I just got a Pachira from Walmart and repotted it in a slightly bigger pot (well its a tin that I got a IKEA and drilled holes in the bottom). I have had it for a couple weeks and watered it once after repotting it. The soil is still moist and if you cant see in the pictures I have polished pebbles in the pot and in the tray. It was sitting outside on my front patio and It was getting more direct sunlight than I thought it would. Does this look like its burned from direct sunlight? Also for the pebble tray should the pot be sitting on top of pebbles or just have them around it with water in the tray to keep the humidity up? Thanks for any info you guys can share since Im a newb to house plants.
the pot should be sitting on top of the pebbles. other than that, i'm no help with this plant...i LOVE it, just can't successfully grow it!
I stay away from metal pots as metal cools and heats in extremes. I also don't like the idea of metal rusting or degrading. Not good. When decorating a plant or "landscaping it" with moss or pebbles/rocks, I always try to leave a good portion or at least a quarter of the soil exposed. The reason for this is easy monitoring of soil dryness or overwatered states. Every day I just take a quick glance in the morning and when I get home from work in the evenings to make sure each tree is drinking up as it should. If it's more moist than it usually is for extended periods, there's definitely a problem. If not soil moisture, sometimes there is issue with mold growth - as I had with my chinese elm. Having miscellaneous things concealing the very medium the plant grows in is something I've tried and disliked. In the case of my chinese elm however, I washed out the moldy area, and to avoid the same problem again, I planted moss. Half of the soil level is not covered by moss, for again, the reason of easy monitoring. Soil coverings are not bad all of the time, but it doesn't make sense to me to completely cover up one of the major factors in determining whether or not a plant is sick. Pachiras love humidity. Good job on the tray, but the pebbles as ^^ indicated, should be under the pot. Water level in the humidifier tray should not be touching the base of the pot at any time. Your plant could be sunburned. Careful when watering - don't let any water droplets splash on the foliage and let it stand in direct sunlight. It burns. Pachira is also notorious for crisping in too bright a light if not "eased" into its new environment properly especially if it was used to low to medium light levels most of its life.
I fixed the pebble tray issue. The pot is now on top of the pebbles. I just move a few of the pebbles around when I want to check the soil condition. I live in San Diego so we get some pretty bright sunshine. The plant is now inside where it will get lots of indirect light. Hopefully it will thrive indoors...I love my new spot for it.
