Pachira Aquatica Repotting Tips

I have had my Pachira Aquatica for about five years. I have never repotted it except for when I first brought it home from the nursery. It was already pretty large when I got it. Over the years I have pruned it down drastically many times because it grows so tall. If you're interested in pruning, check out my post on pruning a Pachira Aquatica, but I don't recommend repotting and pruning at the same time. Pick your priority and give your plant some time to recover in between. Continue reading below for tips on Pachira Aquatica repotting.

When to Repot a Pachira Aquatica

Pachira Aquaticas do not require frequent repotting. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't repotted mine for five years! The roots are not very large or aggressive. Factors like how often you amend your soil with nutrients and pruning can increase the amount of time your Pachira Aquatica can go between repottings.

You Can See Your Pachira Aquatica Roots

If your Pachira Aquatica is showing roots either out of the bottom of the pot or out of the top of the soil, that is a sign that you should repot. When this happens the roots need more room and more soil to grow into. Adding new soil will provide new nutrients and the ability to hold more moisture. I could see the roots beginning to peak out of the bottom of my pot. And when I pulled it out of the pot I could see that the Pachira Aquatica roots have begun to crowd around all edges of the pot.

Your Pachira Aquatica is Growing More Slowly

If your Pachira Aquatica is not growing as much as it used to it may be time to repot. All plants slow their growth in the winter when the days are shorter, so don't take that as a false positive. If it's not winter, the next thing you want to check would be the nutrients and ph of the soil. If you haven't been fertilizing your Pachira Aquatica at all, you might want to start that before you try anything else. An all-purpose balanced fertilizer should work fine for a Pachira Aquatica. If you have already been fertilizing, slow growth can actually be an indication of over-fertilizing. Double-check that you have been following the instructions on your fertilizer with regard to frequency, amount, and dilution. The best way to determine whether you have a nutrient problem is to use soil rapitests. These tests measure the level of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and pH. If you have low levels of nutrients, begin fertilizing and follow the instructions on your fertilizer. On the other hand, if you have over-fertilized, you can try to flush the soil with water.

If it's not winter and your soil doesn't have any nutrient issues, then try Money Tree repotting as your next solution. Once you have ruled out these situations, it's most likely that your Money Tree needs more room in a new pot.

How to Repot a Pachira Aquatica

You don't need any special equipment to repot a Pachira Aquatica. At minimum, you'll need a new pot and some potting soil. Choose a new pot that is about two inches in diameter larger than your old pot if you are up potting. Your new pot must also have drainage holes. If you need to add drainage to your pot follow my tutorial on drilling ceramic and glass plant pots. Pachira Aquaticas do well in regular potting soil. You may also amend the potting soil with a little extra perlite to make your Pachira Aquatica soil mix. I like to do a 3:1 ratio of potting soil to perlite. Perlite adds bulk to your soil and improves drainage.

Remove your Pachira Aquatica from its old pot. Do this carefully, especially if your plant is rootbound. Once you have it out of the pot, inspect the roots. The roots of my Pachira Aquatica were really filling out the bottom of the old pot as you saw earlier. Your Pachira Aquatica roots should be white or light brownish and firm if they are healthy. If the roots are dark brown or mushy, follow up with my blog on overwatering for steps to address root rot.

After you have inspected the roots, loosen the root ball a bit. Fill your new pot with your soil mix. Put enough soil up to the height you want to place the bottom of your root ball. Then you can backfill soil around the root ball and a bit over the top of the root ball. As you can see there's not a lot to Pachira Aquatica repotting. See the final results below.

What to do After Repotting

Avoid causing additional shocks to your Pachira Aquatica in the days after you repot. Repotting your plant can cause some shock especially if you really disturbed the roots in the process. Wait a day or two to water your Pachira Aquatica after repotting. It's also good to keep it in the same spot that you had it, or at least somewhere with similar light. Drastic changes in light might also shock your plant.

I hope this guide helps you successfully repot your Money Tree. Post your questions below.