Question
My daughter's plant has a bunch of new leaves on top but below it for about 4 feet the leaves are gone.  She recently moved the plant to a new apartment.  What can we do to make it a prettier plant?

Answer
The Guyana Chestnut -- 'Pachira Aquatria' to botanists -- is a huge flowering tree from the Mexican/Central American rainforest and swamps.  Has yours flowered yet?  The night fragrant blooms are enchanting.  The fruit is edible.

This is not a plant that should ever see a pruning shears.  Watering is is easy, but if you master the watering of this plant, its growth (and recovery from moving) will be enhanced.  That means SUPERB drainag, allowing roots to breathe -- something that Clay pots are good at, Plastic is not.

The tricky part is keeping the Water Supply available.  These plants drink with amazing speed.  But stagnant water contains only anaerobic bacteria, and they hold NO Oxygen for those roots.

Lighting is not an issue for this plant, either.  But if yours seems to be a little piqued, try max'ing out the light in this new location.  Don't do this overnight, of course.  Do it gradually, over 10 days perhaps, until the plant is in full Summer sun.  If leaves seem to burn, or feel hot to the touch, cut down on the brightness level by moving the plant into shade or deeper from the window.

So that's two things I recommend:  Adjust your watering, and adjust your lighting.  'tis the Season that's perfect for that, and now your daughter has the new place.  Let me know how things look in 3 weeks.  There should be a noticeable improvement.