Hawaiian Schefflera Plant
Schefflera arboricola
Arboricola
An Arboricola, or Hawaiian Schefflera plant, originally came from Taiwan and can be grown as an indoor houseplant or an outdoor plant in moderate climates. Hawaiian Scheffleras can be as large as 8ft specimen trees with beautiful braided trunks or as small as 5″ and be used in dish gardens. These plants are perfect table or floor plants for home or office. Scheffleras are also an excellent choice if you want to try your hand at the art of bonsaiLearn how to grow bonsai plants, and which plants make the best bonsai plants at Houseplant411.com. Hawaiian Scheffleras are bushy upright houseplants with masses of small, shiny, leathery leaves. The regular variety has solid green leaves, the Capella variety has gold and green leaves, and the Hawaiian Schefflera Trinette has white and green leaves.
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
Hawaiian Schefflera
Light
The brighter the light the faster and bushier a Hawaiian schefflera plant grows. Variegated Hawaiian scheffleras, like the "capella" variety, require more light than solid green varieties. Direct sun burns the leaves on all varieties of schefflera.
Water
Water well and then allow the top 1/3 of the soil to dry out before watering again. Seemingly healthy leaves fall off and new growth turns black when a Hawaiian schefflera is over- watered. Leaves turn bright yellow when the plant needs more water.
Fertilizer
Fertilize a Hawaiian schefflera plant monthly in the spring and summer with a balanced plant food diluted to one half the recommended strength. Avoid feeding when the plant is not actively growing.
Temperature
Hawaiian scheffleras grow well in normal household temperatures. Try to keep the plant out of cold drafts and away from heaters and air conditioners.
Humidity
Normal household humidity.
Flowering
Although a Hawaiian schefflera may flower when grown outdoors, it very rarely blooms as an indoor houseplant.
Pests
spider mitesLearn how to identify and treat Spider Mites on plants. This sucking plant pest causes yellow blotchy leaves with a red haze and a gritty feel to them., scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew., AphidsSee a picture, learn to identify, and read about Aphid houseplant pests in the Glossary of Houseplant411.com., and Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants. all like scheffleras. These annoying insects especially like the tender, new growth. Read more about these pests and how to get rid of them in the Glossary of the website.
Diseases
Bacterial leaf diseases such as leaf blight and fungal leaf diseases such as Leaf Spot DiseaseHow to identify and treat Leaf Spot plant disease. See a picture of Leaf Spot disease and learn how to prevent leaf spot disease from attacking your plants. are a problem when the leaves are kept wet and the humidity is high.
Soil
Use a well-aerated loose potting soil that retains water but still drains quickly.
Pot Size
Hawaiian scheffleras prefer to be root-bound in small pots. This also helps prevent over-watering.
Pruning
Aggressively prune a Hawaiian schefflera when it gets too large or looks thin and leggy. All schefflera plants love to be trimmed. New growth appears directly below the cut in the stem.
Propagation
Stem CuttingsLearn how to propagate plants using stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, cane cuttings, and branch cuttings., or if the plant has a thick trunk, air layeringLearn how to use Air Layering to propagate houseplants..
Poisonous Plant Info
Hawaiian scheffleras are considered to be slightly poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets. plants with a #1 toxicity levelThese are general guidelines that describe how poisonous certain houseplants are. It's possible for an allergic reaction to occur from contact with any houseplant, toxic or non-toxic. If there is ever a concern, call: Poison Control Center: ******1-800-222-1222******
Level #1: Houseplants with low toxicity, may be mildly irritating, especially the sap of the plant.
Level#2: Houseplants with medium to severe toxicity. Eating parts of these houseplants may result in vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties.
Level #3: These houseplants are very poisonous. When eaten, especially in large quantities, severe vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties can occur.
Level #4: These houseplants are extremely poisonous. Eating parts of these houseplants can be be life threatening.
Every plant listed in our Popular HousePlant guide has a section explaining whether or not it is poisonous and, if so, how poisonous. Amaryllis, alocasia, dieffenbachias, crotons, ivies, azaleas, lilies, and philodendrons are just a few of the highly poisonous plants we use in our homes and offices all of the time. If you don't know whether your houseplant is poisonous, go to Ask Judy on the HousePlant411.com website, send her a picture of your plant, and she'll let you know if the houseplant should be kept away from small children and pets.
See colorful pictures and get more information about poisonous houseplants in
Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants
. Keep this plant out of reach of small children and pets.
Why are the new, baby leaves on my Hawaiian schefflera turning black and dying? The older green leaves are falling off also.
The leaves on a Hawaiian schefflera pplant turn black and green leaves fall off when the plant is over-watered. You should also check to be sure there are no pests such as Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants., AphidsSee a picture, learn to identify, and read about Aphid houseplant pests in the Glossary of Houseplant411.com., or spider mitesLearn how to identify and treat Spider Mites on plants. This sucking plant pest causes yellow blotchy leaves with a red haze and a gritty feel to them. feeding on the new growth.
Can I put my arboricola on a desk in an office with a small window but good artificial light?
Solid green arboricolas do very well under those conditions, although the new leaves may be smaller and the plant a little less bushy than if it had brighter light. Don’t use the capella variety (variegated Hawaiian schefflera) since it needs more light to maintain the yellow coloring in the leaves.
Why are the leaves on my Hawaiian schefflera losing their color? What is the reddish webbing I see on the plant?
The leaves of your Hawaiian schefflera are losing their color and the webs on the plant are both caused by a Plant PestLearn how to identify and treat the plant pest called Whitefly at https://www.houseplant411.com/glossary/whitefly-plant-pests called spider mitesLearn how to identify and treat Spider Mites on plants. This sucking plant pest causes yellow blotchy leaves with a red haze and a gritty feel to them.. Spray with the “ green solutionIf you don't want to use a commercial chemical product to treat plant pest problems try the “Green Solution.” This is a mixture of water, alcohol, biodegradable liquid soap, and mineral oil. Always test any spray on one or two leaves to be sure it won’t damage the plant. Depending upon how severe the infestation is, you can use these ingredients in varying proportions. If there are only a few pests, dip a Q-tip in alcohol and gently swab them off. For a more widespread problem, start by using a spray of warm water mixed with a few tablespoons of biodegradable soap. If that doesn’t cure the problem, make a solution using 8oz. water & 8oz. alcohol, add two tablespoons of biodegradable soap and two tablespoons of mineral oil. Spray all areas of the plant. Use this solution on leathery leafed plants (except palms), never on fuzzy leafed plants like African Violets or Begonias. For palms, omit the alcohol from the Green Solution. Never spray a plant that’s sitting in the sun or one with very dry soil.
” (recipe in the Glossary) every 10 days for at least a month.
Why does my green arboricola get yellow leaves?
All scheffleras, both Hawaiian scheffleras and umbrella plant scheffleras, develop yellow leaves when they are not getting enough water. When you water, water well enough so that the water comes out the drip holes in the bottom of the pot. Do not water again until the top 1/3 of the soil has dried out. If green leaves fall off, you’ve over compensated and are now giving your plant too much water.
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