Question
it's in an office with 2 plant lights and has been watered and sprayed almost
every day and then they stopped and let it dry out, as they thought they were
watering too much.
now the leaves inside are brown and falling off.
can you help with information for us?
thanks nanette

Answer
Nanette,

How long has your office had this shefflera? Are there no windows anyplace in the office? Yes, they were overwatering it when they were watering it daily. It does not need misted. It does need bright light 7 days a week for 16 hours a day. The brown leaves inside indicate  insufficient light and uneven watering.

When it comes to water, the soil should be moist but never soggy. It needs to be in a pot with a drainage hole and a drain tray under it. When you water it give it enough water that all the soil is moist and some water goes in the drain tray. An hour later empty the drain tray, if it is too large to pick it up use a turkey baster to empty it. Then do not water it again until it is very dry. The soil should feel dry to the touch but you should also either pick the plant up or tilt the plant and it should feel very light weight. If it feels heavy DO NOT WATER it! If in doubt let it go another day or two. More plants are killed by too much water than by too little. This plant doesn't need to be wet all the time and needs dry periods between waterings or the roots will rot and the plant will be damaged or die. If you allowed it to dry out too much, some of the lower leaves may yellow and need to be removed. Overwatering it causes leaves and stems to turn black and soft.

Follow my watering instructions and get it more light on weekends and longer during the day and it will perk up. Good luck.

Darlene