How to Take Care of Money Tree: The Real Story Behind This Misunderstood Houseplant

I've killed three money trees. There, I said it. And before you judge me too harshly, let me tell you that each death taught me something profound about these peculiar plants that most care guides completely miss. The money tree, or Pachira aquatica if we're being formal, has become the darling of office cubicles and apartment windowsills everywhere, but most people are loving them to death—literally.

The first time I brought home a money tree, I was convinced it would be foolproof. The nursery tag promised "easy care" and "perfect for beginners." Six weeks later, I was googling "money tree funeral rites" while staring at a pot of mushy stems and yellowing leaves. That's when my journey into understanding these plants truly began.

The Water Paradox Nobody Talks About

Here's what drives me absolutely bonkers about most money tree advice: everyone says "water when the top inch of soil is dry" as if that means anything useful. I spent months following this rule religiously, and my plants kept dying. Then I met Rosa, a greenhouse manager who'd been growing Pachira for thirty years, and she laughed when I mentioned the one-inch rule.

"Feel the weight," she told me, lifting my pot with one hand. "A thirsty money tree pot feels like a feather. A happy one has heft."

This changed everything. Money trees store water in their trunks—those braided stems aren't just decorative, they're water towers. When you water properly, you should feel the pot get noticeably heavier. I now water my money trees maybe once every two weeks in summer, sometimes stretching to three weeks in winter. The key is drenching the soil completely until water runs out the drainage holes, then leaving it alone until the pot feels light again.

But here's the twist that took me another dead plant to figure out: money trees are drama queens about water quality. If your tap water is hard or heavily chlorinated, your plant will slowly poison itself. I learned this after moving to a new apartment where the water left white crusty deposits on everything. My previously thriving money tree started developing brown leaf tips, then whole leaves began dropping. Now I leave a pitcher of water out overnight before watering, or use filtered water when I'm feeling fancy.

Light Requirements: The Goldilocks Zone

Money trees have this reputation for being low-light plants, which is technically true but practically useless advice. Yes, they'll survive in low light, the same way you'd survive on nothing but instant ramen—technically alive but hardly thriving.

In their natural habitat along Central and South American riverbanks, these trees grow under a canopy that filters harsh sunlight. They want bright, indirect light, and lots of it. I keep mine about three feet from an east-facing window, where it gets gentle morning sun and bright shade the rest of the day.

The telltale signs of improper lighting are subtle at first. Too little light and new leaves come in smaller, paler, and spaced further apart on the stem. Too much direct sun and the leaves develop a bleached, papery texture before crisping up entirely. I once tried to "sun-boost" a struggling money tree by putting it on my south-facing balcony in July. Two hours later, it looked like someone had taken a blowtorch to it.

The Braiding Controversy

Let's address the elephant in the room: those Instagram-perfect braided trunks. Most money trees sold in stores have multiple plants braided together when young and pliable. It looks neat, I'll give you that, but it's about as natural as a poodle's pompom haircut.

In my experience, braided money trees are more prone to problems. The braiding can trap moisture and create perfect conditions for rot, especially where the trunks touch. I've also seen cases where one trunk in the braid dies, taking the others down with it like some kind of plant murder-suicide pact.

If you already have a braided money tree (and let's be honest, most of us do), check regularly where the trunks meet. Gently probe with your finger—if it feels soft or smells funky, you've got trouble brewing. Some people carefully unbraid mature trees, but this is risky business. The trunks grow into their braided shape and forcing them apart can cause damage.

Soil Secrets from a Reformed Over-Waterer

After killing money tree number two (root rot, naturally), I became obsessed with soil. Standard potting mix is basically a death trap for money trees—it holds too much water and doesn't provide enough aeration. These plants need soil that drains faster than my bank account after a plant shopping spree.

My current mix is roughly one-third regular potting soil, one-third perlite, and one-third orchid bark. Yes, orchid bark. I stumbled on this addition by accident when I ran out of perlite mid-repotting and grabbed whatever was handy. The chunky bark creates air pockets and prevents the soil from compacting, mimicking the loose, organic-rich soil of their natural habitat.

Some people swear by adding sand for drainage, but I'm not a fan. Sand can actually make drainage worse by filling in the spaces between soil particles. Stick with perlite or pumice if you want to improve drainage without creating concrete.

The Feeding Schedule That Actually Works

Money trees are not heavy feeders, despite what fertilizer companies want you to believe. I fertilize mine maybe four times a year, and that's being generous. Spring and summer get a half-strength balanced liquid fertilizer, and that's it.

Over-fertilizing is worse than not fertilizing at all. I learned this the hard way when I decided my lackluster money tree needed more "nutrition" and started feeding it every two weeks. The salt buildup in the soil eventually caused leaf burn that looked exactly like underwatering, so naturally, I watered more. You can imagine how that ended.

If you see white crusty deposits on the soil surface or pot rim, that's fertilizer salt buildup. Flush the soil by running water through it for a few minutes, or better yet, repot with fresh soil.

Temperature and Humidity: The Comfort Zone

Money trees are surprisingly chill about temperature, happy anywhere between 65-80°F. What they absolutely cannot stand is sudden temperature changes. I once had a beautiful specimen near a drafty window that I'd crack open on nice days. The repeated temperature swings caused massive leaf drop until I figured out what was happening.

Humidity is where things get interesting. These tropical natives prefer humidity around 50%, but they're surprisingly adaptable. I've never misted mine (misting is generally useless and can promote fungal issues), and I don't run a humidifier. Instead, I group my money tree with other plants, creating a microclimate of slightly higher humidity. The old pebble tray trick works too—just make sure the pot sits above the water level, not in it.

Pruning: The Art of Strategic Snipping

Money trees respond brilliantly to pruning, but most people are too scared to cut. These plants naturally want to become small trees, but indoor conditions usually keep them compact. Still, strategic pruning can encourage bushier growth and maintain shape.

The best time to prune is spring when growth is most active. Cut just above a leaf node—that's where the leaf meets the stem. New growth will emerge from the nodes below your cut. I usually prune when my plant starts looking leggy or when one side grows significantly faster than the other.

Don't toss those cuttings! Money trees propagate easily from stem cuttings. Let the cut end dry for a day, then stick it in water or moist soil. I've started dozens of baby money trees this way, which makes great gifts (or backups for when you inevitably kill the parent plant).

Common Problems and Real Solutions

Yellow leaves are the most common complaint, and they can mean absolutely anything. Overwatering? Yellow leaves. Underwatering? Yellow leaves. Natural aging? Also yellow leaves. The key is looking at the pattern. Lower leaves yellowing occasionally is normal. All leaves yellowing simultaneously means you've got a water issue. New growth yellowing suggests nutrient deficiency.

Leaf drop is another panic-inducer. Some leaf drop is normal, especially in winter or after environmental changes. I once moved my money tree to a new spot and it dropped half its leaves in protest before settling down and regrowing everything.

Pests are relatively rare on healthy money trees, but stressed plants can attract spider mites or scale. I check mine monthly by running my fingers along the stems and undersides of leaves. If something feels sticky or gritty, investigate further.

The Philosophical Side of Money Tree Care

After all my failures and eventual successes, I've come to see money tree care as a metaphor for life. These plants teach patience—you can't rush their growth or force them to thrive. They demand consistency but punish obsessiveness. They're forgiving of mistakes but have firm boundaries.

The name "money tree" comes from a legend about a poor farmer who discovered the plant and became wealthy selling its seeds. But I think the real wealth comes from learning to read your plant's needs, to provide care without smothering, to accept that sometimes leaves yellow and fall despite your best efforts.

My current money tree is four years old, a personal record. It's not perfect—there's a bare spot where I once pruned too enthusiastically, and some leaves have brown tips from that time I forgot to dechlorinate the water. But it's alive, growing, and teaching me new things every season.

The secret to money tree care isn't following a rigid schedule or buying special products. It's developing an intuition for what your specific plant needs in your specific environment. Every money tree is different, every home has its own microclimate, and every plant parent has their own style. The sooner you accept this and start observing rather than just following rules, the sooner you'll have a thriving money tree.

And if you kill one (or three) along the way? Consider it tuition in the school of houseplant reality. The fourth one's the charm, trust me.

Authoritative Sources:

Bailey, Liberty Hyde, and Ethel Zoe Bailey. Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada. Macmillan, 1976.

Courtier, Jane, and Graham Clarke. Indoor Plants: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Caring for Houseplants. Reader's Digest, 1997.

Hessayon, D. G. The Houseplant Expert. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 1994.

Pleasant, Barbara. The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual. Storey Publishing, 2005.

University of Florida IFAS Extension. "Pachira aquatica: Money Tree." Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

University of Minnesota Extension. "Houseplant Care." Department of Horticultural Science. https://extension.umn.edu/