Can you share a picture of two of your ideal money tree?
this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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Not two pictures but here is one.
I get that this has multiple in one pot. Will the short stubby trunk grow taller over time or do I need to do something to help it along? Maybe that's as tall as it will ever be.
I can't really see the trunk in the original photo in your post (the one with the purple light) but the trunk I can see in the forefront of the picture above will never grow taller than where it's been pruned.
Once you prune a "leader" (single, main branch/trunk) it will not grow taller, but it will split into branches going sideways (or some other direction.)
Once you prune a plant, it's like putting a dam in a stream. The water will find other ways to flow, but not where the dam has been placed.
I will get a better photo of the trunk. I'm sad it won't get any taller but good to know, thank you.
It definitely needs more light. Those blurple lights are more gimmicky than useful. You can see that by the internodial elongation.
Then, cut the longest stem to the height of the other ones, which is about the level of the white ball thing. Again, more light, or they will seek out more by themselves and grow very weak and thin.
Optionally, you can now bend the other ones down temporarily with a wire, called Low-Stress-Training, which will send out more side branches.
https://dutch-passion.blog/lst-cannabis-low-stress-training-for-better-yields/
Remove the very lowest ones, so it looks more like a "tree".
Do you have a recommendation for a better light? I figured this grow light would be good but I'll trust you when you say it's gimmicky.
I use Sansi grow lights. They fit into standard E27 bulbs, are very efficient and have a bright natural light.
Be aware, they can be really strong! Some houseplants don't tolerate much light and can even bleach out if too close to the bulb
Thnaks, I will check those out.
They don't make this exact model anymore, but this one is what I've been using since 2023. And whoa, Nelly, this thing is bright. Way too powerful for most plants. You can have multiple layers of plants in an ikea glass cabinet and they will all be happy....at 50% power. Maybe even 25%.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08CHCFCG1?psc=1
I also got four of these bad boys and some mini ones (don't bother with the latter) and some thermal epoxy to adhere it down. By default, it is dangerously hot. Glued them on each side of the controller. The heatsinks get extremely hot, but the controller gets down to a reasonable temperature compared to what it was before.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09L23TC6T?psc=1
It makes all of my cactuses, chiles, orchids, and other assorted tropicals flower throughout the year. (I run it at 50% with a Phillips Hue automatic plug timer)
Thank you for all the info. I will be upgrading the lights.
Is the light I have good for anything or just trash?
Oh, I think that light is still good. I used one like it for years, and only swapped to a different one when my roommate took it when we graduated uni. I got a different, cheaper light that crapped out a year later. Then I learned that spending over $150 gets you a light that won't burn out as quick from daily use.
I found an example of what I meant in my last comment. Plants usually have buds like the two examples below: alternating on either side of a trunk/branch, or two coming right out of the same "node" but directly opposite each other.
I can't really tell from the photos, but it looks like money trees possibly alternate. In either case, you can see in the diagram that once you make a cut, that particular branch won't get any longer but the new side-branches will.
Here is the source for that diagram: https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B949&title=basic-principles-of-pruning-woody-plants