Money Tree Hard Pruned...too Hard?

SerSwanky

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Hey everyone. I just wanted to check in with my money tree. Mid-post, I saw some other posts with most people commenting that money tree aren't really considered/suitable as bonsai. But your knowledge is too extensive not to pass up!

So it's about a year old, never been pruned and sits in my north facing office with window. I took it home to repot in a larger pot 8" from a 6", put it in new succulent/cactus soil and then...pruned it.

I went a little overboard. I originally did not intend to cut it all back. But every time I snipped a leaf it looked lopsided and fugly. So here we are. I just want to make sure the tree can recover if it only has one tiny leaf left. I read somewhere that it needed a few leaves to absorb nutrients so I was afraid with no leaves that it would kill it. Do we think the tree will recover or is it gg for this guy?

IMG_4567.jpg
 

Colorado

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Never grown the species but I bet it will be fine. How long ago did you prune all the leaves off? Sometimes it takes awhile for new buds to elongate.
 

Arnold

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Too hard? You barely prune it xD they need a free draining soil and a lot of sunshine to grow well, now will be a good time to repot it
 

SerSwanky

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Ha, okay that's fair. I think the term I was trying for was "defoliaged" or something. I've never grown anything or pruned anything so aside from a bunch of youtube videos I am as rookie as they come. I feel better now though. Thanks!
 

ShadyStump

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I think the term I was trying for was "defoliaged" or something.
Defoliate?
Some trees deal with it better than others, but so far I'm the only person I know who's killed a money tree (well, a very unsuccessful cutting anyway) so I think you'll be ok.
 

HoneyHornet

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Get a bag of lava rock ,and some orchid soil( bark n perlite usually) would do well mixed with ur succulent soil to make it higher drainage
 

HoneyHornet

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Can shorten it a few nodes too if u want, this pizza place by me has one they kept short for a while lol
 

SerSwanky

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Can shorten it a few nodes too if u want, this pizza place by me has one they kept short for a while lol
1645147280485.png

When you say nodes, would that mean between the branches? I've seen that reference when looking around for info but didn't fully understand it.
 

ShadyStump

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View attachment 420856

When you say nodes, would that mean between the branches? I've seen that reference when looking around for info but didn't fully understand it.
The node is the sort of joint spot where new growth comes from. The space between the nodes is the internode.
Think highways: state highway is in the state, while interstate highways go between states. Nodes grow, while internodes go between growth.
 

SerSwanky

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The node is the sort of joint spot where new growth comes from. The space between the nodes is the internode.
Think highways: state highway is in the state, while interstate highways go between states. Nodes grow, while internodes go between growth.
Just to make sure I fully understand with a visual. Is what I circled in red a node? If I cut it at the blue line, that stem will no longer grow, correct? Will that leaf that I circled in red start a new stem or would that still just be a leaf? And then that stem would no longer grow? I'm really hesitant to cut any stems since they won't grow back. I want to make sure I understand what will happen long term.

1645218355416.png
 

Arnold

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In the base of the petiole of the leaf its a dormant bud, from thar bud the tree will form a new branch, Pachiras are very apical dominant so probably they only will sprout from the upper bud you left
 

LittleDingus

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Just to make sure I fully understand with a visual. Is what I circled in red a node? If I cut it at the blue line, that stem will no longer grow, correct? Will that leaf that I circled in red start a new stem or would that still just be a leaf? And then that stem would no longer grow? I'm really hesitant to cut any stems since they won't grow back. I want to make sure I understand what will happen long term.

View attachment 420930

The "stem" like you have circled in red is actually a petiole. It is the stalk part of the leaf. DO NOT PANIC when those all dry up and fall off ;) Since you cut off the solar panel part of the leaf, the plant will seal off the end of the petiole and let it fall off. There will be a small scar on the branch where that happens. Think about maple leaves you find on the ground in the fall. The "stick" part of the maple leaf is the petiole.

In the crotch where the petiole meets the branch is where new buds form for most species. That is where you would expect new leaves/branches to grow from. That's typically referred to as the "node". The "internode" is the space between nodes. Meristem is the only tissue type that can grow new growth. The internodes in most species does not include meristem. The nodes of most species do.

Petioles will almost always fall off if the leaf is cut off. Internodes may/may not fall off dependent on species. Some species the internodes will die back to a node. On others, it will not. I'm not sure on money trees...I suspect they do not.

Cut through an internode at a place like the blue line you suggest and the node just below should form a new "leader" or branch extension. In some cases, you can get several new leaders to form.
 

ShadyStump

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Just to make sure I fully understand with a visual. Is what I circled in red a node? If I cut it at the blue line, that stem will no longer grow, correct? Will that leaf that I circled in red start a new stem or would that still just be a leaf? And then that stem would no longer grow? I'm really hesitant to cut any stems since they won't grow back. I want to make sure I understand what will happen long term.

View attachment 420930
Short answer, yes, with most species. Long answer, it depends. @LittleDingus gave a good run down of how it works, but @Arnold might be right. I'm not terribly familiar with these outside of the house plants my had back in the day.
 

SerSwanky

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The "stem" like you have circled in red is actually a petiole. It is the stalk part of the leaf. DO NOT PANIC when those all dry up and fall off ;) Since you cut off the solar panel part of the leaf, the plant will seal off the end of the petiole and let it fall off. There will be a small scar on the branch where that happens. Think about maple leaves you find on the ground in the fall. The "stick" part of the maple leaf is the petiole.

In the crotch where the petiole meets the branch is where new buds form for most species. That is where you would expect new leaves/branches to grow from. That's typically referred to as the "node". The "internode" is the space between nodes. Meristem is the only tissue type that can grow new growth. The internodes in most species does not include meristem. The nodes of most species do.

Petioles will almost always fall off if the leaf is cut off. Internodes may/may not fall off dependent on species. Some species the internodes will die back to a node. On others, it will not. I'm not sure on money trees...I suspect they do not.

Cut through an internode at a place like the blue line you suggest and the node just below should form a new "leader" or branch extension. In some cases, you can get several new leaders to form.
Thank you for taking the time to give me the run down on all that. That really helped. I'll give it a shot and see how it goes!
 

SerSwanky

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Dont mean to be rude or anything, but is important to learn basic botanic to have bonsais or any plants 👍 https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/vegetative-plant-parts
No offense taken, you are 100% right. I have just been watching videos and reading articles for specific plants that I have. I didn't think to go big picture and research the generalities of it. Thank you for the resource, I will look at now!
 

HoneyHornet

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I really don’t know how money trees respond I just know that the one in the pizza shop was super short like always don’t know what they did

but pick up a little ficus to mess with or something, these money trees aren’t really the answer for bonsai technique , let that thing just grow healthy (imo)
 
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