Help Save This Schefflera!!
8 years ago
I haven't any idea what is wrong with this plant, it looks horrible. I thought it needed water because the leaves were very sad, but it is staying very moist. Any ideas of how I can revive it? Any help would be most appreciative.
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Hawaiian Schefflera is in desparate need of help
Comments (4)If the difference in the available light is considerable (less light where it was), that's probably a contributor, if not the sole reason for leaf loss. This tree tolerates very dry conditions well, so water only when the soil is dry at the drain hole. Leaf loss could be from overwatering - judging by what you offered - or accumulating salts in the soil from watering in sips or over-fertilizing. It's hard to say. Remedial: I would unpot the tree & look at the roots. If any are black & mushy - it's indication you're over-watering. Trim the offensive roots back to viable tissue & repot. If the roots are healthy, flush the soil thoroughly and repeatedly to remove salts. Fertilize with 1/2 strength of something like MG 24-8-16 or 12-4-8. Foliage-Pro by Dyna-Gro would be excellent because it has all the secondary macronutrients along with a full compliment of the micronutrients. It's also possible your tree has an insect problem, so inspect carefully - especially for scale. Bio-pathogens are also a possible problem. A safe treatment for both insect infestation and fungal problems are applications of cold-pressed neem oil at 2 week intervals. Questions? Al...See MoreLarge schefflera sp. (?) ID and help please
Comments (12)It's not getting enough light, so there are lots of chops in the plant's future. I'd just chop it back to wherever you like & wait for it to back-bud, which it will. Figure out the soil/drain thing and whether the salts in the soil have somewhere to go (like into the ground). You'll need to fertilize with something other than kelp extract, too. I suggest Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 for many reasons, but importantly, it helps keep plants more compact (less rangy) due to the fact it doesn't get it's N from urea. That's a major consideration in poor light conditions. Al...See MoreCan this schefflera be saved?
Comments (9)You're welcome. If you water correctly on an as needed basis and not on a schedule, along with placing it in a south facing window, I think the schefflera will be ok. You should do a full repot in June (remove from pot, remove ALL soil from around the root mass, trim problematic roots and repot into a fresh medium. **keep the roots moist when it's out of the soil** I'd also recommend putting it outside for the summer (when nighttime temps stay above 55°). Put it in a location that receives ambient light from the sky but no direct sun (sun through a window is not direct like outdoors, so don't worry it's fine in a south facing window). You can slowly acclimate it to direct sun at that point if you wish to see even further more robust growth....See MoreSchefflera suddenly dying - help!
Comments (11)Hi Dave, Thank for this. I did the second option with re-potting, though I lightly pulled apart the roots and removed excess soil, then added new mix at the bottom and then filled in around the three plants as I went up. I don't exactly follow why this would be the cause? Are schefflera very sensitive to re-potting? I definitely haven't overwatered. I examined the plant and its roots yesterday and the soil is very dry. Fungus gnats are a constant problem in the Netherlands and I have some ferns also in the house that prefer to stay moist so it is a challenge to get rid of the gnats entirely. As to the sand, I'm surprised to hear this, though maybe I've been doing things wrong for a long time. Strangely in the Netherlands bagged potting soil doesn't contain vermiculite or other materials to lighten it, so I have generally amended with sand to improve drainage, and also placed clay balls in a two inch layer at the bottom of pots to help with drainage. Anyway, please let me know what you would advise now? Thanks! Oh, also, the plant was repotted two weeks ago, but only starting going down hill maybe a week ago, though I guess it could be that the first lesion started sooner and I didn't notice it....See More- 8 years ago
8 years ago
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