A fat woman or a money tree in the interior is placed not only by lovers of indoor plants, but also by experts in feng shui. It is believed that in this way you can lure financial luck. However, the successful cultivation of a fat woman is possible only if some important conditions are met, including those related to watering.
How often should you water?
The fat woman belongs to succulents, which means that it has a special type of tissue that can accumulate moisture and use it if necessary. While a plant cannot do without regular watering, it should be infrequent and very limited. The tree is not afraid of drought, but it can be easily destroyed by overflow.
How many times you have to water the money tree depends on several factors. It is important to consider what the time of year is, as the irrigation schedule changes depending on the current season. In addition, you will have to assess the conditions in which the fat woman is, she is Crassula. In this case, both the quantity and quality of light in the room are taken into account, how close the pots are to the window panes and radiators.
When determining the quantity and quality of irrigation, it is important to consider flower transplant plans.
In general, the individual characteristics of the apartment should be taken into account, because in some rooms the dryness of the air may be increased, and the temperature, on the contrary, reduced. For example, if in the summer it is possible to move the fat woman to the balcony, then the plant will have to be watered more often, since the soil will dry out much faster. The need for irrigation is easiest to determine by lowering your finger into the ground to the depth of a pair of phalanges. In the event that dryness is felt, it is time to moisturize the plant. As a rule, in the summer months, irrigation is not carried out every week, but every two or three, depending on conditions. In winter, it is enough to water the plant once a month, no more.
Seasonal dependence
In the spring, irrigation of Crassula becomes more frequent, as the growing season starts. The tree will have to be watered twice a week, not forgetting to monitor the current state of the soil. For example, if the earthen lump turns out to be dry, the amount of water or the frequency of watering will have to be increased. In the summer, since temperature and humidity can change all the time, it is better to focus on the state of the substrate. As soon as the top layer dries up, it must be irrigated again. At least this should happen twice a week.
It is, of course, important to remove excess moisture from the pallet to prevent root rot. In the fall, on the eve of the dormant period, watering should be reduced - the land should become almost dry. It will be enough to add moisture once a week, if necessary - twice.
In winter, the bastard practically does not develop and does not grow, so irrigation should be minimal. As a rule, watering in cold weather is carried out once every three weeks or even once a month.
Of course, you should not wait for the soil to crack - there is no benefit in this. Excessive watering will also harm - the root system will begin to rot, and the Crassula itself, perhaps, will die. If, despite the winter season, the money tree is in warm conditions, then the frequency of watering will have to be increased up to two times per month. In case of severe cold weather, watering should be stopped for a while.
Water requirement
The irrigation liquid must be settled for at least six hours. To speed up the process of chlorine disappearance, it is worth keeping it in a vessel without a lid. It is important that the water is heated or at least at room temperature. Since the root system of the plant is very sensitive, cold drops can be very dangerous. Ideally, the moisture for irrigation should be rain or better naturally melted, if the season allows.
Hard tap water should not be used, since a large amount of salt has a bad effect on the condition of the substrate, reducing its ability to pass air. In principle, the required amount of tap water can be simply frozen in the freezer, and then the middle with an unfrozen area saturated with heavy metals and salts can be removed. Having thawed, such a liquid will be much cleaner. The simplest solution would be to use filtered water. The liquid should be warmed to a temperature ranging from 20 to 24 degrees, or it should be allowed to spend several days indoors until it reaches room temperature. Wood ash is used to soften the water, and only half a teaspoon is required per liter of liquid.
Such a mixture will have to be defended for twelve hours, and then used for watering.
How to water properly?
At home, the bastard should be irrigated rather slowly using a watering can equipped with a long narrow spout and a diffuser. The advantage of this solution is that water gets to the roots, delivering nutrients there. The liquid should be poured over the rim of the container to avoid washing out the soil. Puddles should not form on the surface of the soil, but, in principle, it is not scary if a couple of drops appear on the leaves or stems. Approximately sixty minutes after watering, the pallet is checked for surplus, and if any, it is sure to pour out.
The stand itself is wiped dry with a soft cloth. To make the money tree grow better, after watering, it is worth loosening the upper layer of the substrate. Such care will improve the flow of air to the root system. Alternatively, the water can be poured directly into the sump. Usually a small amount of liquid is used, then it waits for about half an hour until the roots absorb it, and then, if necessary, more water is poured into the pan.
This method is useful if the fat woman has not been watered for a long period, and the earthen lump has completely dried out by this time. The main disadvantage of this method is the rise of nutrients together with the liquid to the surface, which leads to their lack in the root zone, as evidenced by the emerging whitish lime deposit on the soil surface. In this case, you will have to remove the entire top layer of the earth, otherwise bacteria will appear in it, contributing to plant disease. The choice of bottom or top watering depends on the grower's preference. Experts recommend alternating both methods in order to maintain a balanced ratio of both moisture and nutrients in the substrate.
In summer, you should additionally take care of the fat woman, organizing a warm shower for her, preferably from melt water. The trunk circle of the plant and all the soil will have to be protected with polyethylene. Bathing itself is carried out using a spray bottle. After carrying out the procedure, it is important to remove all the remaining water from the pan of the pot, and, on the contrary, to allow the leaves to absorb it. Any spraying is carried out either in the shade or late in the evening so as not to get under direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation and thereby not cause burns. In winter and autumn, it will be sufficient to wipe the sheets with a cloth.
By the way, in order to be sure to prevent the flooding of the fat woman, you can try to initially lay expanded clay as a drainage layer in large quantities.
This will ensure the timely outflow of liquid, and will not allow the money tree to die, if necessary, giving the supply of liquid from the balls.
After transplantation, the sensitivity of the fat woman to the conditions of moisture intake increases significantly. Irrigation during this period should be carried out with extreme caution so as not to prevent the tree from taking root in a new place, and so that in the future it will bloom. This means that watering must necessarily be moderate, since excess moisture will be detrimental to the rhizome. If the plant was transplanted in an emergency, as during overflow, and has a damaged rhizome, then watering is minimal and immediately. In other cases, it is better to postpone the irrigation process for a day or even a couple of days.
In addition, you should be aware that the soil always shrinks after the first watering. This means that you have to wait until all the moisture leaves the pot through the drainage holes, and then add the required amount of soil and repeat the procedure. Leaving for a long time, the fat woman should be transferred to a darkened place, protected from direct sunlight. Moistened pieces of expanded clay should be scattered over the soil.
Frequent mistakes and consequences
If the development of the money tree has slowed down, for example, the growth rate has become too slow or new shoots have ceased to appear, then it is important to revise the irrigation system. During the active growing season, irrigation should be abundant, but after it, it should decrease significantly. In fact, the soil should even be dried, and the air temperature should be lowered.
If the fat woman began to throw off the leaves, then this is a signal that the tree is exhausted.
Most likely, irrigation was carried out using hard tap water, which was not previously filtered and not settled. Also, the reason could be that the plant happened to be flooded.
The decaying trunk of the money tree is the result of excessive moisture. Moreover, the whole process starts from the roots, and then it goes to the trunk, therefore, if the trunk is affected, it means that the roots are already damaged. In this case, it is necessary to immediately start drying the earthen coma, and in advanced cases, also to transplant it into a new soil. The tree is neatly taken out of the flowerpot along with an earthen lump, and then the root system is carefully freed from the attached wet earth and wrapped in a napkin. Direct transplantation occurs when the roots dry out.
The soil in the new pot should be only slightly damp. In addition, all damaged parts of the rhizome are necessarily removed with a disinfected tool, and the wounds are treated with wood ash. Charcoal should also be added to the dried substrate. The first couple of days after the transplant, it is not recommended to water the fat woman.
Flabby wrinkled leaves also become like this due to improper watering. It can be either excess or lack of moisture. To solve the problem, it will be necessary to normalize the irrigation system, as well as check the condition of the drainage layer. In addition, foliage begins to wilt and fall off either when using too cold or too warm liquid. If moisture stagnates on the surface, then we are most likely talking about an overly dense and heavy soil.
For tips on caring for a money tree in winter, see the next video.