A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum damaged plant

i have an umbrella three which is about 9 feet tall,i damaged the top and now the stem is rotting from the top down.any sugestions on how i can save it .thanks

I don't know anything about this particular plant However if I had any plant that was rotting from the top down I'd cut off the area far below the rot and allowed to dry out,, I believe rot is caused by a fungi which will cause the root and stems to turn mushy and leaves look waterlogged. Has it been over watered lately?? Or water allowed to stand in the center growing point of the plant,???

Is it a Schefflera?

I have never had one of these, but if the rotting is coming from the top down, I think I would cut off all the rotted areas. It will probably spread and affect the healthy parts of the plant. This may make it significantly shorter, but at least this way you could probably save it.

Definitely wait for more input before you do any hacking though. Hopefully someone who has owned one of these will chime in.

and, if it is a schefflera (the plant commonly called umbrella tree) then when you cut it back, it will branch out.

thanks for your advise,i will give it a try.i have had it for so long i would hate to see it go.

make sure you cut it back to healthy tissue and dip your pruners in bleach water between cuts.