I have 7 umbrella plants, 6 are cuttings from the mother plant. Unfortunately the mother's leaves aren't lush green and thick anymore and they have spots, some colorless and others are dark. The stems droop as well. I was hoping you guys had any insight on how to correct this. I have some Southern AG Fungicide I can apply if this seems like a fungal issue. The attached pics don't do it justice but it gives you an idea of what is going on. All the other plants are doing well and even began growing new spring leaves except this one.
Umbrella plant leaves are sickly
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Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Difficult to tell from those photos but I'm also not convinced this is fungal.
Several possibilities:
Several possibilities:
- Pests - check especially for mites as they can explode indoors through winter. Tell tale signs are webbing on the leaves, tiny black spots of mite poo and/or very small creatures on the backs of the leaves. You'll probably need a magnifier to see them.
- Nutrient deficiency - what fertiliser have you used and how often?
- Older leaves senescing - Even evergreen leaves eventually get old and die. Looks like the 2 leaves you've marked are further back along the branches so likely to be the oldest leaves on the tree. If this is the case, there's nothing you can do to stop it. Old age catches up to all of us eventually. We counteract older leaves dying by making sure there's plenty of new ones to take over and judicious pruning to make sure there are new shoots and new leaves back along the branches.
So sorry for the late reply, I got sick soon after posting and then got caught up with family things.
I'll need to use a magnifying glass to inspect bumps closely to see if they are bugs but I haven't had bug issues since I resolved overwatering and getting rid of fungus gnats. I've attached a few closeup pics of a leaf I removed. Better than my earlier pics but not as close as a magnifying glass.
As for fertilizer I've been meaning to see if this slow-release I've been using is fine or if I need something else. I purchased this in 2019 and clueless as to if it's no longer viable.
I've been tempted to cut these blemished leave off but new leaves haven't been growing so I'm worried about ending up with a few leaves remaining and nothing replaces the old. I'll probably end up doing so but wanted to look for feedback first.
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Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Your Schefflera has scale bugs. All those brown "spots" are bugs, or the damage they left behind. Scale insects can be rubbed off by hand, with a discarded toothbrush, or with a cotton swab/Q-tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol. You can also use insecticidal soap, spray everything, top and bottom of the leaves, trunk, and pot. Come back a week later and spray again to ensure you get any eggs that may have hatched.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Definitely scale insects and they suck the sap out of plants thus stealing the plant's energy and food so deal with those first as outlined above.
Fertiliser does not usually go off if stored dry so should still be good to use. Slow release fert is, as the name implies, slow to release nutrients. Your tree could probably do with a fast food hit of liquid fertiliser now and occasionally. It generally doesn't hurt to use both at the same time - solid every 4-6 weeks + liquid every 2-3 weeks whenever the tree is growing.
Fertiliser does not usually go off if stored dry so should still be good to use. Slow release fert is, as the name implies, slow to release nutrients. Your tree could probably do with a fast food hit of liquid fertiliser now and occasionally. It generally doesn't hurt to use both at the same time - solid every 4-6 weeks + liquid every 2-3 weeks whenever the tree is growing.
Will do, thanks for the help!
Thanks, will work the bugs and use some liquid fert to give her a little extra help.
