I got this tree from my Grandmother's house in September when she passed away. I wish I could say it is thriving in memory of her, unfortunately I don't seem to be doing to well with it. I need to find out what kind of tree it is, how to take care of it and what I am doing wrong. When I got it, most of the leaves were very strong and stood out in a circle the way they are supposed to. Now, they are all droopy, dying off one by one and I have had little to no new growth in 6 months. It stands in a large window and gets sun most of the day (however I am in Michigan, the sun just started to return to us after a nasty winter). I thought maybe the old soil it was in had no nutrients left, so I repotted it 2 weeks ago in MiracleGro soil for indoor plants, but it hasn't started to show any improvement yet. I water it to keep the soil moist, once or twice a week. I have also tried giving it much more water to see if I was under watering, but that did not help either. I thought maybe I should put it outside soon with our warmer weather to get more sun and rain water. Would that be a good idea? Thanks!
It looks like a Schefflera plant, to me. Are there drainage holes in this pot? Maybe it is getting overwatered, but these plants love water, in my experience Ed
don't go overboard with watering it if you've just repotted it. it will need some time to get re-situated. i've heard varying comments about lots of water vs neglect it. i've not had success with any of the varieties and i really love the look of it - i've about given up on it though. tried more watering and that did nothing. i did have a bit of success with the miniature one which i watered about once a month. the cat decided it was a toy and that was that.
Ed's right, It looks to be a schefflera actinophylla. Also known as an umbrella tree/octopus tree maybe a few others... I had this same one thinking it was really easy because my sister has had one for years and she kills everything! Like Joclyn, I have not had success with it, I think it was the nursery soil and not my own that did it in.
Yes the pot does have drainage holes. I checked out photos of the Schefflera, it might be it. The leaves match, but mine is much taller (about 5 feet tall) without any leaves from the bottom to about 3 1/2 feet up. All the ones I saw with the same leaves seem to be more plant and less tree like.
I think I may have to move it to my father's makeshift greenhouse in the basement where he keeps his orchids and potted palm trees all winter. Hopefully the faux tropical environment will help it.
schefflera actinophylla - yes, that is it. I found some photos that look more tree like to match mine. Easy part done (found out what it is), now the hard part...saving my poor tree! Any more advice for the beginner would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
no question is ever silly; nor should any question ever be laughed at!! how would any of us learn anything if we didn't ask 'how' when we don't know?! just cut the stem that all the leaves are growing from. i would only do one or two at the moment and they should be the uppermost and whatever is in the centermost area.
I will try to remember to do it on the long weekend we have over here for ANZAC day. I actually have 2 but I am going to chop both of them down, as they are renowned for their roots "tapping" (pun intended ; ) into water pipes : ( I DON'T want to be digging up my beautiful garden to replace pipes : (
OK here is a couple of photos of mine. It is actually growing through this other bush. These photos were takn from from the second storey of our house, as a reference.
Ed, Thanks for the photos. It looks so nice and tropically! That Scheff is nice and it sure tall! Is the second photo of a banana? BOP? (Bird of Paradise)
really nice, ed!!! it's a shame you have to take them down. here, they'd have to be kept in pots - so we'd rarely be able to see them in all their glory. some areas of the country could put them in the ground, so, knowing that they'll damage water pipes is good info to have - i wasn't aware that they would do that!
Thanks everyone for your help with my tree. I'm happy to report that no more leaves have turned yellow and fallen off, I have 2 new clusters of leaves just about to full size and 2 new tiny little buds just popping out. I think it was just longing and waiting for the Michigan sun to finally come out after a long winter (much like it's owner).
