(Schefflera arboricola)

Hi all,

I am growing this plant near a west facing window. I believe I have already self-diagnosed my problem but wanted to seek confirmation from those who also grow this wonderful plant. Initially the plant was growing well and then the leaves started turning a pale lime yellow/green color, some of these leaves then browned, etc. I am rather certain I wasn't watering enough. I have now been watering with a good, organic fertilizer to hopefully perk it up. With that said, how do you typically water this plant? Should the soil not be allowed to dry out? I think this may be what caused my problems. I have some photos. One of what it looks like now that I have pruned away all the dead or discolored growth and a couple close-ups of foliage that resembles what a lot of the growth I trimmed away looked like.

I thank you all in advance for any assistance.

Many blessings and very happy gardening,
Benny

PS: I would love to polish these leaves up a bit and get the water stains off. Anyone have recommendations for that?

I'm no expert whatsoever, but I do have a variegated variety in a west bay window with a light diffusing blind. It gets no direct sun whatsoever and dries out significantly in between waterings. I water it every 2 weeks & feed it once a month in summer. Yours looks good now and may have been just settling in. I have definitely noticed that once they're happy somewhere, they don't like to be moved. I tried moving mine before and within a week it was dropping brown leaves left and right! So the princess went back to her perch pretty darn quick! As for the water spots, I just use a microfiber cloth with plain distilled water. Hope this helps & good luck!

Thank you so much Stephanie. I will do what you do.

I didn't realize these plants could be so finicky. I look forward to the plant adding some new growth.

Thank you so much again and all the very best!
Benny

Once they're in their space , they're really not picky at all. I pretty much ignore mine. Good luck! 🌿👍🏻

How dry the soil needs to get depends on how it is potted and the soil it is growing in. Newly emerging leaves are typically a lighter shade of green and darken up as they mature. It is also normal for some older, lower leaves to gradually turn yellow and die.

Overall, your Arboricola appears to be healthy, so I don't think you have either a light or watering problem. Fertilizer will not help and there is more danger in over than under fertilizing. I suggest you skip it altogether.

Very dilute mineral oil will give the top surfaces of the leaves a nice shine.

I have one that I've only grown for a little over a year. I had it in a west facing window until it outgrew the table it was on. I moved it to the east side of my home, where it can sit on the floor by the sliding glass door. I didn't notice it being fussy about the move at all. It's pretty close to 5 foot tall, just a single stem and pretty unusual looking, but i love it!
As someone said previously, I don't do too much with mine, I do let it get fairly dry between waterings. I've never had any browning of leaves; a few older leaves on the bottom have yellowed and fell off, but that's normal. I only use a wet papertowel to clean leaves off. I TRY to do that every few months, but I'm sure it should be done more. Good luck and enjoy!

I've been using this method of cleaning plant leaves since the 70's 1/4 c milk 3/4 cup water, spray on all the leaves and wipe dry with a soft towel, I use cotton balls, the leaves come out really clean and super shiny.
Your PL is beautiful, nice & full
I also allow mine to dry out between waterings, I can tell by the weight of the pot when I lift it if it needs watering

Hello there everyone,

Please forgive my very late update to this post. I have been away.

Thank you so much for all your kind words of advice for taking care of the plant but also for how to clean the leaves. @Christine, As I think back, I am pretty certain that's how my mom used to clean her houseplant leaves. I will give it a go.

Thank you all so much and for jumping in to provide advice.

The plant seems to be doing quite well at the moment. Long may that trend continue.

Thank you again and many blessings.

Take care,
Benny