UMBRELLA TREE (schefflera)

[Nick]

Good morning Chad and Metalhammer, I've been following your post with great interest, it's all very interesting reading your exploits with this plant, does anyone have a photo of what they look like, I hope you both will keep us informed of your success and failures, it's made some very interesting reading this morning and would love to know how you both fair good or bad

[metalhammer]

Chad,trouble was mine got caught in an unforecast severe frost last winter.When I looked at the weather site in mid-morning it said -4c for my area,we actually had an air frost of -8.5c & -11.5c on the ground,I go to work at 1pm & get home around midnigt,it was cold then,about -5c,but I was shocked when I got up to see how low it had dropped,you only had to look out the window to see how cold it was.Had the site said -8c it would've been undercover.I have recently bought another one,but would like to try & rescue something from the damaged one.It does still have one small leaf on it & the remains of the trunk are firm.I'll see what I can do with it next weekend,hopefully the weather might be dry enough I can actually get outside.It's rained or drizzled since I got up at 8am.I might do like you said with the new one,encourage it to root out the bottom of the pot into another pot,Irishman's cutting they call that I think.Well it's worth a punt anyway.





metalhammer.

[themes]

well done chad

[metalhammer]

Nick,take a look at Crug Farm's site,there are pics on there.

www.crug-farm.co.uk/

It's also listed under Schefflera petelotii

metalhammer.

[Nick]

It's not the best photo I've seen, but it's good enough for me to get the idea as to what it looks like now, I still have to say I much prefer Schefflera > taiwaniana by miles, I love the Schefflera > taiwaniana leaf strucher and shape
that's what wins me over,

[metalhammer]

taiwaniana is a brilliant plant,but macrophylla is just radically different from anything else I grow,so it ticks all the boxes for me.I'll just be much more careful with it in future.




metalhammer.

[Chad]

MH,

Mine took -9C briefly last winter and didn't lose all its leaves. If the stem is firm I think it should recover.

Nick,

Follow this link and you will find pictures. John Jerrard's first picture shows a plant about 15ft tall. I don't know of a better grown one. Most of them don't look so open.

Chad.

[metalhammer]

Never been to Trewidden,it was closed the last time I was in Cornwall back in 1997.


Mine did regrow,but it started late,I find they are a slave to the slugs.But as growth was poor,I'll try some root cuttings & re-pot the remainder & keep it undercover to see if it will regrow,nothing ventured ,nothing gained.


Thanks for the help.




metalhammer.

[Chad]

I don't have a picture of how badly it was hit last winter, but here it is today.

Schefflera macrophylla winter damage.

All the leaves that grew after about August have shriveled up with cold winter winds.

In Cornwall I think it would like to be growing all the time, I don't get distinct flushes, just constant new leaves when it can. We don't get hot enough for the later leaves to 'ripen' properly, and I lose those every year. Last winter [08/9] I lost nearly all of them.

Chad.

[Nick]

Thanks Chad, still prefer the S T tho

[metalhammer]

Chad,is there anywhere you can get seeds from?.




metalhammer.

[Chad]

Fan Xi Pan area of northern Vietnam.

Nick of Pan Global has been recently to get some......

Chad.

[metalhammer]

Just wondered if there was any suppliers in Europe,to much to hope for.Will persevere with the root cuttings.






metalhammer.

[Nick]

I really would love a S T to put in the garden, I will just have to take a drive up there in the summer if he's got any growing then,thanks Chad MH

[metalhammer]

Chad,final question,what heat you running your propagator at with the Scheffie cuttings in?.

My main one runs at 21c day 15c night,but I have an unlit one which runs at around 30c for 16hrs & 22c for 8hrs,I can also give the pots direct bottom heat in this one.This one is in a cupboard in my bedroom that holds the hot water tank for the house,it's where I germinate all my palm seeds.I can take things out as soon as I see growth.




metalhammer.