Danny, here are some answers to your questions: Are they not healthy? The one of the left looks fine. The one on the right looks like it could use more light. Is it normal to have short roots? At this time, roots are barely used, may desiccate, and die off somewhat. Given proper soil, light, and time, they should re-establish as per normal. How often should they be watered? Do not water it at all until the outer leaves have completely dried up.

Could be too soaked. The only other off the wall idea I have you won't see unless it gets dug up. In my case it's everything except the most vigorous that comes from weeks. It's a plug fabric thing that the cuttings come in. I have had it happen on several roses. Solero was the first. Each year of 3 years it looked worse until I suddenly decided to give a pull by hand. The whole rose pulled out of the ground. The soils in Texas are vastly different from ours. I forgot to take it out of the soil it came in and the roots never grew out of it. My fault but here is the result. Here is all the roots that I had What I have to do is make sure I remove almost all of the soil they come in. This is true of several nurseries I order from. It is replanted now free of the soil and fabric wrap that does not break down here. Will update next year when I see how it does in my soil. Not saying it is your problem just adding a possibility.

Re watering intervals: whether or not you should, shouldn't, or can with impunity water on a schedule depends on the physical properties of the planting medium you use. Because of the media I use, I can/do water EVERYTHING I grow on a very regular schedule, and I have no trouble keeping plants in a high state of vitality. That said, and based on the appearance of the medium you're using, you would be much better served to water on an as-needed needed basis rather than on a schedule, this, because the soil is too water-retentive to water any other way. The green stems of schefflera turn brown as the outermost layer of living periderm dies to form the first layer of corky material we call bark, so the 'browning' stem might be a natural part of the plant's morphology. Too, the spots or specks on stems and branches could be lenticels another normal part of of morphology. There's no way to tell w/o better images, but I can see lenticels and areas where green periderm is turning corky. So, I suggest you start using a 'tell' to 'tell' you when it's time to water (more about a 'tell' below). You can also learn to tell (for now, while the plant is still small) if the planting needs water by hefting it. It will become MUCH lighter when dry then it is immediately after watering. You decide between hefting and using a tell after you read what's below about the 'tell'. If you do this when you water, you can eliminate about 100% of the potential to over-water: When you water, make sure the entire volume of the medium moistened. After the pot has stopped draining, hold it over the sink or a tub and move it up and down. You'll immediately see that on the reversal from downward movement to upward movement, a measure of water will exit the drain hole. The sharper the reversal from down to up, the more water exits, though the amount diminishes as excess water continues to be forced from the soil thanks to the harnessing Newton's first law of motion. This works exceptionally well for all plantings light enough to be manageable, and there are other 'tricks' that utilize simple science that can help with larger plantings. Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Al

First, lift up the pot. If it is light, then it has little to no water. Soak it in a five gallon bucket in water to the top of the pot. When potting soil dries out it is very hard to get it wet again. After about an hour lift the pot out and see if it is heavy. If it is then you know that the pot has taken in water. You do this only when the potting mix has nearly completely dried out. The pot looks too small for the plant. When that happens the roots will be crowded and the mix will become dry, needing watering 2 or more times a day. That size pepper should be in a five gallon pot. The easiest way to tell when the plant needs water is to pick it up and see how heavy it is. When you know the pot is full of moisture lift it up see how heavy it is. Then, when you check for moisture, just pick it up again. If it is significantly lighter, then it needs to be watered.