Find Your Ask the Expert: why do the leaves keep falling off of my scheffera
schefflera keeps loosing it leaves, i water it about twice a week – Sue
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Hi Edith,
Schefflera require an evenly moist environment. Water moderately during growth and keep only moist to the touch in winter. During the growing season, allow the soil to dry between watering. However, do not leave the soil dry for too long or allow your Schefflera to sit in water which could lead to many pathogen and performance problems for your plant. Leaves that turn black and drop are signs of excessive water. Too little water causes the tips of the leaves to curl or wrinkle. As for lighting, Schefflera plants flourish in areas with a lot of light. Care for schefflera houseplants by placing them in rooms with bright filtered or indirect light. It sounds like you have your plant placed in a good area. I would suggest reading this article that explains how to care for a Schefflera. You might find more helpful information.
Angela,
It could be possible that your Schefflera is getting too much, or even not enough sun from the window. If the plant isn’t getting enough light the leaves will turn yellow and drop off. Make sure the plant is in bright light. However, directly in front of a window can cause a burning issue with the leaves. Also, if there is a cold draft in the area where you have your Scheff, this could also be causing the leaves to drop. The most important thing to watch for is new growth. As long as there is new growth, your plant should be fine. There are some more helpful tips in this article as well: https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/why-is-my-schefflera-losing-leaves/
Hope this helps!
Rachel, I wanted to see your blog/article, but it isn’t showing up in these posts? Could you please post again, or a link? Thanks.
My Schefflera arboricola Gold Capella is turning green only. Still growing though. What is wrong?
Hi Tonya,
If your plant is growing well, I wouldn’t worry too much. The leaves may begin to change as the plant grows more.
I recieved a schefflera with braided trunk for my mother in laws funeral. A few days afterwards, it started losing leaves badly. i checked, and there were little white specks on all of the new growth. i treated it with a pesticide, and seemed to be doing better. Actually was getting new growth on the braided trunk. Now the new growth is shriveling and dying. I keep it moist but not wet – water once a week. It gets plenty of light. What is causing every single new bit of growth to die?
Hi Jan,
If your Schefflera is in direct light, this can burn the new growth and cause it to shrivel and die. Also, if your plant is located near an air vent, the change in temperatures can cause leaves to fall off. It’s possible you still have an insect problem. Use a magnifying glass to check your new growth, then treat accordingly. Scheffleras are pretty resilient plants, so don’t give up on it just yet!
Hey. My umbrella plants new growth is turning black and Crispin up and dying. Its been very happy up until a few months ago. I repotted it and all the leaves look green and healthy except for thr new growth. When one doesnr fall off it grows all crinkly. Could this be bugs? Ive been spraying with a soapy solution past month & nothing is getting better… Help! Please 😇
Hi Selina,
Leaves turning black and falling off are signs of excessive watering. Does your new pot drain as well as your old one?
I have a 10 foot umbrella plant that is losing leaves. They look green and healthy when I find them on the floor. Many falling off. Some are brown. Any advice?
Hi Kelli,
The leaf drop could be caused by many different things. It could be a natural shedding of old leaves. In this case, watch for new growth, and your plant should be fine. Drastic temperature changes (like being near an air vent), over watering, under watering, low humidity, and chilling can also cause leaf drop. If you have been using cold water for you plant, try lukewarm instead, this will prevent chilling. Check your soil to determine if your plant needs more or less water, and if it is near an air vent, you will need to move it. Once you can determine which of these is the problem, you should be able to correct it.
Hello;
I rescued a schefflera tree from someone who was throwing it away. I changed the soil, watered it real good, and gave it fertilizer. It really started doing good, then all of a sudden, all of the leaves and stems started falling off and now all I have is a bare branch! Please provide any assistance, because I don’t want to lose my tree!
Hello my Schefflera is not green anymore & leaves are falling, I have it by the window & is getting plenty of light. The colorm right now is like grey. Please help.
Vanetta,
It sounds like your Schefflera has possibly been overfertilized. You might also want to check for root rot.
If your Schefflera is by a window, it may be getting too much light. It needs bright indirect light. You may also want to check for pests. You may need to use a magnifying glass to see certain pests, like spider mites and thrips.
Can you cut back bare limbs where the leaves have fallen off? How far can you cut back?
You should be able to cut by to the main trunk/stem of the plant.
Sorry just sent you pictures and issues of our sad schefferella forgot to give you my email.
Thank you
Libby
Leaves are falling off my schefflera. They are not yellow they are green leaves. The plant has really thinned out, however, it still has new growth continuously. What am I doing wrong?
Like all the other posts here, our (church’s) schefflera is losing lots of green leaves. Not sure if replies above apply to ours. Bought it 4 months ago and transplanted it. It’s in a triangular window area with glass on 2 sides, so lots of light. I described the area to a very respected plant nursery in our neighborhood; they recommended the schefllera because it likes lots of light. Now that we have it, I am reading that it shouldn’t have direct light. Is the direct light the reason it is losing leaves? I use sticks and a moisture indicator to determine when it should be watered; I’m pretty sure I’m not over-watering it and I never let it sit in water. In the 4 months we’ve had it, I haven’t seen any new growth yet.
Schefflera plants do like bright light, but it needs to be indirect. Direct, bright light can burn the leaves, which sounds like the issue you’re having!