Whether it actually brings luck and prosperity, as is believed, especially in Southeast Asia, which is characterized by Feng Shui, is up to you and your own conviction. A beautiful ornamental leaf plant for the room is the lucky chestnut - also simply called Pachira - in any case.

The lucky chestnut is said to bring good luck

Table of Contents

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  1. origin
  2. growth
  3. leaves
  4. blossoms
  5. fruit
  6. Which location is suitable?
  7. What soil does the plant need?
  8. Fertilize lucky chestnut properly
  9. Water the lucky chestnut
  10. repot
  11. Cut lucky chestnuts correctly
  12. Multiply lucky chestnut
  13. Diseases
  14. pests
  15. Tip 1:
  16. Tip 2:
  17. sorts

    18. origin

    The Pachira acuatica is often simply called Pachira in Central Europe. A common trivial name is also the lucky chestnut - because in the teachings of Feng Shui, the Pachira acuatica, like many other plants, also has a high symbolic meaning: it is said to bring luck and prosperity.

    However, her area of origin is not the Far East, where Feng Shui has its roots. On the contrary, from our point of view it comes from the opposite direction, namely from Central America. There it inhabits tropical areas from Mexico to northern countries in South America such as Brazil or Peru. In its homeland, the Pachira thrives to impressive heights of up to 20 meters.

    In our latitudes, the lucky chestnut can of course only be kept indoors. Of course, the tropical plant is not frost hardy. With warm living temperatures and good humidity, however, it can be cultivated indoors all year round without any problems.

    Origin in keywords:

    • Is of great importance in Feng Shui - a symbol of luck and prosperity
    • Natural range: tropical Central and South America
    • Can be kept well here in a year-round indoor culture

    growth

    The money chestnut grows as a tree with a slightly thickened base of the trunk, in which it can store water very well. In its original habitat it can reach a height of 20 meters. In the local room culture, however, it is usually only about 2 meters tall - which is of course enormous for a normal living room.

    The Pachira with its large, decorative leaves forms a sweeping, umbrella-like crown above the light brown-grey barked trunk.

    In garden centers, fortune chestnuts are often offered with a plaited trunk.

    Growth characteristics at a glance:

    • Pachira grows as a tree with a thickened, water-retaining trunk base
    • Up to 20 m in height in the home range, growing to only 2 m in height here
    • Specimens available in specialist shops often have a plaited trunk

    leaves

    The leaves are probably the most essential decorative feature of the Pachira for the Central European room culture. Because flowers are extremely rare in this country. In terms of appearance, the leaves are somewhat reminiscent of those of chestnut trees - hence the nickname lucky chestnut. The Pachira is by no means related to chestnuts, but to the baobab tree.

    The lucky chestnut leaves have long stalks and are palmately fanned out. Each leaflet has 5 to 9 individual leaves of an elongated-oval shape, pointed at the front. Its texture is slightly leathery and shiny, and its color is a deep dark green.

    Sheet properties in brief:

    • Reminiscent of chestnut leaves
    • Long stalked, pinnate 5-9 times finger-like
    • Single leaves elongate-oval, pointed at the front
    • Dark green, leathery, shiny

    blossoms

    The lucky chestnut rarely blossoms in Central European indoor culture. There are simply not enough light, temperature and humidity conditions for this.

    In any case, it is desirable to get a flower. Because it is quite spectacular: With its long, narrow sepals in creamy yellow and the plume of creamy yellow stamens rising from the middle, which are raised high and merging into red at the tips, it looks extremely exotic and magnificent.

    At a glance:

    • Formation of flowers here extremely rare
    • Appearance extremely splendid with large plume-like shape in creamy yellow and red

    fruit

    The fruit, which emerges from a pollinated Pachira flower, is elliptical in shape with a woody skin and can grow to an impressive size of up to 15 centimeters in diameter. Their seeds are edible.

    Which location is suitable?

    Like most tropical plants, the lucky chestnut needs a bright location without direct sunlight and high humidity all year round. It is best placed in a bright window seat where it will be protected by neighboring, large-leaved houseplants or a thin shading device. Make sure the humidity is as high as possible. It is advisable to give the plant a fine, misty shower from the water disperser from time to time.

    The optimal ambient temperature for the Pachira is conveniently at a comfortable living room level of 18 to 20°C. The 12°C mark should not be fallen below if possible.

    In summer you can also put your lucky chestnut outside for a while. Then, however, it should be protected from direct sun as well as from wind and rain, just like indoors.

    Site requirements at a glance:

    • Tendentially tropical conditions: bright, without direct sunlight, humid
    • Temperature homely: 18-20°C, minimum temperature 12°C
    • In summer it can also be put out in a sun, wind and rain-protected place

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    What soil does the plant need?

    The money chestnut has a medium need of nutrients. You can place them in a substrate of conventional potting or potting soil. However, it should be relatively permeable, since the roots of the Pachira are quite sensitive to waterlogging. Mixing in a little sand is usually sufficient for this purpose.

    Fertilize lucky chestnut properly

    You can fertilize the Pachira moderately over the summer months. To do this, use a universal liquid fertilizer in small doses. In the first year, however, you should refrain from giving additional nutrients.

    Water the lucky chestnut

    Since the money chestnut can store a lot of water in its trunk, constant watering is not absolutely necessary. However, you should water regularly, especially in the summer months. It is only important that the amount of water is never too plentiful - the Pachira does not tolerate waterlogging at all. So water well dosed and always wait until the substrate is dry again before the next watering.

    In addition to watering, you should always give the Pachira a shower with the water disperser. However, as with watering, use room-warm and lime-free water for this.

    Over the winter months, reduce watering to regular, small sips.

    Watering rules in keywords:

    • Pachira requires a moderate amount of water
    • Stores a lot in the trunk - less risk of drying out than root rot due to waterlogging
    • Water regularly, but in small doses
    • Additionally spray over
    • Use room-warm and lime-free water
    • Water less in winter

    repot

    Depending on the location and care conditions, the Pachira can show different growth rates. After about two years, the pot usually becomes too small and cramped for her. It is best to repot in the spring. There is not much to pay special attention to.
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    Cut lucky chestnuts correctly

    The lucky chestnut does not actually need any special trimming. It grows very elegantly by itself and does not get out of hand. You don't need to cut off dead leaves either, you can simply pluck them off by hand.

    In view of the limited space available in normal living rooms, however, pruning may still be necessary. It tolerates the shortening of the crown and sprout again well afterwards, but its contour can suffer as a result.
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    Multiply lucky chestnut

    Would you like to give someone a lucky chestnut or replace your overgrown plant with a young specimen? Then it is best to propagate your Pachira by cuttings. Seed cultivation is also possible, but of course it takes longer.

    cuttings

    To propagate a Pachira by cuttings, it is best to cut a head cutting in the spring when woody growth begins. You can simply root them in a glass of water. If the shoot is not woody, a growing substrate made of peat and sand is better suited for rooting. Keep this evenly moist, preferably under foil, and place the planter in a bright position. It can be a bit tricky to maintain the ideal soil temperature of a warm 25 to 30°C - a heatable mini greenhouse (€7.95) can help here. However, it can take a few weeks for the roots to develop.

    seed cultivation

    You will hardly get your own seeds from your Pachira, but you can easily buy some in specialist shops. The seeds need to be soaked in water for about 24 hours before planting. Then place them in planters with growing substrate and set them up in a bright place at an ambient temperature of 22 to 24°C. Again, it is advisable to cover the whole thing with foil to ensure an evenly moist, protected microclimate.
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    Diseases

    The Pachira is generally robust against diseases. However, it reacts much more sensitively to care errors. Above all, incorrect lighting conditions and incorrect water supply can affect it.

    Location too dark

    If the site conditions are too dark, the lucky chestnut can shed its leaves. If possible, ensure that your pitch has sufficient light all year round. Of course, without direct sunlight.

    Too much sun exposure

    In any case, you must protect the lucky chestnut from direct sunlight. In its native habitat it is sheltered by the high canopy of tropical forest vegetation, so it gets plenty of light but no direct sunlight. Their leaves are therefore sensitive to burning. Therefore, place them on the windowsill in the shelter of other, large-leaved plants or shade the window with a light, thin fabric.

    Especially if you want to put the Pachira outside on the patio in summer, you should also carefully get them used to the extra light that is definitely there outside. It is best to place them under an awning at first, later shading plants will also suffice.

    waterlogging

    The lucky chestnut can acknowledge waterlogging with yellowing leaves and, in an advanced stage, with leaf shedding. In the worst case, the roots can also rot. In this case, you must repot the plant immediately. In doing so, remove all rotten root parts as thoroughly as possible and place the ball in a fresh substrate.

    sweat

    If the money tree is oozing a liquid from its leaves, don't worry. She just sweats. In this case, you should make sure that there is no waterlogging.

    Too dry air

    Air that is too dry is also often the cause when the lucky chestnut sheds its leaves. In addition, an environment that is too dry increases the risk of pest infestation. Think of the regular shower with the water disperser!

    Preventive protection

    In order to permanently strengthen the money chestnut and make it more robust against aches and pains, adequate care with the right amount of light, even warmth and watering and high humidity is of course necessary.

    But what is also recommended is to unbraid the often braided stem of a purchased specimen. The braided structure is decorative, but reduces the protective effect of the bark. It becomes thinner and thus has less resistance. The points of contact in the tight twists also provide a breeding ground for pests and fungi and increase the risk of disease in unfavorable environmental conditions. If the Pachira is allowed to grow freely, it will definitely become more robust.
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    pests

    As a rule, the Pachira is rarely attacked by pests. As with all tropical plants that love humidity, ambient air that is too dry can occasionally attract spider mites or mealybugs.

    spider mites

    Spider mites are one of the most common indoor plant parasites. The mites can usually be seen with the naked eye - depending on the species, they have a greenish or yellowish to reddish color. A clear indication of a population, however, are the fine webs with which they cover the leaves of their host plants.

    The best way to get rid of spider mites is with water. First, they are mechanically showered from the leaves. Finally, wrap the wet plant under a foil bag, which you close tightly at the bottom. Underneath, the spider mites die within a week.

    Mealybug

    These parasites get their name from the fluffy balls that they secrete when sucking on their host plants. This also makes them easy to spot. You should fight the lice quickly so they don't have a chance to hatch their larvae. They also secrete honeydew when sucking on the plant, which can lead to the colonization of the sooty mold fungus on the plant.

    Treat the Pachira after you have mechanically removed the coarsest colonization by wiping it with a damp cloth, preferably with a spray treatment of a water-curd soap-alcohol mixture (ratio 1 l-15 ml-15 ml). Apply this cure at intervals of 2 to 3 days until the population has visibly disappeared.

    Tip 1:

    The Pachira is also suitable as an office plant under certain conditions. Here it can ensure a much healthier room climate. However, it should be kept in hydroculture, especially in heavily heated offices - this ensures a sufficient and above all regular water supply and even in stressful office work it makes less sense if nobody from the team has the head for watering.

    Tip 2:

    You can also cultivate a Pachira as a bonsai. This already suggests the common practice that they are sold in the commercial plant trade with an intertwined trunk. If you like the pretty braided structure, you can continue it in the course of cultivation.

    The lucky chestnut is actually very easy to shape, so you can use the usual basic methods such as wire and leaf trimming to train it into special, alienating shapes. It is recommended that the Pachira does not grow too quickly and retains the bonsai-typical mini-tree habit for as long as possible. Sitting them on a lava rock, in Hawaiian tradition.

    sorts

    There are no special breeds of Pachira aquatica in circulation.

Category:

Trees