Money tree belongs to unpretentious succulents, but this does not mean that any soil is suitable for it: it is necessary to approach responsibly when buying or making soil mixtures for this representative of the Tolstyanka clan. Consider the optimal soil parameters and its composition for the money tree, as well as how to choose the finished soil and make up the substrate ourselves.
Important! The fat girl cannot be watered with tap water: she must be allowed to stand and warm to the temperature of the room where she grows.
Features of growing a money tree and caring for it
If you have a fat woman in your house, then for its successful maintenance you should fulfill the following conditions:
- The plant must be kept in good light, but without direct sunlight.
- For uniform crown formation, the plant must be periodically rotated by different sides to the light source.
- The optimum temperature of the content during the growing season is + 20 ... + 25 ° С, and during the dormant period - + 10 ... + 14 ° С. If there is no way to create winter peace, then you need to set the plant farther away from heating appliances and less often to water.
- Watering should be moderate, it depends on various factors - temperature, lighting, growing season. Overfilling is dangerous for fat women, and sluggish leaves will report a lack of moisture.
- Stagnant water is unacceptable - neither on the ground, nor in the sump.
- It is necessary to feed with fertilizer for succulents in the warm period 2 times a month, and during the rest period - 1 time per month (or stop).
- Crassulaceae love fresh air, but drafts and temperature extremes should be avoided.
- The pot of the plant should be shallow and wide, with a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the crown. Mandatory presence of drainage holes and drainage.
Soil requirements
For loose money, light, loose soils with good permeability to water and air are optimal. The presence of a large amount of organic matter is not welcome, since the money tree, like all succulents, grows rather slowly.
The organic component contains nitrogen, which provokes too rapid growth, negatively affecting the appearance of a fat woman. This houseplant will need mineral supplements, and not too nutritious soil.
Money tree does not like acidic soils. The optimum soil acidity for fat women should be in the range of 5.5–6.5 pH.
Too acidic soil is alkalized with chalk, ash, it can just be well watered and decomposed in fresh air. Periodically, such a soil should be moistened, and after a month its acidity will be within normal limits.
What should be the composition of the soil?
All of these requirements are met by the following basic composition:
- turf land - 4 parts;
- sheet land - 4 parts;
- coarse sand or pebble of small fractions - 20%.
In this mixture, it is advised to add some wood ash to enrich its mineral composition. It is permissible to replace sand or pebbles with crushed bricks.
It is also possible to add a small amount (1 part) of humus.
It is undesirable to incorporate moisture-retaining components such as moss, peat or charcoal into the soil for the money tree.
Did you know? There are many popular signs and superstitions associated with the money tree. So, if this houseplant pleases everyone with its growth and beautiful aesthetic appearance, then the house has financial well-being. When it languishes, gets sick and dies — it speaks of the loss of wealth, need.
Finished soil selection
The easiest way is to buy ready-made soil for planting a money tree in a garden store. However, in order not to make a mistake in the choice, you should carefully study the composition on the package and its acidity.
As a rule, for a fat woman, they acquire soil for succulents. It is loose, light and quite rich in the nutrients that this indoor flower needs. The soil for palm trees or cacti is quite suitable. You can also stop on universal soil, but without the content of such a component as peat.
This element significantly increases acidity, which is unacceptable for this plant.
All purchased mixtures always undergo disinfection, but if an unpleasant mushroom smell comes from the soil, then it must be decontaminated. To do this, it is steamed at 80 ° C for an hour or calcined in the oven.
How to make soil for a money tree with your own hands?
Soil for planting or transplanting a fat woman can be done independently, because its main components (turf, sheet earth and sand) are available ingredients.
Sod is best prepared by collecting the upper fertile layer on pastures or in the meadow. To do this, collect the top of the soil layer with a spatula up to 10 cm, penetrated by dead and live roots and shoots.
Important! When choosing soil for succulents, do not forget to purchase material for drainage - pebbles, broken brick, expanded clay or crushed stone.
Leafy soil is collected under the trees: as the name implies, it will consist of rotted leaves. You should not collect land under coniferous trees and under poplars, as they acidify the soil. Oaks and ash trees should also be avoided - the soil beneath them is too saturated with tannins.
If it is not possible to find coarse sand and small pebbles, then it is better to replace them with crushed brick. Large pieces of brick can be used for drainage, and small ones can replace sand in the substrate.
Large brick fragments can be found in the mixture - they not only loosen the soil well, but also perfectly absorb the excess water that the money tree does not tolerate.
For better nutrition, the resulting soil should be enriched with a small amount of ash. Then it should be disinfected by holding it in the oven. When the soil is ready to mix, when it cools down, it can be used for planting or transplanting the fat.
Signs of improperly selected land
If the money tree is often waterlogged, then it begins to turn yellow, and then the leaves fall. This means that the roots of the plant began to rot. This phenomenon often occurs due to unsuitable soil for growing this indoor plant.
A too dense and poorly permeable soil mixture does not allow water to pass through, and it stagnates on the surface even with poor irrigation.
Succulent planted in heavy soil, which poorly passes air, slows down its growth and development, loses its aesthetic appearance.
When planting in soil with a high acid content, the money tree drops its leaves and dies.
Did you know? The leaves of the money tree help with wounds, herpes, calluses, warts, nail ingrowth: with these problems, a leaf cut is applied to them. In the last three cases, the sheet peeled from the film is fixed to the problem area with a band-aid.
The choice of soil for a money tree should be taken seriously, because, despite the succulent's resistance to many diseases, improper soil selection can lead to the loss of its aesthetic appearance and death.
