Schefflera propagation from leaf cuttings and I will show you how to propagate Schefflera from. This means cutting right above the spot where the leaf has sprouted. You will also have to rotate the pot a little every week or so to keep it straight, otherwise it will lean and bend towards the light source. There is a lot of individuality between these plants, even of the same variety, so do take your time when picking and choose something you personally find attractive. The Umbrella Plant (Schefflera or Heptapleurum) is another houseplant that goes by many names including the Dwarf Umbrella Tree, Parasol Plant and Octopus Tree. For even more Houseplant articles you may like our. The care is almost always the same no matter what variety you've gone for or if you picked all green or variegated. Photo by @vintagerevivavls. Umbrella Plants are very popular with Insects - High humidity levels can help you keep them at bay. The umbrella plant is an evergreen shrub that is native to Taiwan. Stop feeding when the temperature drops or whenever the plant becomes inactive. If things get too cold, leaves will fall off. Here’s how to prune your schefflera. Rather than throwing these cuttings away, home gardeners can propagate them to make new umbrella plants for another room or for outside. However, they may require pruning if they get too large or scraggly. Soil. There are several different varieties and growth habits to pick from. Don't get it confused it with Cyperus which is another type of Umbrella Plant altogether. This evergreen wields very slender stalks with oblong leaves arranged in … Basically you're making a deep incision that causes your plant to panic. Average Temperature Provide temperatures between 15°C (59°F) and 21°C (70°F) all year round. A tall and slender Umbrella Plant basking in the morning sun. Summer's here and the perfect time to test out a technique called notching. The care instructions can be applied to both houseplants and there isn't a great deal of difference so the names tend to be used interchangeably. Only you can know which one is the culprit - have a feel of the soil to know which it is and go from there. Ha! S. arboricola is a very popular landscape plant here in the south. The umbrella plant is often preferred as a houseplant, as it brightens up a home with its rich evergreen foliage, and is relatively easy to maintain. Though they are not as robust as when they have been watered regularly, they are surviving. Feeding Provide a weak feed to the soil once or twice a month. This species tends to be more common these days so you will probably come across the variegated types much more frequently in shops. Wait - Make sure your plant is getting bright light and on a consistent watering schedule and never drowning. A. Umbrella Plants have dropping leaves whenever your watering skills are a bit off. Step 5 So, taking the above into account, a good rule of thumb is to try and water your plant when the top inch of soil dries out. You do need to think about the ultimate placement in your home first, but other than that pick your favorite. If the light source is perhaps just coming from one window and the light falls onto the plant from the side (which most places like this will), then your plant will start to bend and lean towards the window. Notching a fiddle leaf fig tree encourages the tree to develop a branch at that location. Don't overdose to compensate as this could cause more problems, just use the feed as instructed by the manufacturer. How to encourage new growth by notching. Prune the rubber plant with a sharp pair of pruning shears. There are several varieties which are particular highlights and worth looking for, which includes "Gold Capella", "Green Gold" and "Compacta". Umbrella Plants can put out a lot of leaf and stem growth over a growing season so they do need regular feeding to fuel and sustain that level of growth. Cyperus umbrella plants are in a family of over 600 grass-like plants, most of which are native to the east coast of Africa and tropical zones. In general the bigger the plant the more water it's going to need except when it becomes inactive in Winter, at which point just water enough to keep it ticking over. Grown in a container indoors, it only grows to 8 – 10 feet. Dwarf umbrella plants can be grown either indoors or outdoors. findings ways to make the atmosphere more humid. Outdoors, it grows to 10 – 15 feet. However, Schefflera does have strong links to Heptapleurum, so much so the two plants are incredibly difficult to tell apart. Some early morning or late evening direct sunlight will be tolerated, but more than a few hours a day will cause scorch damage to the leaves. It sounds like our plants are getting too much water. Umbrella Plant (Cyperus Alternifolius) - Grow this unique, tropical plant from Umbrella Plant seeds! So if the location is generally bright or the light is directly above it, for example if you have a skylight overhead, then you will get a plant growing straight up. The all green variety tends to be happier at the lower end of the scale whereas the variegated types prefer the upper temperature levels. The Umbrella Plant can either become a tall beast in your home or you can tame it to keep it short and compact. The Umbrella Plant can do quite well in a small pot in comparison to its potentially very tall size. In a few weeks, you should start to see one or multiple tiny bumps in the area that you cut. Young plants should be potted up into a new container that's a little bit bigger than the last one and you can do the same with mature plants. However Schefflera is an accommodating plant for the most part so even if you choose a slightly darker home for it, things should still work out. There is nothing you can do about the changes, i.e. For outdoor landscaping, umbrella plants thrive in zones 10-11 in partial shade. The Umbrella Plant loves to be growing in moist soil for really good growth to occur, but it will certainly accept some underwatering. From the beginner to the more experienced, there's something for everyone. Although it will grow slower and potentially have more of a leggy appearance as the leaves will be spaced out more. The latest in plant care tips for keeping your foliage happy and healthy, brought to you by premium plant delivery service Léon & George. Making your umbrella plant shorter is easy: simply cut an upright stem just above a growth node. Pour any excess water collected in the drip tray away to avoid this problem. This will also happen if you decide to put your plant in a location in your home that receives low light. Most commonly kept as a houseplant, the umbrella plant has shiny, hand-shaped leaves that are deep-green or variegated and up to 10 inches wide. Schefflera. Which pretty helpful and kind to your back when it comes to dragging them outside to the potting shed as they do need to be repotted every two or three years even when they've reached maturity. Flower spikes and slim leaves form "umbrellas" on top of dark green stems. Umbrella plants do not bloom, but you can find varieties that feature unique leaf markings. Wipe up the sap with a wet towel so it doesn't drip everywhere. The photo above shows you two of the most common types. It is a rather large plant that can grow to heights of up to six feet, and the foliage on the plant grows in a unique eight spoke style that looks like an umbrella; hence the name. I just posted about having the same problem w/my umbrella plant in another, unrelated post. You almost exclusively only buy a Schefflera for its foliage so don't expect showy flowers on your indoor Umbrella Plant. I'm okay with the height (for now) but wish it didn't look so leggy. I'm cutting back a bit on the amount of water I drip into the enclosure, since the plant pot catches all the water. In most homes this will likely be once a week, but this could be longer if the location is cool or there isn't a great deal of light. Schefflera, or Umbrella plants, are common houseplants that are easy to grow because they can thrive in artificial or moderately bright light conditions and are susceptible to few pests. Our website is here to help you succeed with houseplants and get your indoor plants thriving. The versatility continues because you can choose to have it as a tall and slender specimen placed at floor level and reaching for the ceiling or keep it compact and short on the coffee table. If you opt for the tall appearance you leave the growing shoots well alone (unless you are trying to maintain a shape) and let it climb. You may also want to seriously reduce or stop altogether when you decide it's tall enough and has reached its ultimate (or desired) height. Be patient as these grow out and enjoy your fuller ficus! Botanical Name: schefflera arboricola Common Names: Dwarf umbrella tree Description: The Umbrella plant is the dwarf version of the larger schefflera acrinophylla native to Taiwan. The dwarf umbrella tree, Schefflera arboricola, is an evergreen shrub native to Southeast Asia. Linkhood Auger Drill Bit, Garden Plant Flower Bulb Auger Rapid Planter Bulb & Bedding Plant Auger for 3/8" Hex Drive Drill Earth Auger Drill Fence Post Umbrella Hole Digger(1.8x15 in/4.6 x37 cm) 4.7 out of 5 stars 132 If temperatures go very low, or if there is a sharp change to the surrounding atmosphere (like moving it around roughly or putting it outside with lots of wind etc) the plant could respond by dropping its lower leaves. After a few months, if this technique doesn't seem to be working don't worry. All problems can be overcome, so if you'd like an Umbrella Plant as a house guest get out there and get one. Meanwhile they secrete a clear sticky substance that if left will spread to nearby furnishings before attracting mold and eventually turning everything black and sooty. You can grow it tall and reaching for the ceiling or keep it compact and short on the coffee table. As a Team, we've almost 50 years of hands on experience as well as a variety of horticulture skills. Over time, umbrella trees can grow to heights over 10 feet tall, forcing homeowners to cut the plant to make it fit in an indoor space. is a large-leaved, warmth-loving plant that's native to northeastern Australia. In both cases use it's perfectly fine to use a standard houseplant compost or general potting soil. Take a cutting of around 5cm / 2 inches or so and place it into similar soil that the parent should be growing in i.e. Choose a position that offers good light without direct sunlight if you want the best results, in time this will result in a neat bushy plant that will grow reasonably straight up and become tall and "tree" like. Providing it's the growing season and not the middle of Winter no growth or pale leaves on your Umbrella Plant is normally an issue caused by the need for fertiliser. This sort of trimming is easy but very important to do for all umbrella plants, especially those of … Check out our Pest page on Scale Insects for more information. Potentially you could be watering once a week if all other conditions are perfect. These will easily snip through the rubber plant’s branches, and prevent the stems from ripping or tearing. Indoor plants, especially, can survive constant pruning. Eventually. Of all the houseplants we've ever owned, the Umbrella Plant seems to fall victim to Scale Insects more than any other. One great thing about this plant is that it is very easy to grow. The fix for this is to rotate your plant's container about 90° degrees (1/4) every couple of weeks. you can't make it grower fewer leaflets or more. Its close relative Schefflera Actinophylla) has to carefully planted because of its invasive nature and is seen as a weed in certain places. S. actinophylla tends to have more all green varieties and even when there is variegation it's slight and subtle. The umbrella plant (Brassaia actinophylla or Schefflera sp.) Scheffleras can have a single trunk, but they tend to have multiple stalks that branch off as the plant gets higher. For example, it tolerates moderate light conditions and can even grow under the artificial light. It could easily reach 1.8m / 6ft indoors. It's not easy to propagate these houseplants for the average grower (we've never really had much luck), but if you fancy giving it a go you need to remove the growing tips in Spring and use them as propagation material (cuttings). When the temperature drops and the light levels decrease as Winter approaches the growth grinds to a standstill and you won't get anything else until the following Spring. They're normally undemanding and providing, as the bare minimum, you water at least a few times each month you can have a beautiful looking plant to brighten up and give structure to a dull corner or used more boldly by having it flank a doorway. Its flowers are not as fragrant as big variety’s but perfect for limited space. The plant that is leaning can be staked anytime of year. Find the nodes - pick an area where you'd like a new branch to grow. There is no need to feed your plant after repotting for at least 2 or 3 months because the fresh compost will typically contain enough nutrients to be going on with. If you get one with unusual leaf markings you could very well be adding one of the most gorgeous looking contrasting houseplants to your collection. Mist the leaves every now and then to create humidity. It can thrive even in less than ideal conditions. With dark leaves and crimson casings holding new leaves, perfect for decorators that want plants in other colors than green. In the growing months of Spring and Summer, good light levels, regular watering and feeding along with warmth will give your plant a cheetah speed of houseplant growth. The tree grows outdoors in areas that see little or no freezing and does especially well as a houseplant. However you could simply top dress, by scraping off the top inch of soil and replacing it with fresh compost. This is called fiddle leaf fig notching. Yes, sounds painful at first, but then your plant will try to relieve itself by growing new shoots! Remove limbs and branches that have problem areas at any time. We're posted a photo of one below so you can see what they look like. So let us help you to grow your knowledge and become a houseplant expert. The all green vs the variegated variety, which one do you prefer? He is the main content writer for the Ourhouseplants Team. It's not so forgiving of being overwatered though which can result in root and stem rot.