We had an employee leave from my office at the end of 2018 and he left a sad office plant behind. It was a 5-trunk braided Chinese Money Tree or Pachira aquatica. I was not familiar with this plant so I did some research and moved it into my office where I could start taking care of it.

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It was tough to know exactly what was wrong with this tree. Likely, it hadn’t been watered regularly or fertilized ever. And I wasn’t sure if the braiding of the trunks might be having a negative impact.

To help the tree look less leggy, I decided to prune the trunks down significantly. I took cuttings of those clippings and one of them has started.

I started watering and feeding the tree and it leafed out happily after a few anxious weeks. I also made some compost with lots of fungus in it and when I repotted the tree, I put fertilizer and compost in the pot.

Now the tree is gorgeous, with huge, glossy leaves.

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The tree has filled in even more than this and is thriving in my boss’ office.

My 2020 goals for this plant (and its cutting) are to keep feeding and watering it regularly to make sure it stays healthy. I will pot the healthy cutting into newer soil with compost and see if it will grow into a lucky money tree.