Guide

Money trees guarantee exponential growth

8.5.2024

Translation: Eva Francis

No, this isn’t an article on how to make a fast buck. But I’ll show you the easiest way to multiply your money tree in two weeks.

If money was as easy to multiply as the money tree (Crassula ovata), I’d have moved into my own finca with a veranda and a magnificent giardino a long time ago. While I’m far from my dream of owning a villa, I’m already starting to grow trees for its garden. After all, I like saying self-efficacy is the first step towards change.

I got my money tree’s shoot cuttings from a larger plant in Italy and carried them with me in a bag for a week. They survived thanks to the water storage capacity of their leaves. Isn’t that amazing!? At home, I put the succulents in water until they took root and then potted them up. Now, two years later, the plants are finally big enough to be used as shoot cuttings themselves.

A money tree is a lucrative investment that grows and multiplies quickly and with little seed money.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Pruning your money tree regularly is well worth it. It allows you to get new cuttings, make the crown grow denser and stimulate the trunk to grow thicker. This increases nutrient transport as well as stability, and with time and skills, you’ll shape it into a real little tree. Pruning also prevents the shoots from growing downwards under the weight of the leaves, which deforms the money tree.

Timing doesn’t always matter

There’s some controversy regarding the right time to propagate money trees. In my experience, both spring and autumn is possible, but the cuttings grow roots faster in spring. As a general rule, indoor plants grow faster in good light conditions and warm temperatures – in other words, spring or summer.

Multiplying your money tree

I want to turn my money trees into little bonsais. I particularly want to stimulate dense growth, so I prune them quite radically using a sharp knife. Disinfect the latter with alcohol to protect the plant from contamination. If you want to take a more brutal approach, you can also break the shoots and branches off the tree. I position the knife between the second and third pair of leaves and cut off the upper part, which I use to make new leaf and shoot cuttings. Two new branches will now grow from the top pair of leaves, which again make for new cuttings. In other words, the future holds an infinite number of money trees in store for me.

Pruning stimulates the stem to grow thicker…

… and makes the succulents look rather silly for a few weeks… — Pruning stimulates the stem to grow thicker…

… until new shoots form and the plant looks cute again.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Propagating cuttings à gogo

If the branches you cut off have enough leaves, you can try out two methods of propagation – with shoot cuttings and leaf cuttings. I’ve had good experiences with shoot cuttings so far. When they’re big enough, I put the little plants in the soil and place them in a bright spot in my flat. Use either cactus soil, succulent soil or special potting compost as a substrate. Mix these with clay pebbles to make the soil even more air-permeable and reduce the amount of water that collects.

All these branches and leaves will turn into new cuttings.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Shoot cuttings – simple

Remove all leaves except for the top couple and place the cuttings in a shot glass of water. If you want to be on the safe side, leave the plants to dry for two days before putting them in water. Then all you can do is wait and change the water every three days until the roots are long enough to pot up the cuttings.

A shot glass has the perfect size to allow the cuttings to grow roots.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

After two weeks, the first roots will be visible.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Plant in a Box Crassula ovata Minor - Jade plant (45 cm)

Plants

CHF54.91

Plant in a Box Crassula ovata Minor - Jade plant

45 cm

Potting soil

Migros-Bio Garden Cactus earth

3 l

Arcoroc Islande Shot (0.60 dl, 1 x, Shot glass)

Cocktail glasses

CHF6.90

Arcoroc Islande Shot

0.60 dl, 1 x, Shot glass

Plants

CHF54.91

Plant in a Box Crassula ovata Minor - Jade plant

45 cm

Potting soil

Migros-Bio Garden Cactus earth

3 l

Cocktail glasses

CHF6.90

Arcoroc Islande Shot

0.60 dl, 1 x, Shot glass

Leaf cuttings – trickier

So far, I’d had no success with propagating from leave cuttings, but my latest attempt miraculously worked. I placed the leaves vertically on the edge of my money tree’s pot and pressed them into the soil slightly. This means, whenever I watered the main plant, my cuttings got water, too. How can that work? I’ve tried placing the leaves horizontally on the substrate before, but they died. I’ve also stuck them vertically and halfway into the soil, but they didn’t survive that either. Many people swear by this method, but it’s never worked for me. Might the light conditions or watering cycle have been wrong? In any case, my new method finally brought me success after several failed attempts.

Stick the leaves directly into the soil and…

… after four weeks, a mini succulent might grow. — Stick the leaves directly into the soil and…

The best way to find out whether this works for you is to give it a go. Who knows, you might have grown enough trees for your villa’s garden in just a few weeks. If that takes too long, my colleague Darina knows exactly where you can find a huge selection of succulents.

Background information
The prickly paradise you’ll never want to leave
by Darina Schweizer

Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler

45 people like this article

Stefanie Lechthaler

Editor

Stefanie.Lechthaler@digitecgalaxus.ch

Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.

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Money trees guarantee exponential growth

Timing doesn’t always matter

Multiplying your money tree

Propagating cuttings à gogo

Shoot cuttings – simple

Leaf cuttings – trickier

The prickly paradise you’ll never want to leave

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Multiplying your money tree

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