The best soil for a money tree will provide the proper environment for a healthy money tree root system. Choosing the best soil for a money tree will also keep your money tree healthy and disease-free by supplying adequate nutrition for a money tree’s growth and development.
If you’re in a rush and you just want to know our top pick we recommend Fox Farm Organic Potting Soil Mix (Buy Online).
Otherwise, keep reading this article if you want to know more about how to mix your own money tree potting-soil, and also for money tree repotting instructions.
Best Soil for Money Tree
Money Tree Soil Requirements
Money Trees need loose rich soil to thrive since they come from areas in South America and Mexico that have fertile yet sandy soil. They also prefer to grow in slightly acidic soil that facilitates better nutrient transport and absorption.
A peat-moss or sphagnum-moss based soil will usually work best since moss is naturally acidic. You can also use a coconut fiber-based soil if you prefer to avoid using a peat-moss based soil for sustainability reasons.
The best soil for a money tree should have some plant nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The soil should also contain a good amount of organic carbon since money trees don’t like to grow in depleted soil.
Look for a soil that contains at least one source of organic fertilizer like bat guano, aged manure, compost, or worm castings. These ingredients will help support healthy growth when used in conjunction with a good money tree fertilizer
It’s also important to remember that money trees don’t do well in waterlogged soil, so it’s vital that you plant a money tree in loose friable soil. You can ensure the soil for a money tree drains well by adding Perlite, or Horticultural Charcoal (Buy Online).
Best Soil for Money Tree
Fox Farm Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil Mix Indoor Outdoor Garden Plants
Fox Farm Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil Mix (Buy Online) is the best soil for a money tree and other heavy feeding houseplants. This soil mix contains a beneficial mix of microbes and mycorrhizal fungi that will promote the development of a strong money tree root system.
The mycorrhizal fungi in this potting-soil will form a symbiotic relationship with the money tree root system. This beneficial symbiosis improves nutrient absorption, and it can also help protect against fungal pathogens like the Phytophthora water mold, which is the leading cause of root rot.
Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil Mix has been pH adjusted to promote optimal nutrient absorption. And it also has a light texture and good drainage, which is essential for money trees since they don’t like growing in waterlogged soil.
Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil Mix also contains a good amount of nutrients to get your money tree off to a good start since it contains a healthy amount of bat guano and worm castings.
Sun Gro SUGRBG2 13020402 Black Gold Natural and Organic Soil
Sun Gro Black Gold Organic Soil (Buy Online) is an all-natural rich loamy potting soil. This is a sphagnum-moss based soil and it contains a good amount of perlite to ensure the soil has excellent drainage.
Sun Gro Black Gold Natural and Organic Soil also contains a good amount of organic worm castings that will provide your money tree with a small amount of nitrogen along with growth-enhancing micronutrients and trace elements.
Compressed Organic Potting-Soil for Garden & Plants
Compressed Organic Potting-Soil (Buy Online) is a great way to get a large volume of potting-soil in a small package. This potting-soil mix comes packed in a compressed form that will grow to 7 times its size when you add water.
This compressed soil is great if you don’t want to get a large heavy bag of potting soil, but you still need to fill a large pot.
It also contains a special blend of coconut coir and worm castings that hold up to 50% more water than regular potting-soil
This compressed potting-soil mix also contains a blend of trace minerals and beneficial bacteria that will feed and protect a money tree’s root system. It also has an excellent texture that drains well since it’s primarily made up of coco coir.
PittMoss Plentiful Organic Potting Mix
PittMoss Plentiful Organic Potting Mix (Buy Online) is an excellent peat moss replacement that can be added to any type of soil. It’s made from organic recycled cellulose fiber with some additional compost and trace minerals.
This sustainable OMRI Certified organic potting mix will help speed up growth when it’s added to regular potting-soil. It does this by enhancing soil aeration, while at the same time it will improve water retention. It also won’t compress over time, and it will naturally break down and release nutrients along with organic carbon into the soil.
How To Make Your Own Money Tree Soil Mix
If you want to make your own money tree potting-soil mix you can get everything you need at your local garden store, or you can buy all the ingredients online,
Then you can blend the ingredients yourself so you can have more control over the composition and quality of the soil.
Here is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make the best soil for a money tree:
Coco Coir
Coco Coir (Buy Online) has excellent drainage and it also holds a good amount of water. It’s also certified organic, and it’s neutral so it won’t affect the pH of your soil.
Horticultural Charcoal
Horticultural Charcoal (Buy Online) will help improve the drainage of your soil mix, and it also absorbs nutrients that it will slowly release back into the soil.
Charcoal can also act as a carbon source for a wide range of biological processes, and its porous surface will serve as a home for a wide range of beneficial microorganisms.
Organic Compost
Scent Free Organic Compost (Buy Online) will provide a base of nutrients to get your money tree plant off to a good start. Compost will enrich the soil with organic carbon, and it will also improve the texture and water retention capacity of the soil.
Money Tree Soil Mix:
3/4 Coco Coir
1/8 Horticultural Charcoal
1/8 Compost
or
½ Coco Coir
1/4 Perlite
¼ Compost
Money Tree Repotting
Money trees are hardy plants that don’t need a lot of care, but they will need to be repotted every 2 to 3 years. This will prevent the money tree root system from becoming root bound, which in a worst-case scenario can lead to a money tree plant dying.
How To Repot an Overgrown Money Tree
If you have an overgrown money tree with a root system that’s outgrowing its current pot then you’ll need to transplant your money tree into a larger pot so it can keep growing.
Here are some simple steps you can follow if you need help repotting your money tree:
Step 1
Make sure you water your money tree first, and then let the soil drain for at least an hour before you start the repotting process.
Step 2
Next, you’ll want to add a layer of potting soil to the base of the new pot.
You can use a commercial mix like Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil (Buy Online), or you can use your own homemade potting-soil mix.
If you want to improve the drainage at the base of the pot you can add some extra perlite to the potting soil.
Step 3
You want to make sure you have enough soil in the new pot so that the root ball sits about 1-inch below the rim of the new pot.
You don’t want to cover the root crown with soil, so you wan to make sure that all the new soil is either beneath or around the root ball
Step 4
Now you can gently remove the plant from the old pot. You’ll want to hold the pot with one hand, and then carefully loosen the soil around the perimeter of the pot.
Then pull the money tree up from the base of the trunk and carefully guide the roots out of the pot.
Step 5
Gently place the root ball into the new pot and fill up any empty space around the roots with potting soil.
Make sure you align the money trees root system in the center of the new pot
Then lightly tamp down the soil so it supports the plant, but don’t overly compress the soil.
Step 6
Now you can lightly water the money tree plant, and let the potting soil settle.
If there is a significant amount of settling you might need to add more soil around the root ball.
You might also need to lift the plant out of the pot again and add more soil under the root ball if the plant isn’t sitting high enough.
Step 7
Now you’re done and you can return your money tree plant back to its normal location, and you can continue with your regular money tree care routine as soon as the plant starts to get used to its new pot.
