Hi everyone, a friend inherited a money tree and has been trying to identify what could be the cause for some of the browning and spotting on the leaves. Picture 4 also shows there a little bit of a sap bubble under some of the leaves. There have been no signs of bugs or pests on the leaves or in the soil. There was neem oil applied a month or two ago, and it was then kept out of direct sunlight after the application to avoid burning.

From what I could find, it looks like oedema which is a physiological response to excess water in the soil and air. Try to water it less often but more thoroughly. A good soaking when you water and then let dry before watering again. Remove the damaged leaves so you know if it's continuing or not. Brighter light helps too. The more vigorously it's growing, the fewer issues it has.

To bring new life to your friends plant, I would cut off the stems just under the leaves or even lower. You'll be left with a pot of sticks, but be patient, and new leaves will appear. The sap you see is common with this plant, not a sign of pests.

The clear droplets are xylem sap which consists primarily of water which contains potassium and sugars as the main solutes. It's evidence of a process called 'guttation', something all plants are capable of but is more common in some plants than others.

* To me, the leaves look like you're over-watering and there is a high level of dissolved solids in the soil (from tapwater and fertilizer solutions). Do you fertilize? What product? How often? When last? What are the product's NPK %s? Does your home have an ionic exchange water softening system (needs to be refilled with salt from time to time)? When you water, does the excess water go into a collection saucer so it can eventually be reabsorbed by the plant?

I wouldn't cut the plant back now or remove the leaves. Leaves are each an individual food factory where the plant's true food is produced. Chemical messengers within the plant 'inform' the plant when there are leaves unable to pull their weight, which signals the plant to start the process of shedding leaves that are not net producers of energy. Cutting the plant back or removing leaves at this point will slow growth, limit the plant's ability to defend itself, and increase the time it takes to get the plant back on track, and likely exacerbate the issue that caused the spoiled foliage in the first place - too much water/not enough air in the grow medium.

Too, the first phase of the shedding process is resorption, during which the plant reclaims from the leaf about to be shed, mobile nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium) and other useful biocompounds the plant is capable of moving within the plant; so, removing the leaves or cutting the stems back denies the plant the opportunity to reclaim valued resources from the leaves.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven ..." and now is not a good time to do any hard pruning or defoliating. Houseplants not grown under artificial light are at their weakest point in the growth cycle in early spring. Most or all energy reserves are depleted and the plants current ability to make food is still low. Heavy work like hard pruning, significant defoliation, and repotting are best done when energy reserves are high and the ability to make food (photosynthesis) is peaking. That occurs in mid-late June at the summer solstice; so, if you're going to be doing any heavy work, that is the best time to do it because the plant will recover fastest and it will be less vulnerable to insects and disease pathogens.

At least one of the keys to resolution is to get you to the point where you are watering correctly and the intervals between waterings are appropriate. If you have interest in discussing watering and intervals, answering the questions a few paragraphs above (marked with *) would make the conversation more meaningful.

Al