I would love to create one...Does anybody know what the best way to start is?

I have two options right now. I have a schefflera in one pot with 5 separate stems. It's fairly well established, and the stalks are about 3/8" in diameter. But, the 5 base stems aren't clustered together, they are pretty evenly spread out around an 8" pot. Will I do damage if I split them and re-pot them closer together so they can be more readily braided together?

The second option is that I have two separate starter plants with two each stems. I could just pot those toghether for 4 stems to braid and they will automatically be as close as they need to be. The only downside on that is that the stems are new and tiny...probably a good place to start, but I'm impatient sometimes and want the big thick stems NOW! hahaha okay, I can wait.

Any other suggestions, things to avoid, etc...would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Back, Jiffymouse!!

I definitely mean a braided schefflera, though I bet a dracaena is cool too. I have a three stalk dracaena that is too top-heavy...it tips over when not sitting against a wall. It was a forgotten orphan that really needs some love, so I think I'll just try to get it healthy.

Here is a pic of a braided schefflera (one of my friends calls it the Chef-Boy-Ardee plant)

The way the nurseries do this is buy growing the plants separate first and trim them as they grow so they don't sucker. Once they are tall enough then they braid them. You would need to grow your schefflera that way before you could braid.

Somewhere on my computer I have photos of them making them at a nursery. I will try and dig them up.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

Schefflera needs very little water and the less you give it within reason the smaller the new shoots will be. With this in mind if you do decide to go with your impatient side if you take your tree out of it's pot, cut with a sterilized knife to seperate them and carfully cut the roots away from one side of the root mass so that they will all be close together you can just cut off an equal amount of leaves in area compared to the area you took off of the roots and they should be fine. Try to cut the pieces so that they will fit together tight and not move around and it will be easier to braid and the braiding will be easier on them. You should read up on bonsai a bit as that will help you train it to be more like the pic you put up. Find the most porous soil you can also so that the roots won't stay wet to long. All and all you'd probably be better off doing it from scratch but I don't think it will kill them at all, it'll just be harder to get them close.
Why the Cheff Boy-Ardee plant?

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The answers will come when needed. Otherwise, I'm guesing time will make me feel silly.