A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Help my plant is dying....

I bought this umbrella plant a few weeks ago and the leaves have been turning brown and falling off since then. I'm hoping someone will be able to advise me. Hope you can see what's happening with these pictures.





I fell in love with this plant the minute I saw it, would hate to loose it completely.

AH! my plant like that is always dying. so picky!!I put near a northwest facing window and now it's happy...ish.....

You aren't overwatering it are you? Is it getting enough light? I had 2 of them and turned funny colored and died out of the blue, the other one is still okay though.

Perhaps Shock of transplant
Low light or
Lack of water
Not enough heat
O too much??????

???????????
Just guessing

i have mine in an east-northeast facing window and i water at least once a month, but never as often as once a week. and i almost never fertilize.

:ding:

I found this on the web

Avoid letting the plant sit in that saucer after you water it likes to be moist but not wet... you don't want to promote disease. The Schefflera is in the Aralia family and like many of the plants from this family spider mites like this plant. Clean the plant regularly when indoors and don't forget the undersides where mites like to hang out. Check with your local garden center for some of the "safe" preventive measures such as "Safer Soap" or than that disease is not a big problem to this plant.

That's a quick look at one of the most easy to find indoor plants today - the Umbrella or Schefflera plant.

Remember when caring for your dwarf umbrella / schefflera

* Don't keep the plant wet
* Place the plant in as bright an area as you can
* Watch out for mites

It is a new plant and I did repot it, but I have been careful with water.

I'm getting kind of worried as everyday there are new leaves falling off. I really hope it will make it through.

I think what I read,, the leaves will replace themselves.. That is how leaves often look on others, when they die and get new ones.........Don't give up it might get new leaves........I never had one.

Thanks Dodge, I'm really hoping you'll be right, I love this plant.

Watch around the where the leafs come out ......See if you see any growth ther.

dodge's advice is perfect and they will drop leaves, but as long as you can "scratch" the base of the stem/stalk and see green underneath, the plant isn't dead. i've even cut them back to the soil level and they've come back fine.

Hey that's an idea I never thought of, if I loose too many leaves and the plant isn't dead yet, I'll cut it down and let it grow again.

Thanks Jiffymouse!!!

it is too wet. a common mistake with new plants is too repot immediately. the plant should be allowed to acclimate to it's new atmosphere before repotting. many houseplants like to be tight in the pot. often when repotting a new plant, the pot is alot larger with more soil. the large amount of soil holds more moisture, longer than the plant is accostomed to having surround the roots.

Some

I should have known that RugbyHuhr, hopefully I'll remember that next time.

I should prune all those dead looking leaves off.Then if the soil is dry soak well then after, watch the watering don't keep it soaking wet just damp like,and,
these plants like a fine spray every now and then, even once a day and keep it out of direct sunlight--- good luck

Tony

Welcome to our Pod Tony,

i think your answer makes sense.

Thanks and stay long.

dodge

Aquadulce, I'm cutting all the bad leaves off now, I'm pretty desperate with this plant it's slowly loosing all the leaves, today it's only half the plant it was when I bought it.

From your photos rosepetal it looks as if your soil is bone dry

if so the only way is to drop the whole pot in a bucket half full of water and

leave it to soak for a couple of hours .

Awwwww... you should see the poor thing now.....the soil is ok I did water it but the leaves just kept falling off fast then I could count, so yesterday I cut it down and now we'll see what will happen.

If the plant doesn't have to nourish the bad leaves maybe it will decide to start "growing" the good ones again.

I am real interested in this now good luck I hope you make it,I was thinking about your plant and once years ago a similar thing I had with over here is called a Fatsia and this plant was the same I ended up covering it up with a polythene bag and stuffing it away in a corner and forgot about it .It took new growth and was shoving the bag up and it made a real comeback and today is a gorgeous plant and is growing in the back garden now in a big tub 4 years after.Its not a particularly beautiful plant but people admire it I would put a photo on here if I knew how to do it.

cheers for now Tony

Tony
Welcome to our pod.

Now go to Photobucket com
And join and upload your photos there.

When you do , go to the bottom line of the photos stuff and copy that line.
Then come here and paste it .........

Good luck and we are dying to see your results.......

I did read somewhere it is easier to root cuttings if you put plastic bags over its head........Sounds like your idea indeed.

Thanks for joining us.

I was so glad to read this post. I was just about to ask the exact same quesions about my umbrella plant. I bought it 3 months ago and the same thing is happening. It is growing new leaves slowly and I've moved it to a brighter room. I have my fingers crossed as well and good luck with your. My sister has a huge floor plant in her house and it's gorgeous. I don't think mine will ever get there.

Hope she reads your answer.. She is upset.

b

karenenns, hey glad to hear that your plant is doing so well, no worries now if it's got new leaves, you'll soon have a big plant like yopur sister.

I'll be keeping close watch on mine and will let you know how it's doing.

thanks dodge trying one

whoopee now I know how I will take a pic of the fatsia plant I mentioned in the above post.This camelia comes out in the spring and ia a glorious sight about 6ft high flowering for over a month depending on weather .

Tony

Wonderful..........

It worked I am proud of you.

Now is the camelia hardy in zone 5????????
Someone just sent me 4 of them.

Quote: Now is the camelia hardy in zone 5????????


Dunno I am from UK yorkshire they can stand frost we
have 2/3 degrees sometimes when it flowers in early spring
which can sometimes turn some flowers brown.

Just an update on my umbrella plant. All the leaves are gone, just the stump left, butttttt I'm not giving up yet. Maybe I'll see a leaf coming out soon.

Well my plant just called it quits, the stem was completely brown. I'm not impressed at all, paid $7 for that plant ......but I still want one like it.

I am so sorry to hear that ....
Maybe come spring you will find a new love..flower..

Name some of your wishes, maybe some one will have that.....I dont have the Umb. Plant......You cant ship plants in the winter can we?

No I'm sure you can't ship plants during the winter and especially not to Canada.

But thanks for thinking of it.

Just thought I'd let you know some friends of ours gave me three big branches of that umbrella plant that I lost. I'm rooting them now in water. Isn't that special??????

:ding: :ding:

Tell your friend Merry christmas......What a lovable gesture.. To bestow at the christmas holiday.

I am so happy to hear that.

Once I have the plant rooted and in a pot I'll take a picture and post it.

I didn't know that you can root them from the branches... Are you talking about the small stems that have the leaves, or the actual "trunk" on it? I have a really big Scheff and I've been wondering how to go about getting another one from it so I can try to train it to be bushier, instead of the tree-like one I have now, if that makes any sense, lol.

I posted a pic of it in another thread a while back, but I'll repost it....




I really don't want to cut it if my particular one can't be rooted. Please keep us updated on how it goes for you. That will definitely help me decide on whether or not I should try to root part of mine. Thanks!

:)

That is great if it works...............But I don't think it does..

But keep us up on it.

It needs a node or notch to root....That is plain straight.

b

Samjam yours is a big one for sure, the way I have rooted mine is cut off the stem with all the leaves on it and put it in a jar of water. Mine are not even starting to root yet, I know it does take a while.

Ah... I see, thanks! I guess I'll just keep this one the way it is. I already know not to re-pot it. I can't let it get much bigger or it won't fit inside, lol.