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Ask a Gardening QuestionGardening Questions & Answers: Plant ProblemsMonkey Puzzle advice please!

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Monkey Puzzle advice please!

#1 · 15th September 2025, 11:25 pm

Hi there,

I bought 2 small money puzzle trees during lock down and they have, obviously, grown quite well ( i think). At times however some of the leaves turn brown (mostly at the tips).

Looking for some help here please as follows:

Is there anything special (tlc!?) I should be doing to help them develop?

(When) Should I be moving them to a bigger pot or into the ground?

What might be causing the brown areas?

Thanks in advance and photos attached.

Take care

Graeme

Uploaded files:

#2 · 16th September 2025, 2:51 pm

Hi @graemesutherland75gmail-com

Thanks for your question. Please see the main post on this issue with monkey puzzles here. https://staging.gardenninja.co.uk/forum/topic/monkey-puzzle-tree/

In answer to your questions, they look perfectly healthy, and the browning is a natural result of shredding. What I would advise though is that you put them in much bigger containers before they run out of food and soil to support them. Make sure you wear thick gloves like the ones here, though!

All the best

Lee Garden Ninja

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Lee Burkhill

Lee Burkhill, known as the Garden Ninja, is an award-winning garden designer and horticulturist with over 30 years of gardening experience and 15 years as a professional garden designer. A qualified RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) professional, Lee specialises in sustainable garden design and practical horticultural advice. He designs and presents on BBC1’s Garden Rescue and in leading gardening publications. Lee combines three decades of hands-on gardening knowledge with professional design qualifications to help gardeners create beautiful, functional outdoor spaces.

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