Money tree (Pachira aquatica) is a popular tropical houseplant that, according to feng shui lore, will bring you wealth and good fortune. And knowing how to propagate a money tree lets you spread that positive energy by gifting the new plants to friends, or by expanding your own collection. Feng shui aside, a money tree adds lushness and beauty to any home. This plant has a tree form that grow as tall as 8 feet in the right conditions. Here’s how to propagate your money tree from cuttings in water or potting soil.
How to Propagate a Money Tree
You can grow a new money tree plant by taking a cutting from an established plant and rooting it in water or potting mix.
Step 1: Take a Cutting
The best time to take a cutting from a money tree is in the morning when the plant is the most hydrated and least stressed. Choose a healthy stem that’s a few inches long with several leaves. You want a green stem, not a woody one.
With a pair of sharp scissors or pruners, snip the stem off the plant right below the node, which is the bump where a leaf attaches to the stem. It’s a growth point on the plant, and it’s where the roots for the new plant will form.
Step 2: Trim the Leaves
With your pruners, clip off all leaves but the top two on the cutting. This lets your cutting put its energy into growing roots instead of supporting leaves.
Step 3: Put the Cutting in Water or Potting Mix
A money tree cutting can be rooted in potting mix or water. Some people like rooting cuttings in clear vases of water so they can watch the roots grow and because it’s faster. Others prefer rooting cuttings in a potting mix so they don’t have to hassle with water changes and because they can use a rooting hormone to stimulate root growth. Rooting hormone lessens your chances of propagation failure.
The Water Method: If you want to root your cutting in water, fill a small glass vase with tap water and put the cutting into it, just as you would a cut flower. Place the vase in a spot with bright, indirect light. Change the water in the vase at least once a week or more often if the water gets dirty or cloudy. You’ll start to see roots grow out of the node in about a week. Keep the cutting in the vase until the roots are several inches long. This should take three to four weeks.
The Potting Mix Method: If you want to root your money tree cutting in potting mix, fill a small pot with a seed-starting mix. Make a small hole in the mix with your finger or a pencil tip. Dip the cut end of your cutting into the rooting hormone and then place it into the hole you made in the mix, taking care not to rub off the rooting powder.
Leave the pot in a spot with bright, indirect light. Keep the soil moist for the first weeks, and then let the soil dry out a little between waterings. Your cutting should grow enough roots to transplant in four to eight weeks. Test root development by gently tugging upward on the cutting. If there’s resistance, it’s ready for transplanting. If not, let your cutting continue growing roots.
Use a clear plastic drinking cup with drainage holes poked in the bottom instead of a pot. You’ll be able to see when the money plant cutting has grown roots.
Step 4: Transplant to a New Pot
Once the cutting has become a rooted plant, repot it into a slightly larger container filled with high-quality potting soil that will provide the nutrients it needs as it grows.
