How to feed a money tree at home

The money tree (crassula or crassula) received its name because of the shape of the leaves, similar to round coins. Nutrients accumulate in their fleshy structure. According to popular belief, the owner’s wealth depends on the size of these “coins” and on the condition of the plant, since it is believed that it harmonizes the atmosphere of the home, extinguishes negative emotions and gives positive energy.

The money tree is a succulent plant and is easy to care for. But at the same time, many gardeners face a dilemma: why doesn’t the money tree grow at home, doesn’t develop, and often dies? To prevent the death of the plant, we will tell you how to revive the fat plant and give recommendations on proper care and control of possible diseases and pests.

There are several types of money tree. Crassula is grown at home:

• tree or cotyledon (Crassula arborescens);
• silver (Crassula argenta);
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• oval (Crassula ovata).

All species are called money tree, despite the different color of the leaves: green or dark green. Shiny and silvery plates may be covered with a reddish border or red spots on the reverse side.

What to do if the money tree grows poorly: how to fertilize it

As first aid, experienced gardeners use universal solutions intended for feeding indoor plants, or special mixtures for cacti. Common varieties that can be used to fertilize a drooping money tree include Agricola, Good Power, Flower Paradise, and vermicompost.

The money tree is a succulent that can store water in its leaves.

Important! All specialized compounds activate processes occurring in plant cells. Due to them, metabolism accelerates, Crassula begins to grow and bloom. Some formulations may not be suitable for her; before purchasing, you need to check the manufacturer's recommendations.

Slow growth

When a houseplant withers, it becomes clear that it is affected by some disease, and the owner begins to take measures to save it. But why the money tree does not grow while maintaining a healthy appearance is a mystery to many. Observations of amateur flower growers who managed to find out many reasons inhibiting its normal development can help here. Let's figure out what the fat woman might not like:

You should not look for reasons and rush to change anything if the flower slows down in growth in winter. This is quite normal for an exotic plant, this is its physiology.

What kind of feeding does a money tree need?

How to water a money tree at home

Before wondering how to feed the fat plant at home, you need to carefully examine the flower. Its appearance will tell you which nutrients it is lacking:

• the plant completely stops blooming, simultaneously shedding its leaves, due to a lack of phosphorus;
• small and weak leaves appear when there is a lack of other elements, the situation is corrected with the help of zinc or copper;
• Lack of potassium leads to yellowing of the leaves, thinning and drying of their edges, and increased vulnerability of the skin. Only solving the problem of element deficiency will make them turn green;
• the appearance of a red or brownish border indicates oversaturation of the soil with potassium substances, the problem can be corrected by adding magnesium;
• Falling and yellowing of leaves is a sign of calcium deficiency.

Note! An excess of calcium leads to a lack of potassium. The plant cannot be fertilized with compounds in which nitrogen occupies the main place. Its excess stops the development of the tree, provokes rotting of the root system and foliage diseases, and attracts insect pests to it.

Watering with fertilizing

Potassium, calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus

Special solutions for Crassula are mixtures for cacti containing nitrogen in minimal volumes. An overdose of nitrogen components causes foliage to grow at an accelerated pace, at which cracking and rotting of the skin and tissues occur. The result will be the appearance of small and soft leaves and insufficient trunk density.

Important! The plant needs nitrogen, especially when planted in sandy soil. Following the manufacturer's recommendations will help not harm the plant.

Potassium and phosphorus are the most important elements for the normal development of succulents. The phosphorus base helps the development of the root system and the absorption of potassium. If their quantity is insufficient, one should not expect regular flowering. Potassium is responsible for the formation of a strong bark that protects the money tree from sunlight. When it is deficient, the color of the foliage changes to pale green with a bronze tint.

Crassula responds well to calcium and consumes it in large quantities. But if applied incorrectly, absorption is disrupted. Gardeners recommend extreme caution when applying calcium supplements, since excessive alkalization of the soil can destroy Crassula.

Why is it developing poorly or slowly?

1. Lighting. With a lack of light, the plant becomes lethargic, grows poorly, or, conversely, stretches out.
2. Burns on the leaves can slow down growth. When exposed to direct sunlight, the plant fades and withers.
3. Lack of feeding. A lack of nutrients will lead to disruption of natural life processes and slow growth.
   Important! Excess fertilizer can cause the succulent to become diseased.
4. Inappropriate temperature conditions. Large temperature changes inhibit growth.
5. Priming. The soil should be porous and light, acidic with low nitrogen content.

Mineral fertilizers for Crassula

How to transplant a money tree at home

For Crassula, ready-made mixtures of useful substances are produced. Flower growers prefer:

• "Gumisolom Gumi";
• "DingoGumate";
• "Uniflorom-Caxus";
• "Gilea."

For your information! Each solution has a diagram of actions that even an inexperienced gardener can easily handle. With their help, the issue of poor development of Crassula is resolved.

Mineral fertilizers

Timing for applying mineral fertilizers

What to do if the fat plant does not grow? Feed, and with the onset of March. The nutritional composition is applied under the roots of the plant every two weeks. This period is enough for the soil to dry out and ventilate.

It is important to observe the temperature regime; during the growing season it should be within 18-22 °C. The active development of the money tree continues almost until September. In the future, the frequency of feeding is reduced, preparing the fat plant for the dormant period.

With the onset of October days and until March, the plant does not need fertilizer or watering. If it has bloomed at this time, then you should water it no more than once a month. The water is pre-settled and waited until it warms up to room temperature. Too cold can cause the stem to wilt and lean to the side.

Important! In cloudy weather in summer, the fat plant does not need watering. Excessive moisture can damage the root system.

Transplanting and feeding a money tree at home

Another reason why the money tree does not grow or bloom in an apartment includes fungal infections. In this case, the fat plant needs to be replanted with simultaneous treatment of the roots with foundationazole (1 g per 1 liter of water). The blackening of the leaves is associated with the soil and root system; when transferring to another pot, this soil cannot be used.

Transplantation work is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. The plant is carefully removed from the container.
2. The roots are washed with plenty of water.
3. Remove the affected areas.
4. The root system is immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate. 20 minutes. enough to destroy all pathogenic microflora.
5. Replant in fresh, slightly moist soil.

Note! The fat plant is transplanted into a larger pot if its roots have filled the entire container. Most often this is required every three years. After transplantation, you must wait three weeks and only then begin adding nutrients.

Crassula transplantation is carried out every 3 years

Soil requirements

What if the flower was moved to a new container due to a mismatch in the size of the old pot and did not please the owner with the expected result? Why doesn't the money tree grow after transplantation? The main reason is the composition of the soil. This requirement needs to be given special attention. The substrate should be loose, highly permeable, and low in nitrogen.

If the soil was brought from the store, then it already contains all the necessary substances to support the plant. Then all that remains is to ensure good drainage. Thanks to this, the earth will quickly absorb water and return its excess. Small coals and pebbles and vermiculite can serve as leavening agents. Crushed red brick is placed at the bottom of the pot.

Organic fertilizers for Crassula

What else you can fertilize the fat plant at home is wood ash, which contains a minimal amount of nitrogen, but sufficient amounts of calcium, phosphorus and potassium. The substance is used in one of 2 ways:

• watering with a pre-prepared solution: 200 g of wood ash is mixed with water and left for a week;
• dry ash is scattered onto the ground and carefully dug up to 2 cm.

Money tree - how to plant a shoot at home

The plant must be fed every 14 days. Wood ash contains a basic set of beneficial substances that help activate the immune system of the Crassula.

Important! It is prohibited to apply manure or concentrated chicken manure. They are enriched with nitrogenous elements, which can seriously harm Crassula. They lack the phosphorus necessary for the money tree, which makes their use useless and dangerous.

A large number of useful elements (phosphorus, potassium, calcium) are found in fish and bone meal. They contain the maximum amount of phosphorus, which makes it possible to solve the problem of deficiency of necessary substances without special solutions.

Fish bones are crushed and added to a pot with a plant. The gradual dissolution of flour will help enrich the soil and activate the growth and development of Crassula. Bone meal is used no more than once every three years due to the long decomposition time.

Excessive watering

Crassula is a succulent that requires moderate watering: once every seven days in the summer and once every two to three weeks the rest of the time. If the soil does not have time to dry out between waterings, the root system may begin to rot. The culture will stop growing and will begin to “suffer.”

Solution. The tree needs to be watered less often. If the Crassula's root system is rotten, it is necessary to trim off the affected areas, sprinkle the sections with charcoal and replant the crop.

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Is it possible to make flower food with your own hands?

The question of what else can be fed to the fat woman is solved with the help of proven folk recipes. They use minerals.

Natural sources of calcium include chicken egg shells. Gardeners use it to create a nutritious tincture, as a drainage base and for dry enrichment of the soil. The shells are pre-washed and calcined in the oven or in a frying pan.

Instructions for preparing the tincture:

1. Pre-washed and calcined shells of 10 eggs are ground into powder.
2. Pour into a glass container and pour boiling water over it.
3. Insist for 14 days in a shaded room.
4. Used as a solution for irrigation instead of ordinary water.

The use of eggshells as a substitute for classic drainage is carried out in a standard way. After washing and calcining, large pieces are carefully laid out at the bottom of the container to a height of no more than 2 cm, and covered with earth. This method will help avoid moisture accumulation near the root system and its rotting.

Note! The dry method is used when transplanting crassula. Pre-crushed 2 teaspoons of shells are poured into a pot, sprinkled with soil and the plant is planted.

The eggshell infusion should sit for 14 days.

Incorrectly selected substrate

Crassula needs light, not too nutritious soil that allows moisture and air to pass through well. If the soil is heavy and contains a lot of humus, the crop will slow down and lose its decorative appearance.

Solution. The soil needs to be replaced. Use succulent substrate. You can prepare the mixture yourself: take two parts of peat, turf and leaf soil, three parts of coarse sand. Place a drainage layer of three to four centimeters at the bottom of the container.

Use of fertilizers depending on the season

Fertilizing the soil for a money tree is easy to do even for inexperienced gardeners. During this time, the natural life cycle of Crassula must not be disrupted by carrying out work in the autumn-winter period. Proper use of gardening mixtures will help a healthy money tree grow and bloom.

Spring-summer period

With the onset of spring days, Crassula begins to actively increase its green mass. The first feeding is carried out at the end of March or beginning of April, then monthly until the first days of September. Balanced mixtures will help the plant receive a sufficient amount of minerals, which will allow it to develop normally and delight its owner with flowering.

in autumn

September days are associated with a decrease in money tree activity and the end of the growing season. The frequency of watering is reduced, the plant needs rest. Over the summer months, it has managed to stockpile nutrients and does not need constant feeding. After the September application of the nutrient solution, the next one is carried out in the fall no earlier than 2 months later.

In the dormant stage, the flower should not be disturbed

Leaves become limp

This problem most often occurs for two reasons. The first is improper watering. With both excess and lack of moisture, the plant cannot develop properly. In this case, it is not difficult to solve the problem; you just need to make sure that the drainage level in the container is correct and adjust the watering.

Another cause could be root rot. It is necessary to immediately inspect the root system of the plant and treat the affected areas. If the roots cannot be saved, try re-rooting the plant or taking cuttings from it for further propagation. It is also recommended to completely replace the soil, as the soil may be contaminated. To avoid recurrence, make sure that the plant does not receive too much water.

Causes of softness

Money tree leaves often become soft and limp. Why is this happening? There may be several reasons for this:

1. This may be due to watering. Inexperienced gardeners think that Crassula needs water immediately after the soil dries. This plant may suffer from drought or, conversely, from waterlogging. If it was watered in small portions, the moisture did not completely saturate the soil. This leads to the death of some roots. And the fewer roots a plant has, the less they feed the entire flower. That's why the leaves become soft. It also happens the other way around. Highly moist soil also affects the leaves. The flower cannot be watered often and a lot during periods when there is not enough sunlight, when it is cool. This also happens due to transplanting the plant into a large pot if the soil takes up a lot of moisture (with peat soil without raising agents).

   
   The drainage layer of the soil is also important; any material that does not rot can be used as it: pebbles, cork, pebbles, etc.

2. The appearance of soft leaves is associated with sunlight. The pot must be placed on a windowsill facing south, south-east or south-west, because the fat plant loves light.
3. Temperature plays an important role in ensuring that the leaves are always elastic and healthy. In the warm season, this indoor tree feels good at temperatures from 22 to 28 degrees. In summer it can be taken out into the air (in the garden, on the balcony). In winter it rests and is comfortable at temperatures from 14 to 16 degrees. It is better to remove the plant away from radiators and other heating devices. The room must be ventilated often, but do not forget that drafts are also harmful to him.
4. The choice of flower pot also plays an important role. It should be heavy, not very deep, the width of the pot should correspond to the width of the roots. In such a pot the plant will grow and develop well, the roots will deliver nutrients to the leaves.
5. The reason for soft leaves may be a lack or excess of fertilizers.

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Crassula or Why the Crassula does not Why the Crassula does not grow? succulents money

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Varieties

Under favorable conditions created indoors, the tree of happiness can grow up to two meters in height. An important requirement for growing is low air humidity. The use of modern air conditioners is a disastrous condition for growing Crassula.

Reproduction

Crassula propagates extremely easily by seeds, shoots and leaves. The last two methods are the most popular.

Seeds purchased in a store can be planted in a succulent substrate mixed in equal parts with river sand. They do not need to be buried or sprinkled. Simply shake the container so that the seeds are mixed with the soil, moisten by spraying, cover with film or non-woven material and place in a warm place. After 1.5–2 weeks, shoots will appear. Grown plants must be picked into separate cups.

With leaves and shoots everything is much simpler. Crassula often sheds its leaves on its own. After some time, you can notice that the leaf has successfully taken root. Subsequently, a new plant will emerge from it. The shoot must be planted in a ready-made moistened substrate without waiting for roots to form. Watering should be careful, without waterlogging the soil.

What if the tree has grown or only stretches upward?

• To form a crown, turn it towards the light in different directions.
• Periodically pinch the top.
• When it grows, cut off the excess branches, leaving 4 leaves. For work, use a disinfected pruner or a sharp knife. Treat the cut with crushed charcoal.
• Pinch out growing side shoots.

What to do if your plant does not want to bloom, dries out, or a white coating appears on it? Why do the leaves of the Crassula become soft and wrinkled, turn yellow and fall off? You will find answers to all questions on our website. Experts in the field of floriculture will tell you whether and how to save Crassula if it is sick.

Crassula (“money tree”) is completely unpretentious in care. But, in order to grow it beautiful and healthy, you need to learn in advance the simple rules of caring for the plant. Be always ready and help the flower cope with difficulties at any time.

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Let's summarize...

• The money tree is an indicator of your wealth. If it is healthy, your income is normal. If it crumbles, you cannot avoid spending. Well, if it dies, you'll have to seriously tighten your belt.
• To make the tree a magnet for money, bury three coins near the roots and/or tie a red ribbon around the branch (trunk).
• If living flowerpots do not take root in your home, start an artificial money tree - made from beads, coins or real dollars.
• The fat plant’s “colleague” is considered to be the plant Zamioculcas, the so-called dollar tree. It also increases the income of its owner.

How to prepare the soil yourself?

What kind of soil does a money tree need? Crassula loves slightly acidic porous soil with the addition of humus. To prepare suitable soil yourself, you need to take equal proportions of leaf and turf soil. Additionally, small pebbles and coarse sand (no more than 20%) should be added to the composition.

Considering that the tree will grow, you can prepare another flowerpot and nutritious soil in advance. For this purpose, remove the top turf layer of soil no more than 10 cm and add rotted leaves to it. Regarding the latter, you can take any except oak, pine needles, poplar and ash. Don’t forget to dilute the soil with sand and pebbles (or crushed clay shards).

It would be good to purchase an indicator at a garden store to measure the acidity of the soil. For a fat woman this figure should be 5.5.

Insect pests

Plant parasites are something that any indoor plant grower faces, including the owner of a money tree. Dealing with pests is much easier than dealing with bacteria or fungi.

Shchitovka

The scale insect is quite easy to detect: light brown tubercles or spots with a yellow tint can be seen on the surface of the leaf and stem.

It's not difficult to fight her. Insects are collected by hand, and then the plant is treated with a soap solution or Fitoverm. This bio-product must be used according to the instructions; it is safe for humans and plants, but extremely effective against plant pests.

The scale insect on the Crassula leaves clear signs of its presence

Spider mite

Spider mites are very small insects that cause enormous damage to the plant. Despite its small size, the tick can be seen with the naked eye. It looks like a small gray or red dot that is in constant motion. A clear manifestation of a mite attack is a cobweb enveloping the leaves of the fat plant, as well as yellowing or browning of the leaves.

Spider mites leave visible marks on the occupied plant

If you find a tick on the Crassula, you should immediately spray the plant and immediately put a bag on the Crassula, tightening it on the pot. In conditions of high humidity, the tick will die. Other means to combat the pest are a soap solution or the Apollo preparation.

Mealybug

This is a fairly frequent visitor to the Crassula. It likes to be located on the roots and in the axils of leaves, feeding on plant tissues and gradually weakening the bush’s immunity. In addition, it spoils the appearance of Crassula, covering the greens with powdery secretions that resemble cotton wool.

The mealybug on the Crassula is visible to the naked eye

The scale insect is easily washed off the foliage with a stream of water. After getting rid of insects, Crassula is treated with a cotton swab dipped in an alcohol solution or garlic infusion. The drugs Fufanon and Actellik also cope well with the pest.

Root mealybug

The root bug settles on the roots of the fat plant. It's not easy to find him there. This usually happens during the spring transfer of the plant to another pot.

If a scale insect attacks, you should wash the roots of the plant under running water (temperature 50°C), and then treat the root bundle in a solution of Fufanon or Actellik (twice with an interval of 7–8 days).

The root bug unfolds its activity inside the root system

Why did the Crassula fall on its side and the trunk bent under the weight of the leaves?

When your Money Tree's foliage and stems are drooping or your Crassula appears to be dying, a common cause is improper watering . In spring, summer and the first half of autumn, keep the soil slightly moist. Closer to winter, the plant pauses to rest, so it needs less water.

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Overwatering in winter is the most common cause of death of Crassula. This happens because the roots of the flower begin to rot from the large amount of moisture that they cannot absorb.

The stems of the tree may become elongated due to lack of light, or the plant may grow so large that it simply bends under its own weight. In these cases, you need to prune the tree, and also take measures to thicken the stem .

Air humidity

Dry air is the common habitat for the fat woman, so it tolerates heating in winter without problems. And in the summer, many people put it on the balcony or open veranda. You just need to make sure that the plant is not exposed to heavy rain. In order to wash off dust from the leaves, place Crassula under a small shower, covering the soil from moisture. The procedure can be repeated no more than once a month.

Crassula does not need to be sprayed. This will only harm the plant, which already stores enough moisture. Otherwise, the Crassula will begin to hurt and shed its leaves.

Desired location

Like most of our green friends, Crassula needs a well-lit place, but it should not be exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, the money tree does not tolerate drafts.

Crassula should stand at a level no lower than the kitchen table. According to Feng Shui, it is recommended to place it in the south-eastern part of the apartment - it is believed that this is an area of ​​wealth and prosperity that is best suited for our plant. Since this is a talisman for the whole family, the best place for it is in the common room.