Not sure if this is the right forum, but I'm in desperate need of some help! I have a sheffelera, the variegated kind. The leaves are green and cream.
After having it for 2 months, the 'branches' began to turn black and the stalks of leaves were falling off. I almost NEVER watered this plant because the first one I had got root rot and died. Anyways, at this point, I've cut off all the affected branches, repotted it in a much larger container, and moved it to a different spot in the house. This has not solved anything.
More branches are turning black and squishy, and even good-looking, nice green stalks of leaves are dropping off. I have no clue what to do here, and it's my second $60 plant that's about to die. Help??
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vintagejuls
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 429
- Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:12 am
- Location: Southern California / USDA Zone 10
So sorry to hear about your scheffelara plant dilemma. 
First, overwatering is generally the main reason a houseplant will die but it sounds as though in this case you may have gone in the opposite direction. It's difficult to diagnose your situation and what you should do without seeing a picture of your plant.
When repotting a plant into another container, the new pot should be only 1 size larger than the plant your are moving it from. What was the condition of the roots when you repotted? Rootbound? Dirt soggy or dry? Loose or compact soil? Depending upon your answer, it may be best to repot it again... not sure
Also, Schefferlaras prefer bright light but not direct sun (even if indoors); so it needs to be in a room with alot of windows but out of the way of sun rays. Yes, precarious situation... I know.
So, look forward to hearing back from you. Picture would be even better
and hopefully I can help you bring your plant back to life. 
First, overwatering is generally the main reason a houseplant will die but it sounds as though in this case you may have gone in the opposite direction. It's difficult to diagnose your situation and what you should do without seeing a picture of your plant.
When repotting a plant into another container, the new pot should be only 1 size larger than the plant your are moving it from. What was the condition of the roots when you repotted? Rootbound? Dirt soggy or dry? Loose or compact soil? Depending upon your answer, it may be best to repot it again... not sure
Also, Schefferlaras prefer bright light but not direct sun (even if indoors); so it needs to be in a room with alot of windows but out of the way of sun rays. Yes, precarious situation... I know.
So, look forward to hearing back from you. Picture would be even better
and hopefully I can help you bring your plant back to life. Hi! Ok, I'll try to get a picture. Not sure what 'rootbound' means, but the soil was PACKED onto the roots when we re-potted it. It was not wet, just packed hard. The leaves don't look wrinkly, so it doesn't seem under-watered, I can't really come up with an explanation. When the branches turn black, they are squishy too. That seems like root rot, right? But I don't know how that's possible if it has almost no water. It is in a corner, opposite and adjacent to windows, so doesn't get direct sunlight. Really it seems like perfect sunlight conditions.....so I don't think that could be a problem.
Kate
Kate
Hey Kate, welcome to the forum!
A word of warning---this is long, and most folks will probably not want to read it...BUT I've got some experience with Scheffleras, and I've also had similar issues to those which you've described. The following recommendations have been working with my plants, so I think they're worth looking into...
Your description of the symptoms sure does make it sound to me like root-rot. But even if it isn't, I still have a strong suspicion that the problems with your Schefflera are directly related to the way the plant is potted.
If I were you, I would attempt to remedy the situation as follows:
-unpot it, and carefully 'tease' out the roots (so that they aren't compacted into a tangled mess)
-be sure to remove all that packed-on soil you mentioned
(running under room-temperature water will probably be necessary for this step)
-trim off any dead/dying roots (they will be dark and mushy)
-repot it into a terra cotta pot which is just large enough to accommodate the root mass (this could likely involve significant downsizing from the larger pot you've currently got it in)
Your goal at this point will be to find a growing medium which will allow for better drainage. Here's how I prepare the pots for my Schefflera arboricola plants:
-secure a screen/mesh material over drainhole
-cover with half-inch layer of pea gravel
-add a roughly 1:1:1 mixture of perlite, vermiculite, and Miracle-Gro 'Cactus, Citrus, & Palm' potting soil
-place the plant into the new mixture and cover it (be sure to fill in any gaps under/amongst the roots) with the 'Cactus, Citrus, & Palm' potting soil
***Important: do NOT let the roots go completely dry at any time throughout this process!***
Thoroughly water the plant over the sink and allow water to drain out the drainhole(s). Soil level will sink a bit, so level it off with some more of the potting soil. Position the plant so it gets lots of light, and wait until the soil just about dries out completely before your next watering. Don't fertilize until you see signs of new growth (preferrably in the form of new branches/stems and leaflets).
Others may have a different recommendation, but this is the method I've used on a group of Scheffleras I've chosen and prepared for bonsai, and it seems to be working out quite well---even after doing a severe separation/root-pruning of adult plants, not to mention significant branch/leaf trimming and repotting. A couple weeks have passed since I did this with the first batch, and I'm getting several new growth points. Plants seem to be responding well...even in spite of all the major upheavals they've been through.
Just in case anyone's curious...
Terra cotta pot allows the pot to 'breathe' (which helps with moisture regulation---in contrast to a plastic or glazed pot in which moisture has a much more difficult time escaping).
Perlite helps the soil mixture to breathe by helping to prevent the soil and roots from getting compacted and water-logged.
Vermiculite helps with the retention of moisture in a media which discourages water-logging of the soil (I.e. drowning/rotting of the roots).
'Cactus, Citrus, & Palm' mix provides organics and allows for decent (yet not overwhelming) water-retention---particularly when used in a mix with the other components I mentioned.
The goal in all this is to allow the plant to get the water it needs without having the soil retain too much moisture (which leads to root-rot). And don't forget... The components of this mix are important AND the pot-size is also important. I personally believe (and my experiences have taught me) that too large a pot is much worse than one which might 'seem' a bit on the small side.
Sorry for such a long-winded message.
BV
A word of warning---this is long, and most folks will probably not want to read it...BUT I've got some experience with Scheffleras, and I've also had similar issues to those which you've described. The following recommendations have been working with my plants, so I think they're worth looking into...
Your description of the symptoms sure does make it sound to me like root-rot. But even if it isn't, I still have a strong suspicion that the problems with your Schefflera are directly related to the way the plant is potted.
If I were you, I would attempt to remedy the situation as follows:
-unpot it, and carefully 'tease' out the roots (so that they aren't compacted into a tangled mess)
-be sure to remove all that packed-on soil you mentioned
(running under room-temperature water will probably be necessary for this step)
-trim off any dead/dying roots (they will be dark and mushy)
-repot it into a terra cotta pot which is just large enough to accommodate the root mass (this could likely involve significant downsizing from the larger pot you've currently got it in)
Your goal at this point will be to find a growing medium which will allow for better drainage. Here's how I prepare the pots for my Schefflera arboricola plants:
-secure a screen/mesh material over drainhole
-cover with half-inch layer of pea gravel
-add a roughly 1:1:1 mixture of perlite, vermiculite, and Miracle-Gro 'Cactus, Citrus, & Palm' potting soil
-place the plant into the new mixture and cover it (be sure to fill in any gaps under/amongst the roots) with the 'Cactus, Citrus, & Palm' potting soil
***Important: do NOT let the roots go completely dry at any time throughout this process!***
Thoroughly water the plant over the sink and allow water to drain out the drainhole(s). Soil level will sink a bit, so level it off with some more of the potting soil. Position the plant so it gets lots of light, and wait until the soil just about dries out completely before your next watering. Don't fertilize until you see signs of new growth (preferrably in the form of new branches/stems and leaflets).
Others may have a different recommendation, but this is the method I've used on a group of Scheffleras I've chosen and prepared for bonsai, and it seems to be working out quite well---even after doing a severe separation/root-pruning of adult plants, not to mention significant branch/leaf trimming and repotting. A couple weeks have passed since I did this with the first batch, and I'm getting several new growth points. Plants seem to be responding well...even in spite of all the major upheavals they've been through.
Just in case anyone's curious...
Terra cotta pot allows the pot to 'breathe' (which helps with moisture regulation---in contrast to a plastic or glazed pot in which moisture has a much more difficult time escaping).
Perlite helps the soil mixture to breathe by helping to prevent the soil and roots from getting compacted and water-logged.
Vermiculite helps with the retention of moisture in a media which discourages water-logging of the soil (I.e. drowning/rotting of the roots).
'Cactus, Citrus, & Palm' mix provides organics and allows for decent (yet not overwhelming) water-retention---particularly when used in a mix with the other components I mentioned.
The goal in all this is to allow the plant to get the water it needs without having the soil retain too much moisture (which leads to root-rot). And don't forget... The components of this mix are important AND the pot-size is also important. I personally believe (and my experiences have taught me) that too large a pot is much worse than one which might 'seem' a bit on the small side.
Sorry for such a long-winded message.
BV
