Trying to save a plant !
Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2004
by lizheaemma on January 18, 2004 08:09 PM
Try a search for heptapleurum (parasol plant)
The care of the two are very similar and it can be started from a stem cutting.
The care of the two are very similar and it can be started from a stem cutting.
by Jiffymouse on January 18, 2004 09:08 PM
hey crabby. your plant may well be a schefflera variety. there is one called a schefflera arbicola (not sure i spelled that right). either of them can be rooted in water. the way i did it was to put it in a clear juice bottle (one of the 10 oz ones (about 350 ml) and changed the water every week. it took about 2-3 months, but it is growing nicely. good luck and let me know.
by the way, the part i rooted was just the first 4 leaf nodes from the end. they were all still very green.
by the way, the part i rooted was just the first 4 leaf nodes from the end. they were all still very green.
by Canadian CrabGrass on January 19, 2004 12:54 AM
Thanks for the help, lizheaemma, and Jiffymouse, it looks as if you hit the nail on the head with your guess of schefflera arbicola, from what I've seen it's the same plant.
I don't know exactly what size cutting hubby will bring home, but I'm hoping it's big enough that I'll be able to divide into 2 or 3 and have a bigger chance at getting roots. After all I'm starting with some major disadvantages - a sickly plant and the wrong season for taking cuttings. I'll put them in water as you did Jiffymouse, could you possibly tell me a bit more about how you went at it ? How much of the cutting did you put in water ? Did you strip any leaves ?
I don't know exactly what size cutting hubby will bring home, but I'm hoping it's big enough that I'll be able to divide into 2 or 3 and have a bigger chance at getting roots. After all I'm starting with some major disadvantages - a sickly plant and the wrong season for taking cuttings. I'll put them in water as you did Jiffymouse, could you possibly tell me a bit more about how you went at it ? How much of the cutting did you put in water ? Did you strip any leaves ?
by Jiffymouse on January 19, 2004 01:29 AM
i cut a section that had about 3 or 4 sets of leaves. i stuck it in the water so that the first 1 or 2 nodes were under water, but i didn't do any stripping of leaf clusters. i changed the water weekly and only had flourcent light for it to grow by. the lights were on about 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, total darkness otherwise. good luck and let me know how it goes!
by lizheaemma on January 19, 2004 04:00 AM
One trick that I use that you might try is to but some ivy or pussy willows in the water with your cuttings! Both of these plants are supposed to have a (hormone/chemical?) quality that is stimulats rooting in cuttings!
by Will Creed on January 19, 2004 04:07 AM
It is best to use tip cuttings from Schefflera arboricola. That would be the green stems of 6 inches or less with just a couple of leaf stems attached.
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Hubby has been "stealing" cuttings from those plants and so far I've had good success in getting them to root and grow at home - no wonder, anything just has to be better than the non-care they're getting now !
He'll sneak another cutting for me tonight, of a pleant that looks very much like a Schefflera ( Brassaia Actinophylla ) The stems are stiff, the older ones woody and the younger ones green, but the "umbrella", or leaf cluster, is a lot smaller than on the pictures of Schefflera I find, no more than 6" in diameter.
If this is indeed a Schefflera, does anyone have any tips on how to get it to root ? I have no experience with that plant, but I figure I'll try just about everything I can think of to save it
It's snowing again... spring seems soooo far away