Indoor Schefflera Plant Losing Leaves
Hi Judy: 4 months ago we purchased a beautiful schefflera for our entry area. It has consistently lost leaves at a slow rate, but has always produced new baby leaves – both seemed to cancel each other out. Now, it’s losing lots of leaves and I don’t know what to do. The front door is never opened, so there’s no draughts. The temperature indoors is pretty consistent – between 70-80 degrees. All the other large plants in the house need watering every 3-4 days because our summers are hot, and they are near windows. But 2-3 weeks can go by and the sensor we bought shows the soil is always wet. It seems to take FOREVER to dry out.
I’d really, really appreciate any advice you can please give. Thank u very very very much!
Hi Irini,
Arboricola
If the plant is losing green leaves it is over watered; if the plant is losing yellow leaves it needs more water.
Water sensors are not always reliable! The chemicals and salts in the soil can cause incorrect readings. When you water, water well enough so that the water comes out the drip holes in the bottom of the pot. Then allow the top 25-30% of the soil to dry out before watering again. I’d suggest that you take the plant out of the pot and get rid of all of the wet soil. Allow it to sit out, bare root, overnight. Repot with dry soil. The pot should only be a couple of inches larger than the root ball of the plant. Place the plant in bright, indirect light.
Schefflera plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.
You can read all my care tips for a schefflera in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.