Schefflera care

10 years ago

Saw a 2' Schefflera at Lowes for $10 yearserday. After standing in the store for about 20 minutes inspecting the leaves and stems for any insects or other issues, I deemed him safe to bring home and put with my other plants. However, when he got home, I did at first segragte and wipe down thoroughly each stem, leaf, top and bottom with diluted isopropyl alcohol. I then stuck him under the shower for a few minutes. Ok, now that the plant is clean, I'm curious, do they like just as much full sun as my ficus or do they not prefer direct sunlight? This plant will spend next summer outside. I also plan to repot in June with the 5:1:1 mix. It doesn't appear root bount at all right now and the peat based soil it's planted in is on the loose side and not compacted. Going to water similar to ficus, just seem to be reading mixed things about sunlight levels.

Mite currently getting light from a southern window along with a enemy light from the many grow lights above. They're on 13 hours a day.

I'm hoping Al chimes in with "I grow this variety in full sun all summer." That's what I'd like to hear. Will that scorch all current leaves? Or will slowly giving it more and more sun adapt the current leaves?

thanks.

Featured Answer

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

10 years ago

If you don't want leaves to be burned by sun (photo-oxidation), you should acclimate the leaves, but you should know that leaves aren't able to adapt to the full spectrum of light exposure just because you're careful about acclimating a plant to full sun. E.g., if you assign light levels a scale of 1-10, dim to bright, a leaf that opens indoors at a light level of 4, might only be able to adjust to light levels of 2- maybe 6 or 7. No mater how carefully you try to condition a plant to higher light levels, there's a good probability the leaf won't be able to do it.

In recent years, I've taken to moving many of the tropical I overwinter indoors directly into full sun when they go outdoors. The leaves quickly burn, fall off, and get replaced by a new flush of leaves that are perfectly adapted to the light conditions under which they open. Also, because auxin is also produced in leaves (most notably in younger leaves) the sudden reduction in the flow of auxin along with increased light and air movement in the middle of the tree's canopy stimulates back-budding significantly. The result is more leaves and branches, and as mentioned, a flush of foliage perfectly attuned to existing light levels.

I've found that the end result is actually a tree that develops much faster than trees you take the time to condition to brighter light over, say a 2 week period of adjustment. Do avoid this if your tree doesn't yet have mature bark. If the bark is green, it can be damaged by photo-oxidation and branches above the dead spots can die. I do this with all my Ficus and scheffleras, OR, I simply defoliate them completely when I move them outdoors.

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Comments (7)

rooftopbklyn (zone 7a)
10 years ago
Schefflera love sun, but leaves grown indoors may not tolerate full sun, and will wither/die when exposed - but new ones will emerge, that do well in the sun having been grown in the sun.

So - basic advice for all plants moving from dim to bright light - do it gradually. Some leaves still may not make it, but shouldn't be a real problem, as long as new ones are replacing them.

Daniel
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
And that's exactly what Al says (in a thread on this subject from 2006): "I grow scheffs outdoors in full sun all summer."

However, I would caution against moving the plant directly from indoors (an indirect or filtered light situation) to full sun outdoors. The change is a bit abrupt and could result in scorching of the foliage. In their native environment and for hardy scheffs, a part shade location outdoors is considered ideal and that is almost always a suitable compromise for houseplants on summer vacation outdoors.
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garyfla_gw
10 years ago
Hi

They are used as landscape plants here in florida growing in almost any situation. main problem is they grow too well lol. I remove 50 percent twice a year from the one I have left and it still gets way out of hand. Very hardy plant!!! lol gary
Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
10 years ago
I'm so glad you posted Al, because I was going to say that I Do this with a few of my trees to make them naturally defoliate themselves ( sun and then they drop ) and then the new leaves are more sun Hardy for the summer. It depends on the varieties , but most of the time I like to acclimate unless it a tree that needs to be defoliated and have the leaves smaller on my tree..

Always enjoy these post.. ;-)

laura
L. A. Nolan (nyc, zone 7b)
10 years ago
Hey Al, when you are bringing the trees back in for the winter do you also do it at once, or do you gradually move to shade and then low light inside? I would think that Benjamina would drop its leaves too when going from high to low light, which isn't going to be as beneficial as defoliating and then getting full sun.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
My outdoor grow benches and tables are positioned on the N side of my home, so as the degree of apparent solar elevation (declination) decreases as fall approaches (as the sun appears closer to the horizon), more and more sunlight is blocked by my home - so it's all done automatically for me.

I grow under so-so lights (T-8 fluorescents @ 5100K), and don't have any trouble with Ficus b hanging on to their leaves, but all my F salicifolia/nerifolia (willow leaf ficus) have shed all their leaves and are just starting to push a new flush of foliage. F retusa holds onto it's foliage very well, too. I don't grow any large-leafed varieties because my focus is on bonsai, but almost all ficus pretty much want the samer things (culturally), other than some minor variation in light preferences.

Al