Fancy families had a propensity of beautifying their houses. Diverse green leaves plants get priority in compact premises. Umbrella plants and money trees are popular for indoor foliage plants. If you are thinking about keeping these plants but are confused about choosing one, then this article is fit for you.
Are they indoor or outdoor plants, and how much care do they need?
Umbrella plants and money trees are both indoor and outdoor-oriented plants. It is preferable to keep the umbrella plant out of direct sunlight.
Umbrellas and Money trees should be placed where there is neither high light nor low light. The most relieving part is both are low-maintenance plants.
Let’s have a look at how much care they do need to grow and survive on-premises.
Plants Backstory
These plants are not that famous in garden corners. To get the feel of a tropical garden, people plant these trees on their premises. They are low-maintenance plants. As they are not familiar with everybody, let’s know the origin of these plants. It’s going to be interesting for you if you are a plant lover.
Umbrella Plants
The umbrella plant is a Schefflera species of tree in the dense jungles of Taiwan. It is also known as the octopus tree somewhere. Schefflera is a tropical plant including two species. Looks a lot similar to having oval leaves. In Taiwan and Australia, the tree grows to about 28-50 feet tall outdoors. And 8-10 feet indoors. These are bonsai and kept small in size in the house. The leaves are yellow, white, and golden in addition to green. They are very useful to enhance the beauty of the house.
Money Trees
Money plants are very low maintenance with hand-shaped leaves. The money tree plant is from Mexico to Northern South America. Also very popular in East Asian Countries. It is about to grow up to 60 feet tall outdoors. 7-8 feet tall indoors. Money trees are a favorite of feng shui. They believe in the myth. Money trees bring a good financial fortune if they keep them in the house. The feng shui also believes that keeping the money trees in the bathroom may bring negative effects to the family. Positive energy can be drained out if they keep it in the bathroom. People make bonsai of this plant to make it smaller than the wild size. The amazing part is you can make a braid of green leaves from this plant.
Environment and Care
Every plant needs an accurate, balanced, direct, indirect light, place, and environment to turn into a healthy mature tree. The right balance of air, light, humidity, and water can add more value to the plants. Check this out to get a consummate concept regarding umbrella plants and money trees. Here we go-
Umbrella Plants
Umbrella plants are happy with indirect and bright light. As this plant is a low- maintenance plant, you’ll need to keep an eye on the drainage system of the pot. Umbrella tree roots are sensitive to excessive water. If the drainage system is not developed then the root may get putrid. And light factors play an exigent role to grow the umbrella plants super fast. Follow below to know the care instruction details.
Light
Light is essential for every plant to produce its own food. But in how much light does an umbrella tree survive, do we know? Let’s talk about umbrella plants and money trees.
Umbrella plants are fit for both outdoor and indoor use. For indoor-oriented plants, they don’t need so much light. They like low and indirect light in your veranda or room corner. In the summertime, get potted plants outside of the room. More than three hours of direct sunlight is a cause of plant dehydration and scorch. Low light affects the plant and results in leaf loss. Humid air is an absolute yardstick for plants.
Water
Adequate water is the primary criterion for a plant. Try to water your plant in daylight. Umbrella plants don’t like excess water, rather they are happy with dry soil. Wet root and soil cause dead root and leaf loss. And casual spots on leaves will be visible due to lack of water. Let the soil dry first then water the plant. Moisture the soil according to plants’ needs. Don’t make it over in plants.
Temperature
Umbrella plants are not concerned about humidity but the temperature is a fact. They prefer almost 13°C to 24°C( 55°F to 75°F) indoors. They grow outdoors in USDA 10-11(United States Department of Agriculture). Warm temperature and sunlight are inter-relatable. Because if you put your plant in direct sunlight, the temperature will get high and vice versa.
Fertilizers
To get an excellent houseplant, a good fertilizer is unavoidable. Don’t fertilize frequently to variegated varieties. Because they are so delicate. For faster growth use some diluted growth promoter fertilizer like phosphorus or potassium. A standard fertilizer is also helped to avoid leaf loss and yellow leaves.
Money Trees
A money tree is both an outdoor and indoor popular houseplant. It’s a moderate to high humidity and loves to take indirect sunlight indoors. But outdoors they took the bright sunlight to grow. Avoid dry air where the plant is kept. Let’s know how to care for money trees.
Light
Indoor plants need indirect and bright light. Place the plant in a corner where light passes well. Keep your eyes on the plant whether it’s getting dark light or bright light. Dark light or too much shadow makes the plant leaf lose. Plants get fungal infected leaves due to excessive low light. Compared to bright light this plant grows fast in low light indoors. For outdoor money trees, they can consume more direct light. They grow faster outdoors. For bushier money trees, plant them outside of your room.
Water
Indoor plants need less water than outdoor plants. Keep watering when the soil will remain dry. Don’t water while the soil is wet. This overwatering can cause root rot. To avoid overwatering, you can add a small stone over the potting soil. Mix some sand with the soil. This will absorb the extra water quickly.
Temperature
Money trees are quite a growing plant. Try to get to a place where the temperature remains from 12°C to 24°C. Outdoor plants can survive with USDA zone 10-12. Humidity for this plant is a concerning issue. Avoid more hot air near the plants.
Fertilizers
Fertilize the plant on a regular schedule. Apply an apposite compost in the soil. Use plant food like potassium, magnesium in the soil. Use liquid plant food to varieties. Skip fertilizer in the winter season. Try to give fertilizer every month. Don’t over-fertilize the soil. This will result in the leaves scorching. Leaves may turn yellow.
Propagation of plants
Once you love this plant, you will go for propagation. And this is the easiest part to clone this plant. Take sharp shears to make a perfect section. Cut a base bough from the mother plant. Use growth hormone and put it into the hormone. Place the bough into the soil. Wrap the branch with plastic and tighten it to avoid air. Put the potted branch in the bright light. Keep it aside from the rush way.
Repotting and Pruning
Repotting is necessary when the roots are so deep in the soil. Use a big pot to plant these trees. Because they will have thick roots. Along with repotting, do pruning of the plants. Cut the bushier part of the plant to help them to grow. Prune the yellow leaves to make them beautiful. It’s not mandatory to prune it regularly. Cut the dead leaves.
Are They Toxic?
According to the ASPCA, umbrella plants are a bit toxic to pets and humans. It contains calcium oxalate crystal, which is poisonous. If humans eat the leaves, then it may cause vomiting, coordination failure, tingling of the mouth, and kidney failure may happen.
A Money plant is not toxic but can make your stomach upset if you ingest them. Sometimes you can feel vomiting ingesting the leaves. Try to keep the money plant in a high place. So that children and pets don’t get touched by it.
Tips for healthy plants
Everybody wants a healthy and bushy plant in their decorations. To get a happy money plant and umbrella plant you can –
- Add extra root hormones to be healthy.
- To control pests, spray liquid pesticides in dwarf variety.
- Spray on the leaves on a regular basis to avoid dust and to get moist soil.
FAQ
Do umbrella plants need to be misted?
Answer: Once in a while you can mist the leaves with warm water.
How can I make my plant leggy?
Answer: Prune the leaves from the base to get a leggy plant.
Are they the reason for cancer?
Answer: No, they are not the causes of cancer.
Final Verdict
Being a plant lover, you can keep both of the plants. They bloom tiny-sized flowers at a time. The flowers are eye-soothing. Umbrella plant flowers have a spicy and herbal scent. And money trees have yellowish-white flowers with a musty smell. Above all these, both are popular houseplants for beautiful indoors. Especially money trees which are twisted like braids. So don’t be confused about bringing it to your premises.
