Question
My sheflerra plant that i've had for 5 months is not doing too well. It's still a wee bit young, standing at only a foot.  It's green and healthy top, but i fear the roots are not taking well to the replant.  The bottom stems are weakening. How can i bring it back to life??

Answer
Arlene,

Any time a schefflera is not doing well I suspect that it is getting too much water and not enough sun. It loves the sun. Give it less water. It is not a swamp plant and it does not like to be constantly wet. It needs to be alternately wet then dry for a few days. Do not water it until the surface of the soil has been dry for at least 4 days. An hour after watering it empty the drain tray so it is not sitting in a tray full of water. You mentioned repotting it, in the future you should only repot any plant between April 15th and June 15th when the days are getting longer and the roots are actively growing. When you repot late in the year the roots are not growing and it puts the plant in shock. It needs more sun and longer dry periods to come out of the shock.

Also move it to a location where it will get more sun. It needs as much sun as possible. Move it to in front of a south or west facing window with the drapes or blinds open from dawn to dusk so it gets as much sun as possible. These 2 steps will bring it back to the beautiful vibrant plant you love. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene