Why is Umbrella Tree turning brown?

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

Hello,

One of my friends recently moved across the country and left me with their umbrella tree (at least I think its an umbrella tree).

It has not been doing so well with me. I heard that they like a lot of sun so I have it next to a window where it gets a good amount of direct sunlight. I also heard that they don't like a lot of water, so I only water it once every 10 - 14 days or so.

I have been noticing that leaves will start to turn brown from the stem out (pictured). Eventually, all of the leaves on a given branch will turn brown, followed by the branch itself. The entire branch will then fall off, dead. This has happened 2 or 3 times already.

Can someone please help me identify the trouble here? I am obviously new to houseplants and keeping plants alive in general so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Dan

Featured Answer

MrBlubs

11 years ago

10-14 days Is a little long to go without water.... They do like water they just don't like to be constantly wet. You should water it once the soil goes dry down an inch or so and then water it thoroughly until the water begins to seep out the bottom. Some of the leaves also might have suffered sun burn from being placed in front of a window with direct light but once they get adjusted they love it.

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Comments (7)

dgrizzly
Original Author
11 years ago
MrBlubs, Thanks for the advice! From the brown color, I was thinking the same thing, but noticed that even after 10 days or so without water, a lot of water will still seep out of the bottom of the pot after watering. I water with a little less than 1 liter (total) in 2 or 3 slow pours, about 15 minutes apart to try to make sure the roots can drink up what they need. I would think the leaves would be more yellow and dry if its getting too much sun?
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MrBlubs
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
It's probably not sun damage as I doubt the sun is intense enough to really do anything this time of year

My guess is that it was the absence of water and it being in the sun where it was evaporating more water from its leaves caused the leaves to do this. However if it continues it may be something else.

What do you mean by :

but noticed that even after 10 days or so without water, a lot of water will still seep out of the bottom of the pot after watering.

?

Also is the black in the leaves dry? It's not mushy or moist or anything right?
dgrizzly
Original Author
11 years ago
Just meaning, it doesn't seem very "thirsty". Even after 10 days, it only soaks up a relatively small amount of water for the size of the plant.
MrBlubs
11 years ago
Ah

Your emptying the water out of the tray after right? They hate having their feet feet wet and it's funny overwatering also causes leaves to turn black and fall off

I wouldn't stick to any schedule when watering plants as there's a ton of factors which can influence the amount of water they take up

Just monitor the soil and water when the 1 inch or 2 is dry then water it until the water begins to flow out the bottom then empty the saucer and repeat.
dgrizzly
Original Author
11 years ago
I was leaving the extra water in the dish thinking it would soak up the leftovers throughout the next day or so, but I did not know this was a bad practice. I'll follow your watering instructions over the week or 2 to hopefully see some improvement. Thanks again for your help!
MrBlubs
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I used to think the same thing a whileback but it eventually leads to root rot and a whole bunch of other nasty things.

However They're virtually indestructible and it should bounce back fairly nicely and quickly in no time..

I left mine outside in a Major hail storm once and it lost all of its leaves except for 4 but came back amazingly. It actually looks better now then it did before.

Good luck!