A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2002 Schifflera is sick

I relocated to the Denver area from Coastal NC and brought a wonderful full Schifflera with me. Over the last 6 months it has slowly drropped most of its leaves and, whil still alive (4 ft tall) I fear it is going to die. I have tried different locations with artificial light, and also on my balcony with Southern exposure and lots of natural light- nothing seems to make it happy. Anyone help?

It is kinda hard to tell what the problem is without examining the plant, but it sounds like you may have damaged the plant while moving. Try giving it a dose of bone meal, across the top of the soil that it is potted in, water it in well, then let it almost dry between waterings. Both practices will help encourage root growth that which in turn would make a stronger plant. I would not give it any other fertilizer until you see it pushing new growth naturally. Then give it a light shot of 20-20-20 to help it push out some new foliage
Hope this helps

Mike

Whoops, forgot something, if you are keeping it outside, try indirect light, instead of bright full light.

If it was damaged during transit, the damage would have been immediate, not over a long period of time.

Your Schefflera was acclimated to your former residence. I believe it is reacting to a change in its environment. That could be a change in light or in soil moisture. Try to duplicate as much as possible the light that it received in NC. It is also important to allow the soil to reach the same level of dryness as it did before you moved, although it may take longer to reach that level of dryness.

If you repotted after the move, that is also contributing to the problem.

It is important to find an appropriate location for your plant and keep it there. If it is constantly moved, then it will constantly face the stress of acclimating.

Avoid all fertilizers until your plant has fully recovered and is growing vigorously.