Hmmm. Interesting looking plant.

Come Spring time, I would cut the plant back hard. It's a teeny bit risky perhaps but I am sure that it will re-shoot and become a happier plant.

It might be an idea to re-pot it in fresh potting mix too, and water it really well straight afterwards.

Hi tete-a-tete,

Thanks for the reply. So it's not possible to remove the long stem? I'll definetly re-pot it asap.

The advice already given was good. Reinforcing - wait until mid-Jun to repot into a soil that allows you to water correctly. Cut the plant back hard 2-3 weeks after; or, reverse the process. Cutting the plant back now or repotting is not a good idea. The plant will simply languish until spring, if it survives; and with no foliage, maintaining root health will probably be an issue.

Al

Hi Al,

Could you elaborate on what you mean by 'cut the plant back hard'?

Thanks!

You can air layer this plant very easily. They are telling you to cut off the top. Air layering will cut off the bottom. Two plants! It's just encouraging new roots to grow in some plastic wrapped wet moss way up there in the green parts.

You can also soil layer this plant but it may take a few months or four. Soil layering is encouraging new roots to grow on a section of stem that's buried in some dirt; a second pot as it were. A little awkward, mechanically.

Leaving a leafless stem to survive and regrow can be risky on an unhealthy plant, even for people who have a knack for it. Layering can be excellent insurance.

Give that poor desperate thing as much light as you can.

Here is a link that might be useful: layering scheffleras

Thanks tapla! That's very helpful. I really like all the pictures. I'll leave it be until mid-June and then re-pot and cut back!

Sounds like a good plan.

You could suss out, in the meantime, a good place for the plant to live. Have you a well-lit spot? It won't mind a little direct sunlight in the morning but it might be safer to build up to that sort of position. Start with a spot with indirect sunlight.

When you cut the top off, you could have a go at growing new umbrella trees from the whopping piece that you remove. Cut it up into smaller pieces, remove the growth on the part of the stem that will be pushed into the soil, push the pieces into some course sand, water in, and give them time to root. They will also need good light. They would love a mist spray on occasion. And to go outside when it rains softly.

You could try putting a little honey on the freshly cut ends of your prepared cuttings. It works with some plants and I think umbrella trees would be in this category.

Honey = antibacterial/antifungal.

Sorry, I did not explain properly.

I meant that honey can be used on the cut stems to encourage them to root. Not every species can put up with honey though, it seems. I tried it on some mollis azalea cuttings once and they went a little black and did not root or even think of rooting.

lcl451: how did it turn out with your plant?

Just an additional comment, cutting the plant off at any time isn't a major issue. From time to time people growing them in the ground in Florida say that when the get a freeze the plants die back to the ground but then come back the next summer, usually multi-trunked. A plant kept indoors would have even less trouble than one outdoors. Although, if the waiting time isn't an issue then it's always better to wait.

I would air layer this plant. Air layering gives a much better result because you do not cut the plant from the parent until it has had a chance to root.

People who do not have much success with rooting a plant from cuttings should perform air layering instead because the plant is not totally removed from the structure itself therefore the vascular system is still in full take providing the plant with nourishment to survive until it does eventually grow roots then it can be cut off and removed then replanted. Keeping a plant as healthy and providing as much energy as possible is what gives a plant life. It takes an extreme amount of energy for a plant to flower and to grow new roots so cutting it off from its source can be tricky if you don't know what you are doing.

I can't agree that simply cutting the plant back w/o consideration of timing wouldn't or couldn't be an issue. Indoor plants virtually never exhibit the vitality or stored energy levels of plants grown in full sun, in the ground, in FL, which makes timing a significant factor. Ideally, scheffs in pots would be cut back hard or repotted when their energy levels are highest and their food making potential is at or near peak. That just makes so much more sense from the plant's perspective. One way potentially works against the plant's natural rhythms and causes unnecessary stress, the other takes those rhythms into consideration to minimize stress.

This plant comes so easily from cuttings that air-layering is virtually unnecessary, other than for very thick stems/trunks. If the parent plant is reasonably healthy, new plants can be cloned by cutting semi-lignified stem or branch pieces 2-3" long, with or without leaves, laying the pieces horizontally on top of a moist medium and pressing them in a bit so the medium covers half of the cuttings. Lightly tent the cuttings with clear plastic (SOME air flow is helpful, but high humidity is a significant help) and keep them where it's very bright (but not direct sun) and warm. A propagation mat would be very helpful if available - unplug or switch off the mat as soon as it's evident the cuttings have struck. Check occasionally and mist as required to keep the upper layer of soil moist/damp, but not soggy. Expect roots in 2-3 weeks. Success should be very close to 100%. Similar success can be expected with cuttings from healthy plants stuck in the more conventional manner (vertically), as long as a well-aerated medium, kept damp not soggy, is used.

Al