- Lucky chestnuts tolerate pruning well
- Caring for Pachira aquatica as a bonsai
- Cultivation in lava rock
Pachira aquatica is sold with braided trunks in most cases. Less known is the cultivation as bonsai. Since the lucky chestnut can be pruned all year round, you can also grow it as a bonsai. An unusual bonsai form is the Hawaiian variety of cultivation in a lava rock.
The lucky chestnut is very tolerant of pruning
Lucky chestnuts tolerate pruning well
You can cut back a lucky chestnut at any time. If you want to grow them as bonsai, cut them back more in the spring and later only cut individual shoots. Use clean pruning tools so you don't transmit pathogens.
If you have bought braided lucky chestnuts, you must first unbraid them and place them individually in pots. Otherwise, the Pachira aquatica will die quickly because the trunks remain very thin at the pressure points and pests can penetrate there.
Freshly bought plants should be placed in fresh substrate immediately, which must be as loose and water-permeable as possible. Well suited are:
- potting soil
- cactus soil
- Soil for potted plants
Caring for Pachira aquatica as a bonsai
Lucky chestnuts as bonsai are easy to care for. Do not water too often, as Pachira aquatica does not tolerate waterlogging. You should only water when the root ball is almost dry. In winter, water in sips.
Spray the leaves occasionally with a little lime-free water, as money chestnuts appreciate higher humidity.
In the first year and after repotting, you must not fertilize the plant. Later, some liquid fertilizer for bonsai or green plants is given every fortnight. In winter, the lucky chestnut is no longer fertilized.
Cultivation in lava rock
In Hawaii there is a special form of bonsai breeding for lucky chestnuts. There the trees are placed in a lava stone. A hole about the size of a thumb is drilled into the stone.
The Pachira aquatica grows very slowly in the rock, so it stays small and like a real bonsai for a long time.
In the course of time, the roots burst the stone, resulting in quite bizarre shapes.
tips
When pruning Pachira aquatica, choose a time when the ambient temperature is sufficiently high. It should be around 20 degrees. After cutting, water the lucky chestnut thoroughly once.