Thank you!

Any idea why the leaves are no longer dark green, glossy, lush?

Overwatering? Insufficient light? Lack of fertilization?

OK, here is what I have discovered since yesterday - it has red mites underneath some of the leaves!! How do I get rid of them?

About lighting, the room has 8 windows and a huge french door, so tons of light all day.

I water only when the soil has dried out so overwatering cannot be an issue.

Finally, as far as fertilization what I am reading on all the forums is that Scheffleras dont need to be fertilized. Do you disagree? If so, what kind of fertilizer would you recommend?

Put in the shower or take outside and hose the plant down thoroughly. It may take more than one treatment but water and mites do not mix.....mites hate high humidity or wet conditions.

And everything grown in a container will need fertilization!! Indoors or out. There is just no other opportunity to access the nutrients they need for proper, healthy growth without fertilization. Any liquid houseplant fertilizer will work although many here prefer Dyna Gro's Foliage Pro

Can we see the pot and what kind of potting mix it is in. Also, how do you water it?

tj

So here is a picture of the pot . Not sure about the potting mix though!

These trees have become too tall to get enough light. S. actinophylla.

TJ was asking to see a photo of the soil. By the way, what a surprise! We thought you had a houseplant judging by the first picture, but that wide angle shot showed something different... It is definitely bordering on too tall to be kept inside. You may consider cutting it back to a more manageable height once you get rid of the mites.

Thank you. Yes, I agree its getting quite tall. Let me know if I can get rid of the mites first. I took it outside and for the last 3 days have been hosing it down every day. I am also researching on how to change the soil. Hopefully that helps!

Search for 5:1:1 or water movement in containers and read Als masters thesis on soil. That will give a lot of info.

It is a arbicola, some refer to them as miniature shefelara. (My spelling may be off) it is a common house plant, usually sold in a bush like form in a 10-12" pot. It does grow back after cutting back but best to be done in spring when growth will be more vigorous. Definitely try to rinse off with hose outside, looks like the best option, be hard to but in your shower. Mites can be persistent. After washing you can purchase a spray insecticide for indoor plant use. Also a systemic insecticide works well for mites. You place a tablespoon or two (follow instructions)in the top soil and water plant. The insecticide is drawn into plant so insect will get a dose when sucking juice of plant. If you have other plants check them for mites too.

*****Updated to better link******

https://plantcaretoday.com/schefflera-arboricola.html

Thanks Izzy Mn! Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what exactly is a "systemic insecticide"?

You put the insecticide in the top inch or two of the soil,it comes in granular form. As you water plant it dissolves and is drawn up into the plant itself, into it's system, the same was water and nutrients are drawn into plant. It is slower acting than spray but will kill mites which are persistent and sometimes hard to get rid of. They can be in soil also.

This is a example of the systemic:

https://www.truevalue.com/houseplant-systemic-insect-control-granules-8-oz?ctplacement=106039-44622122499&cid=gooshop

But...sad to say. Unless plant has sentimental connections for you i would maybe "retire" this one and spend the money on a new one. But, if really want to keep it wait until spring to cut back, then cut back so stems are about 12", or wherever you want new leaves/branch shoots to start. If you look closely at stem you will see sections, horizontal "lines" , cut about 1" above that line with a sharp knife. If it works new growth will come from below that line. Be patient, it may take a month before you see any changes. It should work, can't guarantee. But it is kind of satisfying to rejuvenate a old plant.

Better link to plant info:

https://plantcaretoday.com/schefflera-arboricola.html

***I just made changes to this post.