Info (and/or aid needed) on Schefflera big houseplant.

[Mike Corazzi]

Know nothing about it and it is not a bonsai. It has followed us from the last house and been in present location for 6 years with minimal and uninformed care.
It has started dropping leaves and it has not done that before. I suppose all plants have to get rid of old leaves but I am questioning the suddenness and volume.
In a north facing bright room. Possibly overwatering but, if so..it has always been. We pruned it back hard about 2-3 years ago. Bounced back easily.

Anyhow it is some concern at this time.

So here goes.

This is the critter.



The present foliage



New leaves



A few days ago, small new leaves began to droop so I watered and they perked up.

Pic of soil. The pic isn't as dark as the real stuff and it feels damp-ISH Not bonsai soil. All planting mix.



This is one day's leaf drop.



And....lastly... a dropped leaf.



Any advice appreciated.

Thanks all.

 

[just.wing.it]

Normal and healthy, looks to me....
Maybe needs a reootting soon....?

 

[Firstflush]

Planting mix holds a ton of water…lots of organic material. It is made to mix in with your native for planting outdoors. This time of year you should not be watering but 3 times a month. Schefflera are much tougher then we give credit. I have a pre bonsai arbicola in full socal sun, no issue.

How was the plant situated WRT sun in the last house vs the new house? Maybe stressed from the move like ficus get.
A few leaves is nothing, not to worry. I would let it dry out between waterings and use a good draining mix. A normal potting mix with a few scoops of perlite is excellent.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

So I had these in my landscape in SoCal. They are true tropicals, and can stand a lot of different soil conditions - but they tend to be understory plants that did less well in full sun than in bright indirect light. Otherwise they tend to grow leggy in less bright light... but respond well to cutting back HARD for ramification.

Like many other tropicals, they tend to drop leaves now (in the cooler season) versus in the heat of summer when they are turbo-charged.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Normal and healthy, looks to me....
Maybe needs a reootting soon....?

My first inclination.
Repot ....WHEN.... is now the question.
Repot houseplant any time? Or wait for spring?
Doubt I'd use my outdoor free drain soil. Maybe just mix some of that with potting soil and a dollop of pumice.

Oh, the one cutback was hard.

 

[Treefer]

I had one that looked a lot like yours. Now, it looks like this. I would guess yours is pot bound as suggested above and staying too wet. Although tropical, these guys don't like to be constantly wet. Mine is in inorganic soil.

 

[Flowerhouse]

I don't know if repotting is needed. There's a huge Schefflera at my vet's office that has about an inch of soil in the bottom of its pot. Like it was moved in there 20 years ago in a good sized cache pot with organic soil, and in the intervening years all the organic soil has decomposed or whatever it is that organic soil does. And the plant is doing fine.

 

[Arnold]

Look at this freaky one, its a shame it dont have any upper branches but I could make it a cool yamadori