Beginner Gardening: Need help with a Schefflera plant please., 0 by Teddyjae

Teddyjae wrote:
Hi Al,
It's a pleasure to meet and speak with you. This is my first forum and I spent the day browsing Dave's Garden yesterday, wow what a site. I have always wanted a green thumb and I might have gone about it the wrong way. About two years ago, I started collecting plants that the local super market was throwing out. These plants were not yet dead and I couldn't see them be tossed in the trash so I took them home. I haven't really lost many, some I rerooted and started over, one or two were beyond hope but I tried. That's where Scheffy came from. He was two thin stalks in a 2 1/2 in pot. When he started to do well, and his roots were growing out the bottom I repotted him into this pot which is about 6 maybe 7 inches measured on the inside. I have new growth, a branch at the top and some stalkes at the bottom. Some of the small new leaves, have just turned brown and dropped but others look well. There is nothing on the plant that I can see, no white cottony stuff or little black spots. I wiped some leaves with a cotton swap, there was a little dust but not much.
From April thru September with every watering I put 7 drops of Schultz 10-15-10 fertilizer in the gallon of rain water. I may not be able to spot pest so if you can tell me what to look for, I will. I did notice, what looked like a root on top of the soil, the soil is loose and seems very dry. I stuck a dry, clean chopstick in and it came out dry, no dirt clung, but it did have a dirt coloring to it but was dry to the touch.
I have pictures. Thank you for your time.