My Scheffelera Arbicola this spring.

edprocoat

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Barry, get a big clear plastic tupperware like box and keep it in the sun. I got mine at wal-mart. The clear ones evaporate the water as they heat up it sticks to the top and then it rains it back down on the plant, it also filters some of the light so as not to burn it, they have large ones that fit most anything, even if you have to set it on its side. You can open it every other day and let it dry up a bit and then soak the plant and close it up again.

ed
 

edprocoat

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Just an update on how this survived the freeze this spring, it lost all the top foliage and two branches to the freeze but it has came back pretty strong. I defoliated a month ago as I had kept it inside until the weather passed and its leaves were too large, now back in the sun they are considerably smaller. I lost all the aerial roots too but I fear its way too hot as its been over 100 degrees consistently for almost a month now for me to put it in a box right now so I will wait till Fl. this winter.


Scheffe by edsnapshot, on Flickr

Its coming along nicely but it has lost a lot of the canopy.

ed
 

Jessf

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have you considered defoliation? I've had great success this year round. Ended up with many leaves as small as my thumb nail.
 

edprocoat

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have you considered defoliation? I've had great success this year round. Ended up with many leaves as small as my thumb nail.

Yes, I wrote above I had defoliated ita month ago...

ed
 

edprocoat

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ed, gotta say I personally like the latest photo of this tree, with the foilage alot more compacted down around the trunk.
If it were mine... I would keep it more like you have it in your new pic, and when you go to repot, downsize to a smaller,
much shallower pot.
:)

The only way I can get the aerial roots is to let the foliage get crowded and keep it in a box with lot of humidity. I too like the smaller compact look now though, It was growing extra branches off the back side which were lost and I do not really miss them either. I was looking at a smaller rectangular tray online I wanted to get, mainly as it was close to teh color of the pot I have it in which looks good to me. Thanks for the virt as I was thinking the smaller pot makes the tree look more sizable.

ed
 

edprocoat

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The last picture is after defoliation. The leaves up top are between 1/2 an inch to almost an inch, a few of the ones under the canopy are larger as they do not get the light, its the amount of light that decides the size of the leaves on these things, less light and they grow bigger to try and gather more light. The tree itslef is just under 10 inches tall at the topmost leaf.

ed
 

Bob O

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Sweet little Schiff!
Humidity is the only way these guys will readily produce aerial roots. I have a monster that I cannot lift by myself, I defoliated it last weekend, I will get a current photo and post it if you guys would like to see it.

Bob O
 

edprocoat

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I would love to see it Bob O, what you waiting for? I get almost as much enjoyment from looking at others trees as I do working with mine.

ed
 

Bob O

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Ok Ed, I don't want to hijack your thread so will be posting my own in a bit.

Thanks for your interest,

Bob O
 

Ariadne

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Yes, she's quite a beauty indeed! Looks stunning In her new digs. Good job!
 
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