Money tree plant, you can choose it as a perfect indoor house plant. It is native to the swamps of South America and will not tolerate temperatures below 28 degrees F, making it a common indoor plant. Money trees can grow as high as 15 feet with a leaf spread between 8 and 10 feet. It produces small, brown nuts that have a flavor similar to peanuts. ( photo / image / picture from Lengungardenexpert 's Garden )
Bonsai is a collection of pruning and shaping techniques, not a particular plant. The pictured plant is braided, not bonsai'd.
The pruning and shaping techniques are used to force a plant that in nature would be large, maybe even a full grown tree, into a small and extremely beautiful shape. By using these techniques properly, some bonsai can be kept healthy for many many years, even hundreds of years.
Now, Here is the question.... When does a bonsai 'become a bonsai'? So many of these plants are money trees for the seller. Small pot, seedlings, and a name = lots of money. To be called a bonsai, the plant has to have some age and guidance. This one clearly was not sprouted yesterday and has had some training and guidance. So can a bonsai be unbonsai'd?
That's a good question! I think there has to be some reduction in the size of the leaves, and overall it should be proportionately the same as the large, unadulterated version. I really don't know much about it, but there are different styles that a tree can emulate, and I doubt this tree fits one, but in time I'm sure it could be manipulated to at least reduce the leaf size. To UNbonsai (which made me giggle!) I think one would just do nothing and let it grow however it wants. A bonsai is never "finished" and must be maintained through continued pruning and shaping throughout its' life. There's certainly no bonsai police, any plant one wants to call a bonsai, that's fine. I certainly wouldn't argue, just try to inform about bonsai so people can look into it if interested in learning more about it.
purpleinopp, You make me "giggles" right back at ya. Let me see....yes the leaves are supposed to be much smaller than the real plant. But the blooms and fruit will be natural size. That is very cool in Pomegranate or Wisteria. Oh Bonsai police.....Yes the are out there....I have met them......at least they think they are. This topic is cute and somewhat educational. Getting back to the picture that Lengungardenexpert posted, Pachira aquatica loves water and swamps but will live well without, and will grow to 60 feet. The complex leaves get very large and the seed is larger than our hands. Can you imagine what the flower would look like on a bonsai'd one?
OOOH yes, beware the bonsai police. Another aspect of bonsai is that they are in (usually) shallow pots, because root restriction and pruning is part of the process of creating a bonsai. So the pachira in the picture, which is in a regular grow pot, is not a bonsai. If it were taken out of the growpot, root pruned to fit into a bonsai pot, then branch pruned and wired to encourage the leaves to spread out to create a canopy in balance with the size of the trunk, then it would be at least the beginning of a bonsai. And un-bonsaiing would be as simple as removing the bonsai from the bonsai pot, planting into the ground or a big pot, and just letting it grow. And yes, many people sell bonsai in plant stores, usually a barely-rooted cutting of juniper, because they're all twisty without any encouragement, (the junipers, not the people), and people buy them and put them in their houses, and they reliably die within a few weeks because even if they get sufficient water, they can't live in a house - not enough light. So don't ever buy those. If you want a bonsai, at least bonsai-style, plant in your home, make sure it is rated as an indoor plant.
Hey guys, I recently got a money plant as a gift, but the plant was outside in the cold weather longer then it should have been and is starting to drop it's leaves and show white burn like marks on them aswell. Just wondering what I should do to try to save it? My Pachira ( photo / image / picture from Raptor5871's Garden ) My Pachira ( photo / image / picture from Raptor5871's Garden )
In my experience, Pachira, "money tree," are pretty tough and very adaptable. It's out of the cold now, right? In the pic, it doesn't look too bad. If it were in serious trouble, it would be all wilty and shriveled. Just make sure the soil doesn't stay too wet while it's indoors, and it should be fine.
Hey Wrangler, ok tanx, I'll do as suggested and watch the little guy, as for the damaged leaves should I cut them off or just leave them?
Well, if the leaves actually drop off, that's the end of the question for them, right? I'm guessing you're wondering about the damaged, discolored leaves. If at least 2/3 of the leaf is still green, I would leave it on, to contribute to the photosynthesis of the plant. The ones with less green tissue you can cut off. In the spring when you put it outdoors, you can trim off the damaged leaves - the plant will look nicer, and it will make new leaves.
a bonsai becomes a bonsai if you try to grow it for at least 5 years or so. Thank you for sharing your insights!
