How do i grow leaves at the bottom of plant. Can I cut the plant down and start over? If so where do I do that. The Sheffler plant is that a form of umbrella plant. It is actually a 5 ft. tree. It needs to be fuller so is cutting it back ok? thanks Bonnie
You can cut it back, but won't necessarily get anything low down. It depends on the type of plant and a few other things we can't control. Is it getting lots of light all day, because that would help keep it compact if nothing else.
You can try cutting some offthe top ad rooting them and then planting them in the bottom of the same pot to make it look more full. If not you cna cut the plant back hard but i would wait untill the spring and after you do so place it outside in a semi-shade area once there is no more frost.
It is the nature of the plant to lose the lower leaves. Thus the name 'umbrella tree'. For indoor use , for just the foliage, you can cut a stem at a time. Over a period of months, the stub will grow from one to three new stems and then you cut the next stem, and so on.