Please help identify my dying houseplant!!
This plant was given to my family when my mom passed away almost 25 years ago. The past couple of years, my mother in law was caring for it and we just got it back. Well now it doesn’t seem to be doing well. I really don’t even know what kind of plant it is to even begin figuring out what I need to do. Please help!
Hi Lauren,
Your plant is a Schefflera also called an Umbrella tree. My best advice is to cut the entire plant back to about 4″-5″ above the soil line. Re-pot into a container with drip holes in the bottom and that is only a few inches larger that the root ball. Use new, fresh, good potting soil. Follow these tips on how to grow a Schefflera Umbrella tree and hopefully it will grow into a beautiful plant.
Light:
Schefflera houseplants do well in medium light, but grow faster and develop more leaves in
bright indirect light.
Water:
Allow the top 25-30% of the soil to dry out before watering Schefflera houseplants. Green leaves drop off and new growth turns black when Schefflera Plants are over-watered. Yellow leaves indicate a Schefflera houseplant is being under-watered.
Fertilizer:
Fertilize Schefflera houseplants monthly in the spring and summer when they are actively growing with a basic houseplant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. In fall and winter feed Scheffleras every other month but only if the plant is producing new leaves.
Temperature:
Schefflera houseplants prefer temperatures between 65-80 degrees and do not do well in temperatures below 55 degrees. Keep Scheffleras away from cold drafts and heaters.
Humidity
Basic household humidity or higher is fine. If the air is very dry, place your Schefflera on a tray of pebbles and water. Be sure the plant is sitting on the pebbles and not in the water.
Try using a product called SuperThrive that you can read about in the Glossary. It does wonders for plants in trouble. You can read more about Schefflera Umbrella Trees in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.
These 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
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest.
