How Do You Take Care Of Pachira Aquatica?
How Do You Take Care Of Pachira Aquatica? There are many different things that you can do when taking care of Pachira Aquatica. First you can water the plant about once a week and make sure that the top of the soil is moist. You can do this by taking the saucer that goes on…
How Do You Take Care Of Pachira Aquatica?
There are many different things that you can do when taking care of Pachira Aquatica. First you can water the plant about once a week and make sure that the top of the soil is moist. You can do this by taking the saucer that goes on top of the soil, rinse off any built up debris, and fill it with water.
Next you can pour this water into the pot or use a watering can to add to water. Make sure not to over-water because it is very easy to put too much water in when watering a plant. The following are the factors to consider when caring Pachira Aquatica;
Sunlight:
Pachira Aquatica thrives in indirect sunlight. It should be placed in a room where it receives bright indirect light for about 4 to 6 hours. Pachira Aquatica can be placed near a west or south facing window. This will help in getting more sunlight than it would otherwise.
Pachira Aquatica cannot be exposed to full sunlight all day as it may burn. For proper growth, Pachira Aquatica requires a little bit of indirect light or mostly bright, indirect light.
Watering:
Pachira Aquatica should be watered about once a week and make sure that the top of the soil is moist. This can be done by taking the saucer that goes on top of the soil, rinse off any built up debris, and fill it with water. Next you can pour this water into the pot or use a watering can to add to water.
Make sure not to over-water because it is very easy to put too much water in when watering a plant. If you notice that the plant is drooping and getting soggy, you may need to water more often. If you notice that the leaves are getting brown from lack of water, it is time to do so.
Soil:
Pachira Aquatica is planted in a container, which must be filled with suitable potting mix. Construction sand, a 50/50 mixture of peat moss and sand, or a 50/50 mixture of peat moss and perlite will all work. Soil must have excellent drainage, so make sure the potting mix has plenty of large holes.
Temperature:
Pachira Aquatica can tolerate cool temperatures. They will thrive in high temperatures between 50-90 degrees, but they need to be protected from full sunlight. In the summer, your plant should be placed in a room with air circulation or a place where they will get two or three hours of direct sunlight each day.
Pachira Aquatica do not like extreme temperature and needs to be kept below 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months and above 60 degrees during the summer months.
Humidity:
Pachira Aquatica is a tropical plant and will require higher humidity levels than a typical indoor plant. These plants need humidity levels between 50-80 percent. You can increase the humidity around your Pachira Aquatica by placing it on a tray filled with pebbles and water.
Make sure that the potting soil will not get wet or you may see root rot in your plant if the soil is too moist for too long of an amount of time.
Fertilizing:
Fertilizing is recommended every 3-4 times a year. Using a mild water-soluble balanced plant food is recommended. Fertilizer should only be applied to the soil, not the foliage or roots. You should apply fertilizer to the soil once a month or every two months, depending which plant food you use.
Repotting:
Periodically repot Pachira Aquatica every three years when its roots have filled up the container. When repotting must use a pot that is not too large as well as draining holes in the bottom of the pot and a long-handled plastic container for your Pachira Aquatica. Fertilizer should not be applied at this time, but should be reapplied after the potting process is complete.
Propagation:
Pachira Aquatica is propagated by seeds or stem cuttings. Cuttings should be taken off of a healthy, mature Pachira Aquatica tree and placed in water until it forms callus. You can then plant it in soil to grow as a new plant with its own root system.
Instead of placing a Pachira aquatica cutting in water, use a rooting medium to provide the strongest root system and the highest propagation performance. Most cuttings fare poorly when rooted in water owing to a lack of oxygen, which results in a weaker root system and, as a result, a weaker plant.
Pruning:
Pachira Aquatica plants can be pruned to control size or shape. You can cut back the plant almost to its base in late winter or early spring by removing suckers at the base of the plant and weak, spindly growth. Pachira Aquatica, like any other plant, will create its own development pattern. If you appreciate the way this plant develops spontaneously, there is no need to prune it severely. Simply pinch out any sickly leaves as you notice them and allow it to create its own development pattern.
Pests and Diseases:
Pachira Aquatica is prone to few pests, but aphids can be a problem. Aphids are small sap-sucking insects that are typically found on new growth. Use a strong stream of water to wash them away, or squash them with your fingers.
Mealybugs will attack the leaves and should be removed with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. Scale can be problematic as well and should be removed with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol or insecticidal soaps.
Can Pachira Aquatica Be Outside?
The Pachira Aquatica plant can easily live indoors and is also able to thrive outdoors, where temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit cause damage to the plant. If you want it to grow, you will have to provide it with proper lighting. Place it in a place that gets plenty of sunlight.
Outdoor locations with the right temperature can be successful as well if the humidity is not too high at all times. It does not tolerate frost and most areas are protected from it by the ground.
The money tree prefers minimum temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so it may survive outdoors in certain areas where winters have mild temperatures. In colder climates you will only be able to grow the plant indoors when temperatures are stable enough to allow it to grow well outdoors.
You should either keep it indoors or, if you are thinking of growing it outdoors, in a greenhouse. Pachira aquatica also does well in warm climates where the humidity is low. You can grow it outside or in a greenhouse as long as there is plenty of sunlight with temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
When Should You Repot Pachira Aquatica?
Pachira Aquatica should be repotted every three years. Choose containers with adequate drainage holes and maintain the bottom lined with pebbles or gravel during repotting. While you can cut down on some root development, don’t chop off more than 25% of the roots.
Repotting is best done in the early spring. When repotting, keep new plants moist and don’t let the soil dry out. You should repot your plant when the container is at least one-third full. Remove any dead roots, prune away weak growth and examine the new roots for signs of decay.
In repotting, you should also reduce the size of your Pachira Aquatica collection. You can do this by removing suckers from the base of your plant, or by removing branches that have been weakened or that are unsightly.
Use masons or (preferably) plastic pots with drainage holes at the bottom. You can use a potting soil that has very little to no fertilizer in it, or use a peat-and-vermiculite mix. Don’t choose potting soil with so much fertilizer in it that the container will itself get flooded in after only one big rain.
What Kind Of Potting Soil Does Pachira Aquatica Need?
You can use a regular potting soil or a peat-and-vermiculite mix for your Pachira Aquatica. The potting soil should be well draining and does not hold too much water. It should also be easy to turn into the ground and should be easy to care for. You can use organic fertilizers on Pachira Aquatica as well, but you should only need to do this every once in a while.
Because potting Pachira Aquatica requires a well-draining soil, the best soil for Pachira Aquatica often contains components like as sand, pebbles, perlite, or horticultural charcoal, all of which aid in drainage. Because moss makes soil somewhat acidic, look for soils that contain either peat moss or sphagnum moss.
You should strongly consider using coconut coir, as it is a natural product that will help to neutralize the soil, making it less acidic. The pH of Pachira Aquatica’s soil should be similar to the pH of flowerpots, between 5 and 6.5.
You can also grow Pachira Aquatica in pots with bonsai soil or a mix of pebbles and sand, but only if you have a greenhouse where temperatures are sufficiently high during the winter months.
Can You Propagate Pachira Aquatica In Water?
Water propagation is feasible for Pachira Aquatica, although it is not optimal for the Pachira Aquatica’s long-term health. This is due to a lack of oxygen, nutrition, and stability, all of which are required for development.
It is best to shift Pachira Aquatica from water to soil or to reproduce them in soil from the start. You should also replant your Pachira Aquatica in water within a year or two of planting them, because in water the roots place less stress on the plant.
Pachira Aquatica can only grow in water for a few months at most, so plan to repot them into soil as soon as is practical. Because Pachira Aquatica grows best when its roots are stable, you should transplant the plants directly into containers or bags of moistened substrate. You should not allow them to stay in water for longer than a month, as the roots can rot or get damaged.
Pachira Aquatica is susceptible to heavy water logging during its first few months in the water, so you should cultivate the plants with an aerator or use a gravel net. This can cause stress on the plant and may result in root rot. Roots that are placed in wet soil will turn brown after having been exposed to heavy moisture for more than a month.