Question

Fallen leaves  

Money tree   Hello,

I will give you some background about my plants history. I have had my money tree for about four years and it has been growing very well. I went on vacation for 3 weeks and left my plant with my husband and came back with half the leaves on the floor and I haven't been to get it back to normal since I have been home for about 2 months. Since then it hasn't stopped dropping the leaves. During my time away my husband did some construction in the house and the leaves were full of drywall dust when I came back,  so I took the tree in the bathroom shower and washed it off but made sure to wrap the pot in a large bag making sure not to over water. I also transplanted the tree to a larger pot as it hasn't been repotted since I purchased it. I have also started fertilizing every second watering and occasional misting.

Anyway, my tree has been dropping leaves for a while now and I'm not sure what I should do with it. It has become bare and the leaves keep turning yellow them brown and falling off. I don't want to loose my plant and I am willing to try anything to help stop this from happening. It is located 9ft from a West facing window and the only thing I haven't tried is moving it closer to the window. It was fine previously but maybe it need more light now? I also worry that the pot that it was transplanted in is too large? There are no pest present as I have examined the plant multiple times.

Can you please help me keep my beloved plant for years to come? What should I be doing? I want it to stop losing leaves and hopefully become a full and a bushy tree again.

Answer
Hi,
Water your money tree plant in the following manner. I water most of my plants this way. Check how much the plant weighs when thoroughly watered VS its' weight when it is ready to be watered again. Sometimes it helps to put a saucer under the pot and let the plant sit in water for 10-15 minutes. After that pour off the excess water. Pick the pot up ( or lean it if it a large pot ) and feel how heavy it is after watering it thoroughly. Don't water it again until it feels considerably lighter and the top of the soil is light in color. Mother Nature doesn't water once a week/ month/ etc. ...Depending on plant types, sunlight exposure and pot size plants will need water at many different rates from once a day to once a month or more. You should turn the plant a 1/4 turn once per week to keep the growth even. Plants do need to be fertilized every month or so during their active growing period to stay healthy...Every other watering w/fertilizer may be too much.
They do not like direct sunlite unless it is morning sun...Moving a plant from a bright area to a less light situation usually will cause leaf yellowing and leaf drop...Try moving it closer to the window.

Remove yellow leaves when they become unsightly...
Hope this helps.
Rick in Southern NJ