Question
I have a big schlefera -- about 7 ft tall which I bought about a month ago. It is sitting near a closed southern exposure window and there is a window facing west as well. No sustained direct light. I water it when the pot seems dry about once a week. I live in the Chicago area. It was repotted just when I purchased it. For the past several weeks, it has been dropping leaves. There is no stickiness or infestation. The leaves are all different colors when they drop -- green, yellow. It also look sto me like the leaves on the tree are kind of droopy. Can you offer any suggestions or help? Thanks! Kathy

Answer
Kathy,

Open the blinds all day, this plant loves the sun and needs as much as possible especially since you repotted it at the wrong time of year. All houseplants should only be repotted between April 15th and June 30th. When you repotted it the days were getting shorter and the plant was going semi dormant so repotting it put it into shock. I suspect that you put it in a lot larger pot than it was in so it now is not using up all the water before you are there with the water pitcher again. This plant needs to dry out totally before you water it again. To be sure of this I reccommend that you get a water meter at you garden center and test the soil before you water the plant. Do not water it unless the meter tells you it is dry. Meters run about $10.00. If you give the plant more sun it will use the water up faster and will be less likely to get root rot. Good luck.

Darlene