing - check the size of the plant's pot. If the plant seems crowded, the winter is a great time to repot to a larger size with some fresh soil. I hope this information helps you. Good luck, Melissa
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QUESTION: The trunk is brittle and wrinkling the leaves only remain on one trunk. Will I lose all leaves? How will I know my tree is dead?
AnswerDear Linda, Ouch, the brittle trunk is a bad problem. I really hate to hear that. I am assuming by saying that the trunk is brittle that when you touch or rub on it, the bark will peel off in little sheets or sections. That may indicate that the trunk on that plant is dead or dying. Sometimes I have seen the braided stems partially recover where some of the stems will live, some may die, and others will die out higher on the trunk, but new leaves will sprout from lower on the trunk. If you're a purist and want it to look like a regular money tree, you may be disappointed. If you don't mind the slightly unconventional, it may turn out to be far more interesting. However, and I can't stress this enough, you will not be certain until the spring when new leaves may emerge. At that point you will know that it is alive or dead, and can decide whether or not to keep it or start over. The leaves will all fall off for the winter, but just make sure you reduce the water and allow it to dry out thoroughly between watering. While you very well may have a dead or dying plant, either part or all of it, I would still wait until spring, make sure it was never standing in water, and keep it on the drier side before discarding it. Please let me know how it turns out. Good luck, Melissa
