I have one with artificial light. I live in Louisiana and it has done terribly. Would it do better outside on my front porch? About 6 months old. Thank you

Hi @WillC (or anyone else who may be able to help) I hope you don't mind me reaching out. I'm a fairly new plant owner and am having trouble with a large Polyscias Fabian I purchased back in July. I came across this forum in the hope I could get some advice as in the last few weeks it's rapidly declined in health.

There's a lot of helpful information already in this feed so I have a feeling I might know what's contributing to the decline but I would really appreciate any advice as I'm concerned it might be beyond saving.

Below is some information regarding the plant, where we live and the conditions the plant has been living in.

- The plant is just under 5ft tall, it sits in a large terracotta pot but there is an inner pot as well.
- Unfortunately, the inner pot is pretty stuck and there aren't any drainage holes in the terracotta pot
so I am a little concerned that this may be an issue
- We live in London in a 4th floor flat which is east facing
- We have floor to ceiling windows however the plant lives about 5 meters away from the window
- We get a nice amount of sunlight in the mornings up until about midday (when it's sunny)
- We were advised before purchasing the plant that it would be fine in indirect sunlight, 4-5 meters
away from the window, however, based on what I have read in this thread I think we might have
been given poor advice here.
- Since July, I have misted the plant almost daily (a minimum of 4 times a week)
- I generally water the plant once a week but always monitor how dry the top part of the soil is in
case it requires more.

I've attached a picture of the plant just before we purchased it, as you can see it was a really lovely deep green with lots of healthy-looking leaves.



I would say that we had some leaf loss in the month immediately after bringing it home, but not a lot and I just put it down to the plant adjusting to it's new environment.

I would say it was during September that I noticed some of the leaves were starting to brown and from the edges until the leaf was predominantly brown and would drop, then the stalk would follow a day or two later. The rate of this then started to really increase, I've included some pictures below of how the leaves looked on the plant and then of a bunch of them that had dropped.











We then went on holiday for a week in October and when we returned the plant looked like this and I noticed that a couple of the leaves that had dropped looked a bit furry (this is the only way I could describe it)





And then this is how the plant looks today - very very sad





I've been at a loss as to how to rescue it and then I came across this forum with so much helpful information. I'm very new to owning plants so would love to learn how to care for them better (and gain better advice before diving in and purchasing) I appreciate this is a lot of information but thought it would be best to be thorough in the hope someone might be able to help.

Thank you in advance to anyone who is able to respond.

Amy

it looks fungal. the non-draining clay pot is a very bad idea: Aralias tend to have roots at the very bottom mostly where is remains moist. but when it gets wet, the roots rot easily.
that could be the reason for mold/fungal decay on leaves.
you have to get the plastic inner pot out otherwise you'll loose the plant. how? lay the plant on the side and run a thin knife deep along the rim outside the plastic to detach it from clay. you might need to shake the plant a bit to try to pull it out. if you can't pull it out, then try running the knife on the inside of plastic pot and then as gently as you can pull the rootball out to look at the roots. healthy roots are white. rotten roots disintegrate and are black/brown.
read above about mix/watering. most likely it's been in the same pot for many years and needs to be repotted. They do not like root disturbance and it's best to do it during the warm season, but...seeing that it most likely be dead by then you need to intervene now.
older Aralias can survive complete defoliation, they will regrow if conditions are good.
75F-80F would be perfect but at least 70F is necessary. what temps do you keep day/night?
you will also need to move it closer to the window, not further then 1 m, but make sure there is no cold window draft.

I love this site. lots of expert advice.
I have this Aralia Balfour for over 4 months now , its doing well on a south window 3 feet away from window , its 14 inches in height in a 5 inch pot.. my question is should I start pruning or just let it be? Thanks in advance for any info.

Prune when it is actively growing (warm temps in summer). They tend to grow only on top, so get leggy fast.
But after it puts on some growth (like double) you'll have enough tip to do a cutting for rooting. Double + good!
But while young they won't branch even after pruning, still will mostly grow on top..
this one grows slowly, so you won't get far fast..just make sure to keep it as warm as humid in good light until then.

Hi guys, love the advise and wisdom you guys share here to avid newbie plant parents like me. My polyscias Fabian has been thriving last 2 months but off late I noticed the leaves discolouring at the back and lower leaves having some dusty residue on the front. I did water it quite well before going on a holiday last month for a week and put it in a dim lit living room to conserve water and save the plants from drying out quickly.

3 weeks on, this is happening. There's new growth but I'm concerned about this "disease" spreading upwards as it's on most of the old leaves.

What can I do? It doesn't get any direct sunlight but is in a corner next to a west facing patio door. And I keep a sheer curtain on entire day to avoid burning my calatheas in the room. Any suggestions? I'm quite concerned about this beautiful plant.

You have a very bad mite infestation. Put a sheet of white paper under leaves and shake them : if you see tiny black dots, that's mites. You need to spray repeatedly ev 2-3 day as they hatch fast and eggs are stuck to the leaf and not easy to brush off.
I usually first spray with just water with some liquid soap and a little alcohol added, spray under every leaf! Wait 30 min then spray with clear water . Then next day spray with neem or other insecticide…
If you still feel grit/dust on leaves, there s more mites left. So keep spraying.
It is good to use very warm water too: it dissolves the 'glue' that holds the eggs to the leaf.
If your plant has enough foliage, you can remove older mottled leaves all together: they have the most mites on them and they will fall off soon anyway.
What I do for some of my plants with firm leaves: wet a paper towel, drop or 2 of liquid soap on it and wipe one leaf at a time (supporting it carefully). You'll see lots of dark spots on the towel . When you spray they just remain on the leaf .
Rinsing in shower/with strong spray helps a lot by physically removing them from surface too.