Question
Hello, I purchased a large Gold Capella in June, it seemed to be losing it's leaves rapidly, so I placed it on my porch for the summer.It seemed to thrive in the warm weather. I recently brought it indoors, with out thinking of pests. It has taken a turn for the worse. I imagine that I may have left it out too long - but my other plants seem to be fairing well. I checked it for bugs and I haven't seen any. Although I went to rinse out the pot it was sitting in and I saw all kinds of white bugs, without wings that hopped. I really would like to see this plant live, not only for sentimental reasons, but for the price tag as well. It's down to only a handful of clusters left and I'm not sure what to do next. Is there anything that you can suggest in regards to this specific plant?
Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thank you.

Answer
Memie,

Schefflera arbicola 'Gold Capella'loves the sun, it should be sitting in an east or west window with the drapes or blinds open all day so it gets as much sun as possible. It also needs to be well watered then allowed to dry out well before being watered again. Indoors it should not be watered more than every 5 to 7 days. It absolutely must be in a pot with a drainage hole and it should never sit with a lot of water in the drain tray. White bugs without wings that hopped sounds like fungus gnats or leaf hoppers and indicates that it has been overwatered. Cut back on the water and they will go away. You can spray them with rubbing alcohol and that will kill them. With more sun and less water it should perk up and grow new leaves. Good luck.

Darlene