Description of the plant, some varieties, caring for the shefflera in an apartment or office, advice on reproduction and transplantation, pest and disease control. Schefflera - the plant belongs to the Araliaceae family, which includes up to 200 representatives. In natural conditions, shefflera most often grows in the countries of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, but also occurs in many countries in the tropical zones of the globe. It bears its name in honor of the 18th century German botanist Jacob Christian Scheffler. Sometimes its second name is "umbrella tree" because of the unusually dissected leaf plates, which, like the object of the same name, are held on a straight petiole and come out from one point.
Schefflera can take a wide variety of forms in nature: a tree, a shrub, a climbing plant. If the shefflera is a tree-like representative, then in apartment conditions it can reach 2 m, which is incomparable with its natural size - up to 20–40 m. Shefflera leaves are distinguished by their great originality - the appearance of an open palm. With age, the leaves of the plant become more intricate and interesting and never lose their color depending on the change of season. "Umbrellas" of young plants can have up to 8 leaves, and already mature shefflers include up to 16 pieces in such rosettes. The sheet itself can be cut into pieces.
In the conditions of the Scheffler's apartment, it almost does not bloom, but in nature its panicle inflorescences or in the form of a brush produce small bottle-yellow flowers. But the color of the petals can vary greatly in the natural environment from white to rich wine shade. It is possible to look at the flowering of shefflers and even its fruits only in specially equipped greenhouses.
Of the entire set of representatives of this family, only a few varieties differ in decorative leaves, and they are bred indoors.
Types of shefflers for home breeding
Schefflera radiant
(Schefflera actinophylla). The most favorite variety among flower growers. Native area of growth of the Australian territories. It is sometimes called star-leaved. It can reach up to 12 m in height in natural conditions. The plant has a tree-like shape and has a powerful trunk, which is distinguished by a wide base of a dusty brown hue. The leaf petioles are long enough and are bottle-red in color. Each leaf plate is divided into 14-16 parts of an oval-elongated shape with a pointed apex. The half can reach up to 12 cm in length. The color of the leaves is intensely malachite, with a glossy surface. There is a variety that is decorated with mustard-colored leaves - Green Gold. And the Nova variety is distinguished by a yellow-olive sheen of leaves and teeth along the edges. The flowers of this shefflera are deep yellow or scarlet in color, collected in a cluster inflorescence.
Scheffler's eight-leafed
(Schefflera octophylla). It is sometimes called the "octopus tree" for its leaf structure. Very long petioles have a milky shade and hang down strongly. There are up to 12 leaves on the petioles. Their shape is elongated along the entire length (up to 40 cm) and sharpens towards the top, the base is rounded. The leaves are rough to the touch, glossy. When young, they have a bottle-yellow tint, and with further growth they become richly malachite, and the veins on the leaf are clearly visible due to the difference in shades. The reverse side of the leaf plate is of a dull, dull yellow-green hue. The color of the buds is bottle-yellow; in opening, usually 5 petals are interspersed with stamens on long legs.
Schefflera tree
(Schefflera arboricola). The Australian and New Guinean territories are considered homeland. It is a low curly shape with a straight-growing trunk with multiple stems and root processes. Young shoots have a grassy color, and over time they darken and turn brown. Dark emerald leaves are divided up to 16 parts, have an elliptical shape with a sharpness at the base and a rounded top. This species has a complex unpaired feathering. Petioles are light yellow, not long. Flowering occurs with a panicle-carpal inflorescence, in which yellowish-green flowers are collected. There are also varieties that differ in the decorative coloring of the leaves:
- Gold Capella - has palm-shaped leaf plates, on which yellow markings are randomly scattered;
- Amate is a bright malachite-colored leaf, a cultivar that shows remarkable resistance to harmful insects and can grow in the shade.
Schefflera finger
(Schefflera digitata). Native habitat of New Zealand localities. They have the shape of a tree reaching 8 meters in height. The leaf plates are palm-shaped, separated by up to 10 parts, with a length of up to 35 cm. The parts have an oval-elongated shape with a sharpness at both edges, up to 6 cm wide. The leaves are thin, similar to a parchment plate, glossy. Young leaves at the edges have feathering, which eventually becomes sparse teeth. Petiole in the form of a long tube, about 20 cm. Flowering occurs on umbellate inflorescences, collected from 4-8 miniature flowers, which are only 6 mm in diameter. There are varieties of this variety that never throw off their leaf mass and are distinguished by the variegated coloring of the leaves.
Schefflera's most graceful
(Schefflera elegantissima). A plant with a highly decorative leaf mass. There are very few stems. The trunk is distinguished by a dusty brown shade and a graceful shape. Each petiole grows up to 12 leaves of a complex shape. They have an elongated, very elongated outline with a jagged edge. The plant in the home can grow up to 2 m in height.
Scheffler Veich
(Schefflera veitchii). The leaf plate is distinguished by an oval-elongated shape, the edges of which have a wavy appearance. The color of the leaves in young plants will change from reddish to rich emerald with age.
Sheffler varieties are very popular, which are distinguished by mosaic coloring of leaf plates in various shades of yellow and green. Since young plants have good stem flexibility, they can be bonsai-style or intertwined. The crown is also formed at your discretion by regular pruning.
Shefflera care at home
- Required lighting. Schefflera loves bright light, but it needs good enough, without scorching rays. If the plant is not protected from direct sunlight for a long time, then burns may occur on the leaves. Windows are suitable, where not the scorching rays of dawn or sunset fall. Only if the leaves of the shefflera have a bright malachite color, then shady northern windows can suit them. But in the months when daylight hours become short, the sheffler can be placed on the south window or supplemented with special lamps, this will be especially required if the temperature is above 18 degrees. As the air temperature rises, the sheffler is taken out to an open place, but they choose the one where the sun's rays do not fall at lunchtime.
- Growing temperature. Schefflera prefers moderate temperatures, in the spring-summer period, the indicators should not exceed 20 degrees, in the autumn-winter period - fall below 12. The most preferable temperature decrease is at night. But for plants with leaf spots on the leaves, the indicators in winter should not decrease less than 18 degrees. Schefflera does not tolerate elevated temperatures very well, and if you still put it next to batteries, then leaves may drop.
- Air humidity. A high moisture content in the air is very important for the sheffler, especially if the plant hibernates at high temperatures. Schefflera loves frequent spraying. To do this, take warm, settled water, you can boiled, rain or thawed. If this is not enough, then the pot with the plant can be put in a deep container, pour small pebbles or expanded clay into it and pour water. The height of the water should be such that the sheffler roots do not touch it. Sometimes moss or peat is placed on the bottom of the expanded clay.
- Watering shefflers. The sheffler should be watered sparingly, only when the topsoil in the pot dries out. Watering restrictions are necessary with a decrease in temperature indicators. In any case, waterlogging of the soil is fatal for shefflers, which can lead to rotting of the root system. Water for irrigation is soft, which can be either settled for at least two days or collected rain or melt water. The temperature of the water is made slightly warmer than room temperature, so that the earth is approximately the same temperature as the air.
- Top dressing shefflers. When the Schefflera starts to grow rapidly, and this begins with the arrival of spring, they begin to apply top dressing, which include complexes of minerals - universal additives for indoor plants. The frequency of top dressing is one for two weeks. Fertilizers are not used in winter. Spraying the leaf mass with bioregulators is recommended on a monthly basis. Fertilizers begin to feed the sheffler after transplantation, only after the appearance of young leaves.
- Transplanting and soil selection. If the plant is young, then the transplant procedure must be performed annually. In adulthood, the sheffler is transplanted only when necessary, once every few years. They try to choose a new pot much larger than the previous one, since the sheffler is very overgrown with roots. At the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to make high-quality drainage and pour at least a quarter of the volume of fine expanded clay, finely broken broken shards or bricks. The acidity of the new substrate should be low (not exceeding pH 6). The soil should be light, sometimes for shefflers they choose ready-made soil for palm trees. But if you compose yourself, then you need 2 parts of the raised land, and one part of humus and sand. Also, to increase the nutritional value of the soil, one part of the leafy earth is added to it.
- Pruning shefflers. To increase the decorativeness of the plant, it is customary to plant several plants in one pot. To achieve the shape of a sheffler tree, you can regularly trim the crown. But if you cut the plant too much, then it will begin to shed its leaves.
Breeding shefflers
There are several breeding methods for this beautiful plant:
- cuttings;
- air layering;
- seed material.
Almost lignified shoots are suitable for choosing cuttings. For successful rooting, it is better to dip them in a rooting stimulator before planting, and then place them in a substrate based on sand and peat soil, taken in equal parts. The ground heating temperature should be at least 24 degrees, but it is not advisable to use a heating battery for this. The container with cuttings must be covered with a plastic bag, but at the same time periodically spray and ventilate the seedlings. Lighting should be soft and free from direct rays. As soon as the cuttings start up the roots, the temperature is lowered to 18 degrees. As soon as the root system of the cuttings is sufficiently developed and masters all the soil, then you can transplant it into a separate pot with a diameter of up to 9 cm. You can choose a place for the pot with more intense lighting and lower the temperature to 14-16 degrees.
If the shefflera has reached a large size, then it is possible to propagate it with aerial shoots. With this procedure, at the beginning of the spring months, the shefflers make a small incision on the trunk, and this place is swaddled with moistened sphagnum moss, which is saturated with stimulating nutrient solutions (for example, taking 1 g of complex fertilizer and diluting it in 1 liter of water). As soon as the moss begins to dry, it is again impregnated with the solution. After a couple of months, root processes will begin to form at the site of the operation. After another two months, the leaf crown with root formations is removed, below the roots and placed in another pot with the prepared substrate, as for young plants. The old tree is cut almost to the ground, covered with damp moss and continues to moisten. With such actions, there is a possibility that the remnants of the shefflers will give additional shoots.
Shefflers begin to reproduce by seeds at the end of winter. For sowing seed, they take the same soil as for cuttings, but sometimes you can make up another light soil mixture based on the apical soil, rotted leaves and sand, taken in equal parts. The soil is disinfected before planting seeds, for example, in an oven at a high temperature. The seeds can be soaked briefly in a solution of water, epin or zircon before planting. Seeds are sown at a distance equal to the length of two seeds, the ground is sprayed and the conditions of a mini-greenhouse are arranged. The container with seeds can be covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in a plastic bag. Constant heating of the substrate up to 24 degrees is required. The container is constantly ventilated and the ground is sprayed.
When shoots appear with the first 2-3 leaves, they can be planted in plastic cups and the temperature for them is already lowered to 18 degrees. When the root system of the seedlings has completely mastered the soil, it is necessary to change the pot to a container with a diameter of at least 9 cm and further reduce the temperature to 14 degrees. Young shefflers grow very rapidly, and by the autumn months it will be necessary to increase the pot by 3-5 cm.
Fight against harmful insects and sheffler diseases
Most of all, the shefflera is affected by the scale insect, aphids and spider mites. At the same time, the leaves of the plant begin to turn yellow and shrink, while they seem to curl and crumble. To combat these pests, they try to raise the air humidity near the plant, wash off the parasites with soapy water from the leaf plates, and if this does not help, then they are treated with insecticides.
Shefflera leaves can fall off for many reasons - the plant stood for a long time under the scorching sun or there was a draft in the winter months, the earthen ball was too wet, and the root system began to rot. If whitish spots appear on the leaf plates, the sheffler must be removed from bright lighting. The leaves have lost their rich color and the shoots have become very elongated - there is not enough lighting for the sheffler. If the air humidity is low, then the edges of the sheet plates dry out. The appearance of brown spots on the leaves indicates very dry air and drying out of the earthen coma.
About caring for a shefflera at home, see this video: