How To Combat Schefflera Problems
Ask the Expert: Help with my Schefflera, please!
Actually, I was told that my plant isn’t a traditional Schlefflera, but in the same genus. It has a long, skinny trunk (I guess you could call it), and then the leaves bloom out at the top — like a tree. Anyway, almost as soon as I took it home, it started losing leaves at a pretty alarming rate. At first, it was close to the front door, so I moved it somewhere else to avoid the cold draft (but still in a place with plenty of light). Then, I discovered (quite late) small moving black bugs on it that were later identified as aphids. By this point, the plant had lost almost all its leaves. But there were signs of growth, so I used an insecticide spray on it, and it seemed to come to life again. However, I guess my plant is bug prone because I eventually found these white, fuzzy things on it that were identified as mealy bugs. I used another lighter soap mixture/spray on it, and the bugs “seem” to have been contained (though I guess you can’t be sure). But my plant is in rough shape again, and now, for some reason, all the new buds are not blooming into leaves like they did before. Instead, they are drying out and turning black. I should mention that I also never really got the watering thing down. I have one of those soil moisture gages, and when I stick it in, it’s always moist. As a result, I don’t water it at any kind of regular interval, but, rather, I wait until the gage says it’s dry — as I was told to do by the people I bought the plant from (though this sometimes takes up to two weeks or more). Do you have any idea why this might be happening? I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you! Scott
Plant Expect Reply:
Watering is a crucial element in keeping your Schefflera healthy. When plants are under water stress (either too much or too little), they become susceptible to insect invasion, fungal problems and all around decline. Don’t rely on your water gauge. Water guages are fine except sometimes they don’t always tell the whole picture. The soil needs to be moist throughout not just the top inch. Stick your finger in the soil up to your second knuckle in a coouple places. This will give you the best indicator as to the moist of the soil. If the soil is dry, saturate the soil not just the top. If it is wet wait a couple of days and check again. Once you have the watering straightened out, treating the insects and other problems will be easier.
Your plant probably had insects when you brought it home. That happens occasionally. You probably didn’t notice because the insect were in a different life stage - eggs, larvea etc. It often takes a couple of treatments to get rid of all the insects. It sounds as if you have taken care of them.
The new problem may be insect damage just now presenting. It could be a result of a fungal problem. I would trim off any damaged or disease buds and then give the plant sometime. It usually does take about two weeks for water damage to present itself. It usually takes a couple of weeks for the plant to recover from water problems.
In the meantime, take a magnifying glass and look for spider mites on the plant or thrips in the buds. If you see either, you will need to treat the plant. As for fungal issues, look for lesions on the leaves or on the stems of the plant. If you see either, the Schefflera will need to be treat with a funigicide. However, most fungicides cause a phototoxicity in Schefflera so it will be a little more tricky to treat.
If you aren’t sure what is going on, send me some photos of the plant from diferent angles and parts of the schefflera and I will try to figure it out.
July 7th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Thank you for your response! I don’t think I have a spider mite or fungul problem, but, just in case, I went to get some fungicide. The person at the store suggested that spraying the plant with insecticide/soap mixures, and then having the plant exposed to the sunlight may have caused the new, delicate buds to dry out (hence the blackening). They told me that if I need to use such sprays, only do so at night.
As for the watering issue, I’ll keep an eye on it. I have quite a large soil pot (about 14 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep). I usually put the soil meter almost all the way in, and it’s actually more moist as it gets deeper, and dryer near the top. I was also told that plants in distress might absorb water more slowly, which could explain why it remains moist for such a long period of time (it’s been over two weeks since I last watered it, and I’ve never given it THAT much water at a time). I was warned that overwatering will cause the roots to rot, so I’m weary about giving it more water while the meter still indicates “wet” in most areas. In any case, the problem seems to have been stabalized, and I’ve spotted some new growth. I’ll keep a close eye on it for the next little while, and if it deteriorates, I’ll come back and ask you again. Thanks again for your help!
Scott
July 7th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I agree with the person at the store. If you sprayed the insecticidal on the plant in the heat of the day, it could cause the problems you are seeing. Give the plant a few days before you spray any fungicide on your schefflera. As a whole fungicides and schefflera don’t play well together.
Over watering will cause the same issues as under watering. You are wise to be cautious. Make sure your pot is draining well. I usually recommend the finger method so that the plant owner understand the variation in soil moisture at different levels. However, you have a very good grasp of your soil moisture. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
July 13th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Sorry to bother you again. My plant has improved in the last few days (the new buds are growing now, as opposed to turning black). But now I have a completely new problem. In the last couple days, I’d noticed some small, caterpillar/millipede-like bugs around the house (no more than an inch long). Then, when I looked at my plant, I noticed that some of those bugs were lying dead at the bottom of my plant bowl (under the pot, where the water drains out). And when I looked closely, I saw that a few were crawling around in the soil! I actually have two large Schefflera plants (one is relatively healthy and normal and the other is the problem plant I’ve been asking about here). But both have these bugs in the soil. I have no idea where they came from, or even if they are plant bugs. They only seem to stay in the soil and not on the plant itself. What should I do?
July 13th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
No bother, I am available anytime you have a question. You will need to spray the top of the soil with an insecticide. I use Fertilome’s whitefly and mealybug killer for these kinds of bugs on houseplants. Spray the top of the soil lightly. Then you will need to monitor the insects. You should start to see the insects die. If your local garden center doesn’t carry The Fertilome brand use whatever houseplant spray they carry that contains a Resmethrin. Let me know if you need anything else. It looks like things are moving in the right direction.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Thanks again for all your help. I probably should have done a little more homework myself before rushing to ask another question, because after further observing my plant and poking around the Internet a little, I think it’s possible I have a fungus gnat problem. I didn’t take any notice of it before, but I have lately seen tiny flies around the house and around my plants. I thought they were fruit flies, but could they be fungus gnats? They just kind of hover around the pot and the soil (I haven’t seen TOO many, but enough — maybe three or four at a time). And the worm-like creatures I’m seeing, could they be the larvae? But I read that fungus gnat larvae should be white, and these little crawlies are more brown-ish in color.
Anyway, should I go ahead with the insecticide anyway? If these are fungus gnats, would that kill them too? I read that there are a number of easy ways to monitor for fungus gnat larvae, like putting raw potato in the soil for a few days. But I’m not sure how much damage these guys have caused already, so I’m reluctant to wait while they potentially do more. What do you think is best?
July 14th, 2009 at 7:16 am
You can still use the houseplant spray. It will help. Another thing you should do is remove the gnats food source. If your soil has a semi-hard green substance on top of the soil, remove it. The fungus gnats like it and it becomes a good breeding ground for them. Over-watering is what has caused the infestations of fungus gnats. In the future keep the soil moist but not soggy and you should have this problem again. Good Luck and let me know how it goes.