Schefflera styling

[Joel Osteen]

Hello, I found a fun schefflera that was a bit of a mess and I am working on re styling it. I have re potted and I asking for help with shaping the canopy. I am trying to create a banyan style and it has such long internodes. I’d like to wire it but I don’t know where to start it’s such a mess.

 

[Forsoothe!]

They wire easily, but you need to do it over and over because they mark easily and need successive re-wiring to overcome springback. You can go from here...

to here...

to here...

to this denuded ~ 2 months ago...

No bragging rights here, but fun to play with and pretend you're in charge and they're following directions.

 

[Joel Osteen]

They wire easily, but you need to do it over and over because they mark easily and need successive re-wiring to overcome springback. You can go from here...
View attachment 306817
to here...
View attachment 306818
to here...
View attachment 306819
to this denuded ~ 2 months ago...
View attachment 306820
No bragging rights here, but fun to play with and pretend you're in charge and they're following directions.

Great pictures thank you. I have so many sideways branches I may just have to cut them

 

[Michael P]

I love this species, partly because it is so forgiving when brought in the house over the winter. I don't wire, just clip and grow to take advantage of how easily they bud back.

You have already done a lot of work on your tree. I suggest that you let it recover for a while, gradually putting it in part to full sun depending on your climate. When it is growing strongly during the summer, you can cut back those areas with long internodes to establish structure. Do this when there is enough warm weather to allow a good flush of growth. At that point you can also select new shoots you want to keep and remove those you don't.

Scheffleras develop quickly in warm, humid conditions. It would help to know where you are located and basic info about your climate. If the tree is healthy and growing, don't be afraid to cut back drastically.

 

[Joel Osteen]

I love this species, partly because it is so forgiving when brought in the house over the winter. I don't wire, just clip and grow to take advantage of how easily they bud back.

You have already done a lot of work on your tree. I suggest that you let it recover for a while, gradually putting it in part to full sun depending on your climate. When it is growing strongly during the summer, you can cut back those areas with long internodes to establish structure. Do this when there is enough warm weather to allow a good flush of growth. At that point you can also select new shoots you want to keep and remove those you don't.

Scheffleras develop quickly in warm, humid conditions. It would help to know where you are located and basic info about your climate. If the tree is healthy and growing, don't be afraid to cut back drastically.

I live in Ohio. Cold as hell in winter summers are 80-100F. 85 here now. Has lots of green new shoots. I’m trying to learn to properly style and defoliate. Having fun

 

[Michael P]

Don't defoliate this year. Instead, prune back to encourage back buds and ramification. Schefflera don't ramify much, but pruning will give you interesting movement in the branches. When the tree has the size, shape and trunk thickness you want, then you can try defoliation, probably several years from now. Shoot pruning should be done every year, sometimes several times a year. If you decide to defoliate, prune every shoot at the same time. The first few leaves that grow after defoliation and shoot pruning are much smaller and stay small as long as that particular leaf lives.

And fun is good!