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My Schefflera cutting is not growing.

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

My sister gave me two cuttings she'd grown from her Schefflera plant in June and said that hers always grows like crazy. In all of this time, the cuttings have grown no new leaves and don't seem much longer than when I first put them in soil. Their pots seem large enough and their color looks healthy. Lately, the one plant's leaves have started curling a bit, but still are a healthy color. When spring came, I changed the soil in their pots to Miracle-Gro potting soil, so they should be well-aerated. At the time, I noticed that their roots had grown even though the rest of them have not. My cat did attempt to murder them back in October, but they hadn't actually shown any signs of growth before then either. Why would a plant be growing its roots but not its leaves?

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Comments (9)

Dave
7 years ago
How much light are you giving it? These are naturally full sun loving plants.

Low light would equal very little growth.

Id get it out of the MG soil. I grow mine in the 5:1:1 mix (5 parts pine bark fines, 1 part peat, 1 part perlite w/some dolomite lime) and they grow like weeds.

Photos would also help.
Danielle N
7 years ago
Hello, 5:1:1 is great but I have also had good luck with 75% cactus mix to 25% perlite. This will help the roots breath. They like bright light and for the top of the soil to dry between watering.
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gobluedjm, Thanks for the tip regarding cuttings. Yeah it's definitely hot outside these days (I'm in the IE area of So Cal). I can probably wait a bit until it cools down a bit, but was hoping to take advantage of the growing season. I was also looking at maybe dividing the plant. I looked at the base of the plant and found lots of different stems emerging from the soil. Do you think I can divide the plant in 1/2? It's pretty much rootbound since I haven't done anything to the plant in years other than let it do its thing and grow. Any suggestions? thanks, lali
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From what I've seen (never done it myself), you should be able to root larger cuttings (truncheons) of this plant as easily, or maybe more-so, as smaller cuttings. If there is significant new growth at the tips, you may have to prune back to firmer wood. A moisture tent and rooting hormone should improve your odds.
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I had a similar situation to you - I tried to propagate a schefflera I received from a funeral - and foolishly took just a cutting off a petiole before I understand the biology of the plant enough to realize that it was a petiole and not a "branch". It looks like I might have taken mine a month or two after yours. It took a very long time to see much happening below, but given that the leaves weren't withering and looked healthy I hadn't given up -- and as of this morning I looked at the bottom of the plastic dixie cup I stuck it in to root and was surprised to finally see the tail ends of some roots poking around. So I believe the petiole CAN root, if you're lucky - I just have no idea what that means for the plant after it establishes a root base. I'm pretty sure the petiole/leaf structure at the top is not going to do much else, so my hope is that the roots eventually send up a new trunk/stem along side it. Time will tell. Hopefully by now you've determined if you have similar luck with your petioles.
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gardenfanatic2003
7 years ago
If the cutting was from the middle of the branch rather than the end, my experience has been that they will root but not grow.
Dave
7 years ago
Also, hopfually theee are actual stem cuttings and not just the leaf petiole.

Op, do you have a pic?
Courtney Boyd
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you for all of your comments and advice and I'll try them out once my sister gives me another cutting! Sadly, this morning my cat broke into the closet where I had put them overnight (we had a downpour here and I didn't want the plants to drown) and bit the leaf cluster off the one remaining, so I think they're done for until I can get a new cutting . . .
goldstar135
6 years ago
As long as the stem is green it should have a chance to come back.
Courtney Boyd
Original Author
6 years ago
Well, I actually have a second cutting that he bit the leaf cluster off eight months ago. Nice green stem even now, but it doesn't appear to have grown much since then . . .
Dave
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Again,

photos would help us get a better idea.
Courtney Boyd
Original Author
6 years ago
I don't think there's anything to see anymore . . . but I appreciate everyone's help.

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