Please note: These are non-exhaustive tips, since each plant will react differently depending on its environment. If your plant is doing very well and your maintenance does not follow this sheet to the letter, don't change anything. Pay attention to the moods of your plants first and foremost!
For €35 at Botanic
Pachira Aquatica maintenance sheet:
Up to approximately 2m indoors (20m in its natural environment)
Rapid growth
Family: Bombacaceae
Exposure: Bright or subdued – no direct sun. Still preferably bright.
Flowering: December to March, cream-colored or yellow-orange flowers
Misting: Regularly throughout the year, every day in summer, and in winter if there is heating. This will notably keep away thrips and mites in addition to washing its leaves (if it is rainwater, otherwise beware of traces of limescale). Be careful, the water placed on the foliage must be allowed to dry between two mistings (risk of fungal diseases). In winter in particular, it is not necessary below 18°C. Namely, misting is not used to increase humidity for more than a few minutes. For that :
Humidity: He will appreciate a larger cup with clay balls or damp gravel. The best thing is to offer him a humidifier.
Watering in spring/summer: 1-2 times a week; the substrate should be slightly dry, for about two knuckles.
Watering in autumn/winter: Every 10-15 days; wait until the substrate is dry.
Temperature: Ideal between 18-22°C. Should not drop below 12°C. You can take it out in the summer in warm regions, as long as it is not in direct sun and there is not too much wind.
Repotting: In spring every year if the plant is cramped (roots sticking out.) Water well. He likes to be cramped in his potty so don't offer him a new potty that is too large compared to the previous one.
Topping: if the plant becomes too large, instead of doing a complete repotting you can carry out annual topping. Remove as much of the surface soil as possible and replace it with new soil to provide the necessary nutrients.
Soil: Soil for green plants or houseplants, mixed with sand, drained with clay balls and/or perlite.
Pruning: You can prune it in spring so that it is not too big but otherwise it is not necessary.
Liquid fertilizer: if used, spring/summer every two weeks or once a month, then stop completely from October to March. Useless if the potting soil is recent and already contains fertilizer (wait at least one month). Liquid fertilizer should always be applied to previously watered soil.
Cuttings: to be carried out in summer. You can take a stem of around 10 cm, remove the lower leaf then put a rooting hormone powder on the cut part of the stem (this is not obligatory but it will greatly increase the chances of success of your cutting ). Then you can plant it in an equal mixture of soil and sand, and keep everything warm and in a humid atmosphere. For example, you can enclose the cutting and its pot in a transparent, airtight plastic bag. It will be necessary to ventilate every day. Finally you can repot the cutting in spring, when the roots have invaded the entire pot.
Concerns:
-The leaves turn yellow and fall: excess water / poor drainage / or pests.
-The leaves turn brown and dry: Excess light / lack of water / cold snap / or red spiders.
-The tips of the leaves are dry: lack of humidity
-The leaves become deformed: lack of light
Prone to mealybugs and spider mites. However, it is quite resistant to pest attacks.
Namely: Non-toxic. Be careful of drafts. It is also called "Guiana chestnut" because of the shape of its leaves. Its trunk is swollen at the base, this is where it stores the water it consumes: it is therefore very sensitive to excess watering.
There are many cares and tips that generally apply to almost all indoor plants, such as avoiding drafts, draining the substrate, avoiding placing near heat sources, avoiding direct sunlight ... To find out about them, I advise you to read my article Basic plant advice sheet. Otherwise, generally speaking, the articles on the Basic Advice page.
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