This evergreen houseplant is valued for its unusually beautiful leaves that have green or variegated colors. They come out of one point and in their shape resemble the spokes of an open umbrella, for which amateur flower growers sometimes call the sheffler home “umbrella tree” in everyday life.
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Description
The plant is not yet as widespread in indoor culture as many flowers traditional for our apartments and offices, but it adapts well to indoor cultivation. If you are interested in shefflera, and you want to know more about this plant, we have collected the most important information about this guest from the tropics.
There are about six hundred species of this plant.
The Scheffler genus of the Araliaceae family got its name in honor of the German physician and botanist Johann Peter Ernst von Scheffler, who lived in the 18th century. This numerous genus includes about 600 plant species.growing in East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and some Pacific islands.
Representatives of the genus are shrubs, lianas and small trees, which in the wild can reach a height of up to several meters. Scheffler is distinguished by the complex structure of the leaves, dissected into 4-12 lobes. Over time, the trunk of the plant becomes bare, and the leaves remain only at the top. Some of the species are successfully grown as pot plants indoors.
Palmate (Schefflera digitata)
It is an endemic species that grows wild only in New Zealand. Sheffler's palmate is the only representative of the genus that grows on the territory of this country. The plant prefers shady places in moist forests and also lives along river banks.
The leaves of Shefflera digitata are thin and soft to the touch. They are divided into 3-9 parts, each of which has an oval shape with serrated edges. The plant is unpretentious and suitable for growing at home.
At the same time, shefflera digitata is not very popular among flower growers, since its thin and soft foliage cannot be compared in attractiveness with dense glossy leaves of other species. This plant is quite hardy, but does not tolerate a decrease in temperature.
Eight-leaf (Schefflera octophylla)
This variety comes from East Asia. It can be recognized by its shiny leathery leaves that have a rounded shape. The leaves of the eight-leaf shefflera change color depending on age. Young leaves have an olive color, which, as the plant develops, gradually changes to dark green.
Arborescent or woody (Schefflera arboricola)
This is one of the most popular types of plants. It has bright green or emerald foliage, plain or with yellowish-beige patches. In nature, it is a liana growing up to 40 meters, while at home this plant reaches only 2 meters in height.In the Sheffler culture, the tree is distinguished by its grace and compact form.
Radiant (Schefflera actinophylla)
In the wild, this tree grows in the tropical forests of Australia, on the islands of Java and New Guinea. It grows up to 15 meters in height and blooms for a long time and for a long time. The fruits of this shefflera are a favorite food of exotic and rare animals, including Bennett's kangaroo, Musk kangaroo rat, and red-legged philanderer.
In warm climates, Schefflera radiata is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant, and has spread as an invasive weed in some regions of the United States. As a houseplant, this species is grown at a room temperature of at least 13 ° C.
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Schefflera is a rather unpretentious plant
Schefflera home - the plant is quite unpretentious, and is easy to grow indoors. You just need to remember where it comes from, and try, if possible, to create an environment that is close to the natural conditions of growth in the wild.
Many varieties of this plant are adapted to home conditions. Flower growers who successfully grow sheffler indoors note that For good growth and development of this plant, you need to follow simple rules:
- Do not put the plant pot in a dark place or where it will be cramped.
- It is not necessary to allow waterlogging or prolonged drying of the earthy coma.
Further you will learn about other conditions for growing shefflers. We will talk about the soil, lighting, temperature and humidity that are best for the plant, as well as the dormant period that it needs to create in the cold season.
The plant will delight with luxurious leaves if:
- transplant the plant into a pot of the desired volume with a suitable earthen mixture
- put it on the windowsill of the east or west window (on the south window, the sheffler will need to be shaded from direct sunlight)
- water sparingly as the topsoil dries out
And now we will consider these and other conditions for growing shefflers in more detail.
The soil
You can make your own soil mix for shefflers
The earth mixture for planting and transplanting a plant should be light and slightly acidic. You can buy ready-made soil at a flower shop (palm soil is suitable) or make up the earth mixture yourself, based on the following proportions:
- sod land - 2 parts
- humus - 1 part
- sand - 1 part
Another variant of the land mixture for planting shefflers is as follows:
- sod land - 4 parts
- leaf ground - 3 parts
- humus soil - 2 parts
- sand - 1 part
You can also make a ground mixture for shefflers by mixing leafy soil, soddy soil and sand in equal proportions.
Lighting
Schefflera is a light-loving plant, but direct sunlight on the leaves is contraindicated. In the autumn-winter period, the sheffler is better to find a place on the south window. In the hot season, it must be shaded from the scorching rays of the sun.
Sheffler loves the light
Variegated varieties are especially sensitive to lighting. In the shade, the color of their leaves will not be too bright and contrasting. In summer, the sheffler can be taken out into the fresh air, but the pot with the plant should be placed in light partial shade.
Air humidity
In the summer, shefflera leaves need to be sprayed
She tolerates normal room conditions well. Since this plant prefers moist places in nature, it responds well to foliar spraying. To do this, use soft water. It is better if it is rainy, melted or settled.
In summer, shefflera leaves are recommended to be sprayed at least every other day. In order to increase the humidity of the air, you can put a container with water or moistened moss next to the plant.In winter, if the shefflers are kept in a cool room, the humidity should be reduced.
Temperature
This heat-loving plant is suitable for the room temperature of our apartments. In summer, 18 - 22 ° C will be optimal for it, and 14 - 16 ° C in winter. Despite the fact that sheffler comes from the tropical zone, too high a temperature harms her.
The plant feels great in an apartment.
In hot rooms, the growth of shefflers is inhibited. This will be noticeable by the foliage, which will become lethargic and may fall off. It is undesirable to place the plant near central heating batteries and other heat sources.
Temperatures below 14°C or cold drafts can cause the shefflera to shed its leaves. Variegated varieties are more demanding on heat: a comfortable winter temperature for them is 18 ° C. At lower rates, they may lose their decorative qualities.
rest period
Sheffler needs rest in winter
In winter, a period of relative rest should be provided to the sheffler. At this time, the growth of the plant stops, and the strait should be limited. It is best to put the sheffler pot in a bright room with a temperature of 14 - 16 ° C during the dormant period.
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Features of care
In the process of caring for a shefflera, and especially during cuttings and transplanting, it is important to be careful. The fact is that all parts of this plant, both aboveground and underground, are poisonous. They can irritate the skin and mucous membranes, so all work is best done with gloves.
Watering
Moderate and regular watering is the key to successful cultivation of shefflers indoors. Excessive soil moisture and stagnant water in the pot are dangerous for the plant. It is better to slightly dry the soil than to overdo it with watering. It is necessary to water when the top layer of soil in the pot dries up by 0.5 - 1 cm. Flower growers note that variegated varieties require less moisture.
Regular and moderate watering is recommended for the plant.
For irrigation, soft, settled water should be used. It should be slightly warm or at room temperature. Watering the sheffler with cold tap water is strongly discouraged. After watering, drain the water from the pan. In winter, watering should be reduced.
top dressing
During the active growing season, you need to regularly fertilize the sheffler with a frequency of once every two weeks. As a top dressing, a universal fertilizer for indoor plants or a complex fertilizer for vines and evergreen ornamental deciduous plants is suitable.
Universal fertilizer for indoor plants
Top dressing is recommended to be done only in liquid form, since an overdose is possible from dry fertilizer in the form of "sticks". Liquid fertilizer is best diluted at a weaker concentration than recommended by the manufacturer on the package.
Pruning and crown shaping
Schefflera can be grown as a shrub or as a small standard tree. The tree-like shape and neat appearance of the plant is obtained as a result of competent pruning. Incorrect trimming of the sheffler will only hurt.
If a single plant is planted in a pot, support is needed for its flexible stem. In this case, an “artificial trunk” is well suited - a stand braided with coconut fiber. Such a support can be bought at any flower shop. Natural coconut material is excellent for almost all types of plants that need support.
Bonsai formed from shefflera
Often several sheffler seedlings are planted in one container, and while their young green stems are still flexible enough, they are intertwined, while removing all the lower side shoots. The result is an original living interior decoration with a trunk in the form of a pigtail or other unusual shape.
If desired, shefflera can be formed into a bonsai. For this, a tree-like shefflera is better than other species. To form a dwarf tree, the usual methods are used: pruning, fixing branches with wire and tensioners, repeated tweezing of young shoots. Leaf removal is sometimes required to encourage lateral bud formation.
Growing bonsai from shefflera is a long, laborious and painstaking process that requires patience, experience and certain skills. Since these miniature trees do not give a lush crown, it is better to plant several plants in one container.
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Under natural growing conditions, sheffler blooms for several summer months, attracting birds with a large amount of nectar. Shefflera flowering at home is a rarity, it can only be achieved in greenhouses or winter gardens, creating ideal conditions for this plant, as close as possible to natural ones.
blooming shefflera
If the sheffler does not bloom, this is not a reason to be upset. The flowers of this plant are small, inconspicuous, collected in long racemose inflorescences. Shefflera is valued not for the beauty of the flowers, but for the unusual shape and original coloring of the foliage. It is the spectacular leaves that are the pride of this plant and its decoration.
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reproduction
Sheffler can be propagated in several ways.
Homemade sheffler at room conditions can be propagated in several ways:
- seeds
- cuttings
- layering
Let's take a closer look at each of these methods.
Reproduction by seeds
Since shefflera does not bloom and does not bear fruit at home, for this method of reproduction, you need to purchase ready-made seeds. They are sown in the ground in winter, in January or February. Before sowing, the soil must be disinfected, and the seeds soaked in warm water with the addition of a germination stimulant.
Schefflera seeds
After sowing the seeds, the substrate is watered, a greenhouse is made from the pot, covered with plastic wrap, and placed in a warm place with a temperature of 20 - 24 ° C. The greenhouse must be regularly ventilated and maintain a constant substrate moisture in it.
For faster germination, bottom heating is recommended. After the seedlings grow two or three leaves, each plant is transplanted into a separate small pot. The next transplant should be carried out after the roots of the plant occupy the entire volume of the pot.
When propagated by seeds, there is no guarantee that the exact shefflera variety from which the seeds were collected will be obtained.. To get a plant similar to the mother, you need to use vegetative propagation - cuttings and layering.
Reproduction by cuttings
Homemade sheffler cuttings are carried out in the warm season, in the spring or summer months. As a cutting, a young semi-lignified apical shoot of a plant is suitable, which is cut with a sharp knife so that 3-6 leaves remain on it.
Sheffler cuttings
Leaves must be removed from the lower part, which will be immersed in the earthen mixture. The cuttings are rooted in a moist substrate. Before planting, they must be treated with a root formation stimulator. The treated cuttings are planted in a pot with a substrate at a temperature of 22 to 26 ° C and covered with a film, arranging a greenhouse.
You can also root the cuttings in a container of water, placing it in a bright place, protected from direct sunlight. It is necessary to constantly monitor the water level in the tank. Within about two weeks, the cuttings will take root and will need to be planted in a permanent pot with drainage and a suitable potting mix.
Reproduction by layering
To propagate home shefflera by layering, you need to take a long shoot without leaves and make a deep incision in the bark. After that, the damaged area should be wrapped with moss soaked in root or phytohormones, and covered with cling film on top.
Sheffler aerial roots
Moss needs to be moistened regularly. You need to wait until the roots appear: this usually happens within 1.5 - 2 months. After that, the shoot is carefully cut off with a sharp knife below the level of the roots, the cut is treated with wood ash and the plant is planted in a separate pot. This method is used for adult large specimens.
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Expanded clay as drainage
Schefflera needs regular transplants. Their frequency depends on the age of the plants:
- Young shefflers should be repotted every year in the spring.
- Adult plants are transplanted as needed, usually 1 time in 3 years.
When transplanting, you must follow certain rules:
- the pot is taken with a larger diameter than the previous one, by 3-5 cm
- drainage from pebbles, broken bricks or expanded clay is laid at the bottom with a layer of at least 5 cm
- after planting the shefflers, the ground needs to be slightly compacted from above so that there is no air left in the pot and between the roots of the plant
Young plants should be transplanted by transshipment. To do this, the sheffler is taken out of the pot along with a clod of earth, the roots are examined for damage and pest infestation. Then the plant, together with an earthen clod, is transferred to a larger pot, adding new soil.
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Schefflera can be damaged by scale insects, aphids and spider mites. Aphids deform and damage young leaves and cause them to turn yellow and fall off prematurely. In case of infection, you can spray with soapy water. This measure is also used for prevention, treating the plant once a week.
yellowed plant leaves
If the sheffler is already damaged by pests, and spraying with soapy water does not work, you can treat it with special systemic preparations.
In case of violation of the conditions of detention or care requirements, the home sheffler signals this in various ways:
- The leaves fall off and turn yellow - perhaps this is due to the lack of lighting. Try moving the shefflera pot to a brighter spot, but out of direct sunlight.
- The leaves turn black and fall off - this is how the plant can react to excessive watering. In this case, it must be reduced, and before the next watering, wait for the earthen clod to dry.
- If green leaves begin to fall from the plant, the cause may be a cold room temperature or watering with cold water. In this case, water for irrigation should be taken at room temperature, and the pot with the plant should be placed in a warmer place (but not near heaters and not under direct sunlight).
- The twisting of the shefflera stems comes from a lack of lighting. This problem can be corrected by placing the plant in a lighter spot.
- The tips of the leaves dry and turn brown due to dry indoor air. Try increasing the humidity by misting the plant.
- Stopping growth and sluggish leaves of the plant indicate malnutrition.
- Light spots on the leaves may appear from a burn from direct sunlight.
- Shoots are stretched and leaves fade from insufficient lighting.
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When buying a sheffler in a store, you need to properly inspect the plant
Schefflera is a beautiful plant that is valued by flower growers for its decorative effect. When purchasing it in a store, you need to inspect and make sure that it is a healthy copy. Its leaves should be bright, glossy and elastic, and the crown should be dense and evenly leafy.
Pay attention to whether the plant is infected with pests and diseases - you should refuse to buy a diseased specimen. In order to understand if shefflera is healthy, inspect its stem and leaves on both sides. Do not buy a plant whose shoots are too elongated, or, conversely, oppressed.
Schefflera transplant
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