Hello, I have inherited a houseplant from a departing co-worker but neither of us have any idea of the plant name. Little help? It seems to be separate sprouts (with the trunks looking similar to bamboo) and groupings of large leaves at the ends of branches. I have been watering it weekly, but I would like to know what the recommended amount is. Thanks!
Great, thanks! Are there any suggestions regarding the extra sprout? Is the plant at its healthiest when the leaves are dark green, or if they are streaked with yellow?
As you can tell, I am very new at plant care. What is the best way for me to prune this tree for maximum greenery? I was looking around online, and it seems that this type of tree will only grow leaves above a cut. Would you suggest a dramatic cut, or leave the bottoms bare? Thanks for the quick feedback!
The schefflera will only maintain leaf structure near the growing ends of each trunk. It is normal for example, for a 20 foot high plant to have (maybe) four feet of leaf stems toward the top of the trunk. In the case of your plant(s), cutting off a stem will give you from 1 to 4 new stems growing from the terminal end. The actinophylla (which you have) makes into a 20 - 25 foot tree with multiple trunks. Cherish and care for your little guy, but if you want more greenery, you might look into the schefflera arboricola, which is the 'dwarf' schefflera.
i wouldn't do any trimming at all!! it's lovely as it is and it's not so big to be unwieldy. when it's getting to the point where the ceiling is going to inhibit it's growth would be the time to top it off!
Or, to add to joclyn's statement, cut off 50% of the tallest stem now. Six months from now, cut off the next tallest stem. Mark the dates well, so you don't forget. Six months after the second stem cut, cut off the third (50% for all three stems). Each stem will pop new stems- - as many as possibly 4 on each of the 3 stems you will cut off. On the 'cut-offs', remove all of the mature leaf stems and, having let the cut off stems dry for several hours, pot them to start new plants.
I feel silly for asking, but by 'stem', to which part are you referring? I have been referring to them as the three trunks, then the branches that break off into the compound leaf bunches. By cutting the stems, do you mean the part of the tree that I have been calling the trunk? If so, does it need to happen at a certain point? I don't believe I have the right shears for that, but I will look into it. I was also reading that these plants do not need to be re-potted. Is this true? I am told that it has been years since this plant was really taken care of. There is only artificial light available, so it is doing better than I expected. Thanks again for all of the feedback!
Yes, the 'stem' would be the trunk. This from it being the principal and only permanent part of the plant. You may cut it at whatever height you would like the new growth to start. A saw will work if you don't have access to a large pruning shear. Also, think about it. If you are displacing chemicals from the soil and using them to create a living plant, at some point, since you have a 'finite' pot size, the pot will fill with roots and start to strangle and kill the plant, and, the soil in the pot will lose all of its' nutritive value without fertilizer being added. A telephone call to your local county extension office will get you to their Master Gardeners and any plant info you could possibly want or need.
chuck's idea is a sound one!! not only will you be keeping them from getting too tall and unwieldy for an indoor environment, you will be gaining new plants. the staggered timeframe is also good - it gives the plants more time to grow before being topped off and if there's any problems, you wouldn't lose all of them. as for repotting - this plant doesn't need it too often. most things should be repotted every couple of years. the sheff's can go for about 4 as long as the roots haven't completely taken over the container that is. i wouldn't let them go much more than 5 years because, as chuck said, the soil will become wasted of nutrients after that amount of time (even if you fertilize - the salts can build up over that amount of time and that can be detrimental). even if you want to keep it in the same container, at least pull it out and refill with fresh soil. sheff's actually do very, very well with minimal care. they definitely don't like to be overwatered, that's for sure! good luck with it!! and, please!! post some pics after you've started topping it off!! i'd love to see the results on the originial trunks as well as how the new plants look! if you're thinking of repotting, i'd do that first and let the plant get well-situated in the new home before doing any trimming of the trunks (or stems, as you've been calling them). let it go in the new pot for about six months and then top off the tallest one.
I will definitely take your advice, thanks again! The MA weather is too cold right now to take the pot outside, and I'm pretty sure the cleaning crew would be unimpressed if I re-potted in here! I'm assuming that I should wait until spring until I re-pot, then wait the additional 6 months before topping off the tallest trunk. I would say that this plant has not been re-pot in at least 10 years... it's about time! It just started growing another trunk, so I hope that means that I'm doing something right! :)
