I have a sheffelera that lives indoors under fluorescent lighting and when I first bought it (from a grocery store, about five months ago) it was doing fine...all kinds of new leaves and visibly growing. Now it seems to be a bit tired...should I be fertilizing it or feeding it something other than water?? I am trying to be careful not to over water, and I mist it regularly... any suggestions as to how to perk this fellow up a bit?? Can it enjoy some of our Canadian summer outdoors?? any input would be appreciated!! Thanks, Notoes
Of course you should fertilize - get a balanced (15-15-15) houseplant fert. and follow the label directions. Don't bother misting, but do use a humidity tray - get a big wide plastic drainage one made for large pots (Wal-Mart $1-2 at most), fill it with stones and water and put the pot on top, but make very sure the water's never high enough to touch the pot (or you'll end up with root rot thru wicking). Also, if you put it outside, do it only in the a.m. and late p.m. x 10 days to acclimate it, then only gradually at midday onwards, but you'll have to contend with wind, possibly ants, etc. and rain, and unless you can control all those, you might be better off just making sure it has good air circ., enough sun all day and more humidity (and food!).
Hi, I am constantly buying new plants from retailers. I have found, through experience and reading numerous articles and such, that retail suppliers have a tendency to over fertilize to produce larger foliage and more flowering depending on the plant. They also allow the plants to become root bound for more mature looks and such. It is always a good idea when shopping for a retail plant to gently grasp the plant and hold on to the pot and ease them away from each other. In most cases you will find that they are root bound. Which means you will need to repot it as soon as you can. Remember when bringing a new plant home that it may go into shock for a short while acclimating itself to the new environment. And in doing so may lose a few leaves. Also, since it was probably over fertilized to begin with, you may want to gently ween it down to a normal fertilizating routine. Good luck!
