Question
Hello, we purchased an umbrella plant in the summer. It has
3" leaves and its about 4' tall. Its close to a window and
has been doing quite well until we replanted it about a
month ago (oct).We went from a 10" to a 14" pot. Have rocks
in the bottom for drainage. within a week or 2 the leaves
and branches started to drop. Some of the branch stems turn
black then fall off. The leaves that fall are going brown.
There are 4 main stems braided together forming the strunk.
It seems that one of the stems is worse and 90% dropped now.
A few more leaves are starting to drop on the other stems
but generally look pretty good. Maybe we just killed one of
the main stems? We are concerned that the other stems will
start to go. Watering incorrectly? Any ideas?
Thank you Don

Answer
Hi Don,

"doing quite well until we replanted it." Connect the dots here and you have the answer. Unnecessary repotting is the most common of all plant care mistakes and is encouraged by poor online and plant book advice.

Plant roots need not only water and nutrients, but oxygen. When soil is kept too moist for long periods (more than a week or ten days), the oxygen is displaced by the water and the roots begin to rot. This is exactly what happens when a plant is in a pot that is too big because the excess soil absorbs and retains moisture for too long.

In addition, most people don't know how to repot properly when a plant does need a larger pot. For example, you never up-pot to pot more than 1 or 2 inches larger. The soil used has to be similar to the soil in the original rootball. The roots need to be loosened around the tight rootball. And drainage material in the bottom of the pot is an out-dated practice that actually serves to retain moisture longer.

I have written an article on repotting that everyone needs to read because this topic is so poorly understood and leads to so many plant problems. It is available for free to anyone who sends a request to my email address below.

Black leaves and black stems are a sure sign of root rot. I cannot say how extensive it is in the case of your Schefflera arboricola, so I cannot predict whether it can be saved.

Undo the repotting by removing all of the soil you added around the original rootball. Also remove any soft, mushy roots and the stems that are black. Do NOT wash away all of the soil. Try to preserve as many healthy roots and as much original surrounding soil as possible. Then repot it into the smallest pot it will fit into.

After that, provide lots of bright indirect light, warm temperatures and do not add any water until the top quarter of the soil feels dry. If there are enough healthy roots remaining, the plant will very slowly recover with some healthy new growth. However, it may never become what it once was.

Good luck and please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC