Got this tree around 3 months ago. This is my first larger house plant and money tree and I’m having some issues.
I’m losing leaves near the bottom of the tree. Seems to be more so on one side than the other. I do have an aquarium with artificial light near it and the leaves that are dying look to be the ones that are receiving light from the tank. Is that possibly an issue?
The tree has some new growth up top which made me feel as if it was doing good but the dying/dropping of leaves has gotten more frequent in the last couple of weeks.
I water with around two cups of water weekly out of my 60 gallon fish tank. I also repotted the plant when originally purchased and put into some potting soil. There is drainage in the pot.
Too much/not enough water?
Wrong soil?
Light from the fish tank?
Any help is very much appreciated it. Thank you in advance!
by LieIllustrious1459
4 Comments
Plants will drop their bottom leaves over time to focus their nutrients on making newer leaves. I’ve noticed this specifically with my money tree.
Watering did seem to be difficult for me until someone on here suggested we water the crap out of them. Here’s a good way to remember watering- they get root rot from having their roots SITTING in a swamp of water and bacteria. So you can submerge (many plants, not all) their roots in water completely, but you don’t want them sitting that way for a long time. I take mine to the sink, fill it, and turn on the oven timer for 15 mins but I don’t do this every week because I have 30 different plants and that would be too much for me.
Have you heard of bottom watering?
I had my money tree and never put it in new soil. Every time I watered it after about 6 months, leaves would just drop off. I went to the store where I bought it, and they said it just needed fresh soil. It’s been growing like crazy ever since I repotted it.
I was losing leaves like crazy for over a year until I realized I was overwatering it. I probably have watered mine three times since June. And I keep mine outside thru the warm weather. Their trunks can hold a lot of water. I reduce your watering significantly.
In addition to what others have said, you may want to check the root ball for rubber bands/other binding. Unfortunately, a lot of growers do this to help achieve the twisted shape and it can hinder growth.