Pachira aquatica is most often sold with braided trunks. Cultivation as bonsai is less well known. Since the lucky chestnut can be cut all year round, you can also grow it as a bonsai. An unusual form of bonsai is the type of cultivation in a lava stone that is common in Hawaii.
How do I grow a Pachira aquatica as a bonsai?
To grow a Pachira aquatica as a bonsai, cut the plant back in spring and shorten individual shoots. Care for them with loose, water-permeable substrate, water sparingly and fertilize every 14 days, except in the first year after repotting or in winter.
Lucky chestnuts tolerate pruning well
You can cut back a lucky chestnut at any time. If you want to grow it as a bonsai, cut it back more in the spring and only shorten individual shoots later. Use clean cutting tools to avoid transmitting pathogens.
If you have bought braided lucky chestnuts, you must first unbraid them and place them individually in pots. Otherwise, the Pachira aquatica will die quickly because the trunks remain very thin at the pressure points and pests can penetrate there.
You should immediately place freshly purchased plants in fresh substrate, which must be as loose and water-permeable as possible. Well suited are:
- potting soil
- Cactus soil
- Soil for potted plants
Care for Pachira aquatica as a bonsai
Lucky chestnuts as bonsai are easy to care for. Do not water too often, as Pachira aquatica does not tolerate waterlogging. You should only give water when the pot ball is almost dry. In winter, water sips at a time.
Spray the leaves occasionally with a little lime-free water, as lucky chestnuts appreciate higher humidity.
In the first year and after repotting, you must not fertilize the plant. Later, some liquid fertilizer for bonsai or green plants is given every fortnight. In winter the lucky chestnut is no longer fertilized.
Growing in lava stone
In Hawaii there is a special form of bonsai cultivation for lucky chestnuts. There the trees are placed in a lava stone. To do this, a hole about the size of a thumb is drilled into the stone.
The Pachira aquatica grows very slowly in the stone, so that it remains small for a long time and resembles a real bonsai.
Over time, the roots break through the stone, creating quite bizarre shapes.
Tip
When cutting Pachira aquatica, choose a time when the ambient temperature is sufficiently high. It should be around 20 degrees. After cutting, water the lucky chestnut thoroughly once.
