Pachira aquatica, the tree that holds onto luck
Pachira aquatica
- Exposures
- Sun, Half-shade
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Family
- Bombacaceae
- Genus
- Pachira
- Species
- Pachira aquatica
Native to the marshes of Central and North America, Pachira aquatica is most popular in Asia. This member of the Bombacaceae family symbolizes happiness and success.
How to recognize Pachira aquatica?
Pachira aquatica is an upright tree. In its natural environment, it can reach 18 meters in height. It grows to no more than two meters when cultivated indoors in pots.
It is a caudex plant: the base of its trunk is swollen, like a bottle. This feature enables it to store water in the form of juice for periods of drought. Above the brown caudex, the bark remains smooth and green.
The glossy, almost lustrous green leaves are webbed. They measure up to 30 centimetres in diameter and grow at the end of a long, slender stem. Each has between five and nine oval, elliptical leaflets.
Outdoors, the tree blooms from December to March. Orange flowers 20 centimetres long with lanceolate petals appear. In the center, yellow or orange filaments emerge: the stamens.
These turn into an oblong, fleshy fruit. Green at birth, it becomes woody and brown as it ripens.
Pachira aquatica is non-toxic to humans and animals. In America, peccaries (or pakira in Creole) love them. These wild pigs gave their name to the plant. In the kitchen, the hazelnut of the Guiana chestnut tree is eaten raw, cooked or processed into flour.
But it's not for these gustatory qualities that Pachira aquatica is most sought-after. Its five-leaf leaf blade reminds some people of a hand. In China and Southeast Asia, this hand is believed to bring happiness and fortune. To increase the shrub's power, it is sold in the form of five specimens with intertwined trunks, the number 5 being a symbol of stability and positive elements. To ward off the evil eye, combine your Pachira aquatica with the Crassula ovata and chinese money plant!
Our care tips
Watering
When the soil has dried on the surface, you can water. Use non-calcareous water at room temperature, such as rainwater. If you don't have any, you can use tap water that you've left to stand.
Drain off any water that collects in the planter or dish. It can rot the roots.
Misting
Fogging helps to increase humidity and prevent attacks by mites or red spiders. Spray foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature.
Repotting
In spring, transfer your Pachira aquatica to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.
Choose a pierced pot slightly larger than the previous one. It's best to opt for a clay model: this material promotes even drying of the soil.
Line the bottom with a bed of gravel or clay balls. Add a layer of potting soil with perlite or sand. For example, you can mix potting soil for green plants with sand. Place your subject in the center and fill in with substrate to within a couple of centimeters of the edge. Tamp down and water for the first time to encourage rooting.
Fertilization
You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.
Dilute a liquid fertilizer for green plants with water.
Prune
Remove dead leaves and wilted flowers.
If you wish to control the development or shape of your plant, you can work on it. Just be sure to cut between two nodes or at the base of the trunk.
Always use a clean, sharp tool (pair of scissors, pruning shears).
Always use a clean, sharp tool (pair of scissors, pruning shears).
Taking cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
Remove a branch at least ten centimeters long using a clean, sharp tool. You can use scissors or pruning shears, for example.
Remove all leaves and dip the base of your segment in cutting hormone.
Remove all leaves and dip the base of your segment in cutting hormone.
To propagate cuttings, plant the seedling in a pot with a fine potting soil, such as potting soil for cuttings and seedlings, or a substrate that you have previously sieved.
Mist and cover with an empty bottle. Aerate your mini-greenhouse for a few minutes a day and spray two or three times a day.
Mist and cover with an empty bottle. Aerate your mini-greenhouse for a few minutes a day and spray two or three times a day.
Diseases / Threats
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Exposures
- SunHalf-shade
- Substrate
- Humus soil
- Planting method
- In pots
- Tags
- BeginnerLarge pot
- Origins
- North AmericaCentral America
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Leaf color
- Dark green
- Flower color
- Orange
- Fruit color
- Brown
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Find all our tips in the Monstera application
