A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum My umbrella plant is in dire straits - help!

I just recently had an umbrella plant given to us, the kind with smaller leaves, and they transported it here in the back of the pick up truck in the winter, about 1 mile. Not a good idea, I know. But no going back on that now. Ever since then it has been losing leaf stems at an increasingly alarming rate. It has probably lost 60% of its branches. It has been 2 weeks. They seem to be turning brwn and look a little shrively, and the ends of the branch that the leaf stem branches out from are turning black. I wondered though if it was not just the transporting that was the problem, but does it have enough water? We watered it once just a little bit and perhaps the water didn't get to the root and it's dying from lack of water? Or is it not getting enough sunlight? It gets some indirect sun for part of the day as its by a big window but the sun doesn't shine in the window as the window faces the north. We got a full spectrum bulb we've been shining on it fr about 5 days and it only seems to be getting worse. Is it water, or light, or is it just shock? Is this plant salvagable and if so, what should I do?

Welcome, Linnea. It does sound like a water problem. Schefflera are heavy drinkers but not standing water. Try misting the leaves. It could also be a combo of culture shock, the ride over and not enough water. But you should find it will recover even if it loses almost all of its leaves to begin with.
If you use the google box at the top of this page (It says google custom search)and type in schefflera you will see a lot of people with similar problems. And also see the answers they received.

Another thing I should mention is that it is up on a coffee table, but the coffee table is nearby a radiator, which is right underneath the big window. Don't know if that means anything. Also, I saw something somewhere about it growing "air roots" and it does look like it is doing that - one of the bases has what looks like roots branching out from it and I'm not sure if that was already there or not. It looks like it is 4 main stems or even separate plants in the container. For watering it I get a lot of conflicting advice. How do I know HOW MUCH to water it when I do water it? I gather the water needs to feel dry on top, but if this is not getting enough water then why did the top of the soil always feel moist? I watered it once, a little bit, a week or so ago. Probably only a couple cups or less.

Is there drainage in the bottom of the pot it is in? Does the water drain into some type of saucer or catch basin? To add moisture to the air around the pot you can put a tray or something under it with pebbles or glass beads to keep the pot up a bit. Then add water to the tray. Or try the plant in a new spot with bright indirect light, not too near a radiator if possible.

Get the plant close to a window. I have a schefflera in my bathroom that doesn't have much sun light and isn't growing but it is alive. I usually water it every week or two because it's in the shade. But, it is very humide in my bathroom(because of my long hot showers) so I guess that helps alot.

A proper watering of the plant is when the water comes out of the drainage hole located at the bottom of the pot. You should water it when the soil on the top is almost dry. To much water will make it rot.

Good luck!