Oops, meant to say "a little bit BIG for it".

GOBLUEDJM
Just cutting in the conversation .
But you were taking about scale ( sticky substance)
What is it and what can you do about it since one of my umbrella trees has that problem .

Thank you

I agree your scheff needs more light..a south or even west window would be sufficient. My scheffs are in nw windows..
Btw, was the plant outside and then brought in for winter? Many times, when a plant is brought in, leaves die back, but usually yellow first.

One way of ridding scale is by plucking unless a tree is big and has bad infestation. There are systemics if you don't mind using harsh chemicals..I prfer going oraganic.
Scale is difficult locating at an early stage..Most ppl discover them after they mature and sit in one spot.

Btw, if someone discovers scale, set away from other plants. Scale travel..
I have been using Fish Emuslion to prevent bugs..1 capful of Fish Emulsion to a 16-20 oz mister/sprayer. Spray all areas..leaves/stems. It works just like an insecticide oil, plus organically fertilizes plant..even though it's late in the year, it won't harm a plant..Toni

There are several ways to get rid of scale and Toni mentioned some. Rubbing alcohol can also be used.
It can be a very time consuming process and may have to be applied several times. As Toni said, definately isolate the plant.

well my plant hasn't been outside, I will check the roots, so what size of pot should it be in? this pot was the only one I had on hand when I was given the plant, it was in a 4L ice cream bucket before, unfortunately I don't have a south facing window (condo faces northwest) and I have it by the window with the most light. I ve checked for scale but can find no sign of it on any of the leaves,

Between the rootball and inside of pot should be no more than 1 inch. And never pot it deeper than it already is, it will smother if you do.

Mine lost bottom stems every fall until this year. Always thought thats just what happens. I moved it into more light last spring (was much further from windows) and so far it not only hasn't lost any but is still putting out new ones. For years it pretty much kept 11 stems--grow one or 2, lose one or 2. Now there are 13. I'm anxiously waiting til next spring to cut it back.

Sandy,
Too late smart.

well, i have checked the roots and the roots are good, now there is no way I can get more sun light on the plant as I dont have a window with more, I am going to try to put some artifical light on it, are there any specific bulbs I should be using or would a compact fluorescent work? It just seems odd that it was fine all these other winters with that amount of light but not this one

Hi, I have a dwarf umbrella tree for my jackson Chameleon. The bottom leaves seem to fall of esily, its not as full bodied as it used to be. The plant has an insect problem, like little knats and i found a mosquito. I was wondering how to ride myself of this problem without harming my Chameleon, or should i just give up on my umbrella tree?

I inherited an umbrella tree about 2 yrs ago. It was doing great until Nov.06 it started to lose its leaves and now we are in March 07 and it has one stem with a couple leaves on it. I love this plant and it was so pretty in my apartment. Please help.

I take care of office plants for a living, and in low light situations I find umbrella trees are one of the most challenging plants I have. They struggle in low light and will shed leaves periodically. It helps if you keep them on the dry side. If they are too wet, they drop leaves and stems, although they also drop lower stems normally as they age, and even if you cut the tops off they don't fill in again on the bottom. If they are too dry, though, they will also shed leaves. The variegated ones definitely need a lot more light than the all green ones.

I would rather have a ficus any day, and they are notoriously fussy!

Hi, I need help with my umbrella tree BADLY! I have had my tree for almost 10 years. It is about 4 feet tall, my pot is 1 foot 3/4" round and & 1 foot tall. I had it in a plastic pot for about 3 months & started to notice leaves & stems falling off so I transplanted it back into a ceramic pot, there has been no change. Leaves & stems are falling off like crazy, I also noticed that a brand new tiny umbrella on the very top is completely black & dead. Some of the leaves have turned yellow, but mostly not. I also noticed that there seems to be little black dots on the back of the leaves. It has been thriving in the same window for 4 years, so I am shocked at what is happening to it. I have not seen any insects & I fertilze regularly. Please help me, I am desperate to keep my favorite tree alive! Thank you

I have a 23year old Asian umbrella tree.I live in lower south west corner of Wisconsin this pass winter my (outside) tree is now knocking on deaths door .Does anyone know what I could do to save it?

There are well over 600 species of Schefflera, a large number of those being Asian. If you've had it outdoors through the winter that would likely be the explanation. Going into the summer period, given warmth and humidity it should start to come good, depending how far gone it was. Do you have photos you could post?