In Florida, especially in our area where we don't get frost as a rule, we have to be pretty careful what we put in the yard.... some trees will grow like weeds (like that P. aquatica will, Lin..)

Hetty, it won't grow in-ground here in Daytona Beach ... we sometimes have frost and freezes up here in the northeastern part of the state.

My kitchen window is west -facing. The tree gets great sun in the summer when i open the blinds, and i do, just for the tree. Yes, i think it deserves a new home and maybe some soil. Hahaha I'm so generous, huh? Its just doing so well I don't want to disturb it. If it gets bigger, I'll have to move it to another place. I don't really have another place for such an oddly tall, small potted tree with decent lighting. ...away from the dogs etc.

I never see the 'Alii' for sell anywhere. I don't know why because it is such a great, well-behaved ficus. I never knew they were also called "Banana-leaf" ficus. I always called mine "Narrow-leaf" ficus, but they are exactly the same plant.

I wish i hadn't seen the Banana Leaf ficus. It's so pretty I want one. I need more plants /trees like a hole in the head!

My website says:
"This plant may be as close to the perfect houseplant as you'll find. Ficus 'Benjamin' drops its leaves constantly and grows leggy. Ficus 'Fiddle Leaf', though a grand plant like no other, grows very fast. The 'Alii' has all of the best attributes. Unlike the Fiddle Leaf, the 'Alii' grows only approximately 6" per year and unlike the 'Benjamin', the 'Alii' seldom drops leaves and grows more densely. Though the 'Alii' grows best in bright, indirect light, it tolerates less light. It also tolerates neglect and can go periods without water or fertilizer. It can be pruned on a regular basis to not only control its size but also to increase density.

IF YOU HAVE LIMITED SPACE OR JUST WANT AN EASY-TO-CARE-FOR PLANT, THE 'ALII' IS JUST THE PLANT FOR YOU."

I rooted divisions of a four year old plant last summer and posted them on my website (for the first time) in the early fall. I only had three rooted divisions and quickly sold them all. I am rooting a few more divisions but they won't be well-rooted until spring. Rooting and air-layering divisions of my ficus plants, both 'Alli' and Fiddle Leaf, takes so much of my time that I don't do this often. I never keep those rooted divisions long.

Ken

As I often do, I contacted those three folks who purchased the small 'Alii' ficus trees last fall and asked how their plants were doing. One of those, when asking about the 'Alii', said she had managed to "kill" every single houseplant she had ever tried to grow and had about given up on ever having a plant survive in her home. I told her to try one more time and assured her that she would be successful with the 'Alii'. Anyway, I have heard back from two of the three and they both said that their plants were growing well, putting on new growth, and never lost any leaves, not even when they received the plants last October. One even sent me a picture of her 'Alii'.

Hello all,

Still no signs of rejuvenation from my poor money tree. We repotted on Sunday. Any emergency measures we should take?

Thanks!

helpmytree,

When you repotted did the roots seem okay? Roots should be firm, rather than soft and spongy. If the roots weren't soggy and rotting I'm sure the plant will be okay. Remember, this is the time of year when plants are resting and they don't need a lot of water but do give it as much light as possible. When the weather warms up in the spring you should definitely see new growth.

Thanks! The roots didn't seem soggy or rotting. We will give as much light as possible. Should we water at all?

I forgot to ask how large is the container you repotted it to? If you plant something with little root system into a large pot, the plant will concentrate on filling the pot with roots before new branch/leaf growth. I always go for a smaller size pot rather than larger.

First though, I need to state that I'm not an expert, far from it in fact! Regarding the frequency of watering; if the soil stays extremely wet it can cause issues with the plants roots and you might end up with root rot; I always lean towards the dry side myself. At this time of year I'd only water lightly every few weeks, letting the tree get established in it's new container but that's just my method. My conditions (even indoors) are probably greatly different from yours. For instance, we still have our air conditioning running, while I'm sure you have the heat going in N.Y. I've heard folks in the north talk about issues they encounter with their plants in winter due to dry air with heating their homes so hopefully others will chime in with some tips.

If when you transplanted, the roots were not soft, and the soil was dry, I would most def give it a good drink. "Evenly moist seems to be key here, not soggy, not dried out in between watering. Give her a little time to adjust to her new home. But yes, a little drink is good after transplanting. Good luck. And keep us posted.

Thanks! New pot is MUCH smaller. Will keep it moist. Thanks again guys.

You are very welcome! And, again to All Things Plants!

Hey guys,

My money tree is still struggling - see attached.


I haven't given it water since a light water after re-potting about 2 weeks ago .

Think I should get it a new plant light? Not too much natural light in my place. It's currently under this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YXGSC/

Thanks!

I am not sure what sort of light you have. The link on Amazon shows (for the same lamp/bulb) that it is a 65W bulb and a 30W bulb. In either case, you have far to little light.

IF this was my plant, I would do one of two things:

l. Cut the plant back to about 6" above the soil-line, water very lightly, and hope the plant to sprout from that cut section.
2. Toss the plant and just start all over.

You do need to do something about that lighting though. That bulb, regardless of wattage, might be fine near a very small plant, but not something like the size of your plant. Keep in mind that the lumens (light intensity) will be cut in half only 12" from that light bulb and at just 24", there won't be enough light for plants to grow much if any. If you have to use artificial light, is there a way for you to mount/hang a good florescent fixture? There are some great ones out there and they are not overly expensive.

Just as an example, I would guess that your lamp is producing around 1000 lumens at 1" from the bulb. At 12 " you are getting only 500 lumens. I have a six-bulb florescent fixture (T5HO) that produces 30,000 lumens at 1". At 12", my fixture produces 20,000 lumens! If that doesn't get your attention, the florescent bulbs can last 5-10 times longer than your incandescent one and since much less wattage is necessary to produce the same amount of lumens with a florescent bulb, you can cut your electrical bill by up to 75% switching from incandescent to florescent.

I researched online about failing money trees in the past and It could very well just be the way it was braided, up at the shop- nothing you can really do, expect try to take it apart, i heard they use wire or rubber bands to braid it- curdles the tree. Next time only buy un- braided trees. they are harder to find though.

That would be "girdle" the tree, of course.

Helpmytree, I've been wondering, why is there a polka-dotted cloth wrapped around it?

I have an un braided tree.. they may look less attractive but I've heard nothing but bad things from braided money trees. You need a skilled braider most of the ones in the big box stores are braided wrong that is why they die.


also keep in mind how large these trees get... they can grow to a 9 foot height indoors and 60 feet in its natural habatiat.

Thanks, guys! We've actually had this braided tree since 2007 so I don't think that's the cause. Also, the plant gets sunlight during the day but I put on the UV lamp for a couple hours at night.

Added some osmocote last night as a last-ditched save attempt. We don't want to give up on the tree since then we might lose all our money.