Brad Herman September 29, 2009 Horticulture 100 Shefflera Arboricola Plant Report The plant I took home

on the first day of lab was the schefflera arboricola, commonly known as the dwarf umbrella plant or Hawaiian schefflera. The dwarf umbrella plant is part of the Araliaceae family, which, according to the Araliaceae Resource Center, is "a family of flowering plants, also known as the Aralia family (after its type genus Aralia) or Ivy family. The family includes 254 species of trees, shrubs, lianas and perennial herbaceous plants into 2 subfamilies. Species usually bear pinnately or palmately compound leaves, and usually have small flowers produced in large panicles." The family is closely related to Apiaceae and Pittosporaceae, and the boundaries between these families and other members of Apiales are still uncertain, researchers say. "Arboricola propagation starts in a variety of ways: seeds, cuttings and air-layers, and then grown in full sun to produce thick full plants" (Herbarium, National Taiwan University). Usually the umbrellas youll find in the garden center will be of the bush form. Pruning the bushes make them full, round and thick with leaves measuring 4 to 6 inches across forming a "fingered umbrella. The dwarf scheff is also grown in tree forms, bonsai and braided just like Ficus trees. The lifespan of a Schefflera/Umbrella tree can be years when cared for properly (NTU). Initially I was not aware of what kinds of growing conditions this plant would require and worried that with my schedule I would not properly be able to care for this plant. However, I soon discovered, through some light research, that the dwarf umbrella plant requires very little to flourish. According to Plant-Care.com, a very well studied and comprehensive website about the care of house and outdoor plants, Hawaiian schefflera requires plenty of indirect sunlight. It has been suggested that a few hours of direct sunlight a day won't hurt the plant, but it has not proved necessary. While using plenty of water, the schefflera plant does not like sitting in water as that can promote disease in the plant, specifically root rot. Though far from necessary, it is suggested that common house fertilizers can be used to feed the plant ranging in use from every 2 weeks to every 3 months, depending on the growth rate of the plant and time of year. My actual care of the plant has been pretty simple. I haven't ignored the plant, but certainly don't look after it with every waking moment. There are 4 windows in my apartment, two facing north, one east and one west. Fearing that the east and west windows would provide too much scorching sun in either the morning or evening I have placed my plant right next to a northern facing window. Every morning, before I depart for class, I open the blinds to allow sunlight in and leave it this way until the sun has gone down. As far as watering is concerned I wait every three to four days and feel the soil. If it seems dry I will add about 4-6 ounces of water to it so that the soil becomes moist but so that no water seeps out through the bottom, nor does it sit on top of the soil. I've noticed that my plant was growing only to one side, the side facing the window, and become a bit unbalanced, so I have since started rotating it every week or so in order to maintain balance. I have noticed a new branch bud sprouting every few days, which seems to indicate the plant is thriving and growing at a phenominal rate. No pruning has

taken place, but I am starting to see a reason for it. Many of the branches are growing very close to each other and seem to be tangled in one another. From my research I have found that the dwarf umbrella plant responds quite well to pruning and is often used in bonsai for this very reason. The tempatures have been constant ranging from 65 degrees fareheight to a high of 70.