How to care for a money tree so that it attracts wealth to the house

The botanical name of the plant is Crassula or Crassula. This is a rather large beautiful succulent with fleshy leaves, which improves the microclimate in the house due to the intense absorption of carbon dioxide.

What does a fat woman look like

Belongs to the family Crassulaceae. In the wild, it is found mainly in Africa. Several species are grown in the pottery culture, but the most common is the tree-like fatty - money tree.

It is distinguished by a thick, lignified trunk over time. In the upper part, a crown is formed from thick, round, dense leaves of a small size. The shape of the leaves resembles coins, which explains the popular name of the flower.

In nature, grows in the form of a fairly large shrub or tree. In the apartment, the height of the fat woman does not exceed one and a half meters. Only adult specimens from the age of eight are blooming. At home, Crassula rarely blooms, but good care can still achieve the formation of buds. The flowers are not large, but beautiful - soft pinkish or white.

Money Tree Care: Florist Tips

Tips on how to care for the money tree is easy to remember. Crassula is considered a fairly unpretentious plant - it easily withstands missed watering, adapts to the dry air of urban apartments. But for flowering, carefully selected conditions, balanced top dressing, regulated watering are needed.

• Lighting. The fat woman is quite demanding on the degree of illumination, but she cannot stand the direct sun. If possible, the pot is placed on the southeast side. In winter, it is better to keep the plant on the south window. If it is impossible to provide full-fledged natural lighting, additional illumination is organized.
• Temperature. In warm time, the recommended temperature level: 20-25 ° C. Higher temperatures are undesirable - the fat woman does not withstand the heat. In winter, the temperature is reduced to 10-15 ° C. The room is aired daily. Wintering in warmth weakens the money tree, prevents the formation of flower buds in adult plants.
• Watering. If you properly water the money tree, you can avoid common problems - rotting and falling leaves. In summer, in warm weather, you need up to two waterings. The average interval between irrigation is three days, but it can be increased or decreased depending on the temperature in the room and the characteristics of the soil. Soil moisture is systematically checked - the substrate must constantly remain moist, but not moist. They also try to prevent drying out - with prolonged drought, the plant will not die, but will discard the leaves. In winter, subject to a cool content, the frequency of watering is reduced to two times a month.
• Humidity. Crassula normally responds to dry air, does not need to increase the humidity artificially. But spraying is beneficial - the leaves are cleaned of dust, look better. From time to time, a fat woman can have a warm shower. The soil in the pot is covered with polyethylene so as not to over-moisten it.
• The soil. You need to start caring for the fat girl after the purchase immediately, and the first step is to replace the soil. Crassula is planted in loose, light soil containing sand. It is allowed to use ready-made shop soil for succulents. But it is better to take deciduous land with the addition of sand and peat. To neutralize acidity, clay, wood ash are mixed into the substrate.
• Transfer. Transplanting a money tree into another pot so as not to hurt the roots is difficult. Therefore, you can transplant once every three years, only if absolutely necessary. Frequent transplants harm the plant. Transplanted in the spring, always provide for good drainage.
• Top dressing. Apply standard fertilizer for succulents. During the growth period, they contribute no more than twice a month, during winter dormancy, the intervals between top dressing are doubled. The concentration is taken half as much as indicated in the instructions. They feed after preliminary watering. Fertilizing over dry soil is fraught with a chemical burn of the roots.
• Pot. Crassula is not planted in large spacious pots. A large amount of soil accelerates plant growth, complicates the formation, increases the likelihood of rotting of the roots. The trunk grows unevenly and stretches. Choose a wide and low pot, slightly larger in size than the root system.

Features of the reproduction of Crassula

Like other succulents, the Crassula can be propagated vegetatively and by seed. The vegetative method is considered more simple and effective. When using any method, you must adhere to certain rules.

Cuttings

Vegetative propagation is simple, gives good results - cuttings easily root, quickly grow. To achieve high survival of the cuttings, the rooting process is carried out in four stages.

1. Use apical cuttings from adult branches. You can carefully cut a large sheet - it will also take root. Harvested cuttings are left to dry for several days.
2. Peat or deciduous land mixed with coarse sand. Calcined in the oven or in a pan, watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The container is filled with a substrate, the prepared cuttings are deepened into it a little.
3. Each stalk is covered with a glass. Or they pull polyethylene onto a container to create greenhouse conditions. Daily film is removed for 15 minutes, ventilated, if necessary, moisten the soil from the spray gun.
4. After the appearance of signs of growth, the shelter is removed. After a couple of weeks, strong cuttings are planted in separate pots.

Seed cultivation

More time consuming and lengthy process. Seedlings from seeds grow for a long time - a full-fledged ornamental plant is obtained from them only after a few years. The procedure is carried out in four steps.

1. Peat mixed with coarse sand. In equal proportions. Drainage holes are made in the container, fill it with a moistened substrate.
2. Seeds are sown without pre-soaking. Do not deepen - just sprinkle a little with the same soil or sand.
3. The container is tightened with polyethylene or cling film. They put in a moderately warm, bright place. The film is regularly removed to ventilate the greenhouse, the drying substrate is sprayed from the spray gun.
4. Planted. After the appearance of several true leaves, seedlings can be planted in a larger container - a box filled with light fertile soil. When the seedlings grow to 7 cm, re-seedlings are carried out in separate pots.

Common Care Mistakes

Crassula is an easy-to-grow, unpretentious plant. Subject to the basic rules of care, there are no problems with it. An irregular irrigation regime, unsystematic fertilizing, and the absence of a dormant period lead to a decrease in decorativeness. Common problems and their solutions are given in the table.

Table - Problems growing a fat woman

Diseases and their treatment

The main diseases of the Crassula are fungus and rot, resulting from excessive watering. Treatment will be effective only with timely measures. Very often it is necessary to root cuttings from healthy branches to replace the plant. Symptoms of the most common diseases and methods for their treatment can be seen in the table.

Table - Diseases of the Crassula

Typical pests, ways to control them

Many pests of indoor plants also parasitize on the money tree. The earlier insects are noticed, the faster the flower will recover. Signs of pest attacks, ways to combat them can be studied in the table.

Table - Fat pests

Growing a money tree at home does not take much time. The plant will help improve the air in the apartment, add coziness to the interior. And the followers of the teachings of Feng Shui flower will quickly achieve good luck and financial well-being.