Beginner Gardening: Question about Schefflera.. , 1 by tapla

tapla wrote:
Ok - but it goes beyond that. Here is what I suggest:

* Make SURE there are no insect infestations. Scale, mites, and mealybug are the big 3.
* Get a 1/4" dowel rod from a hardware & sharpen it in a pencil sharpener, then round the very tip, just a little bit. Use it to test your soil for moisture. Toss the globe or use it as a decoration. Push the dowel deep into the soil. If it comes out dark or moist, your plant doesn't need water. Wait to water until the dowel rod comes out clean & dry deep in the pot. A couple of weeks of testing like this will have you watering when the plant needs it & will allow air back into the soil.

* The next time the plant needs watering, flush the soil thoroughly with room temperature water. Saturate the soil and wait a half hour. Then, pour a volume of water equal to the volume of the container through the soil 5-10 times - the more the better.

*After you do that, depot the plant & set it on newspaper over night (or until you're sure the soil is no longer soggy. If a large portion of the soil falls off the roots when you depot - your plant is over-potted. Fill the bottom with soda bottles or bricks & repot the plant - same container is ok, but use a wick. Also, add a lot of perlite to any fresh soil you use. If there are rotted roots, prune them back to sound tissue.

* Melt a hole (about 3/8") through the bottom of the container at the outer edge with a hot screw or nail and push a wick into the hole, but make sure there is soil around the drain hole & that it's not covered by filler material. Do this before you repot - sorry if I got out of sync here for a sec.

* After you repot, secure the plant to the pot so it can't move in relation to the pot. You're going to carry the pot to the sink to water, and you want it secure - see picture below for an idea on how to secure it.

* When you water, water until the soil is saturated & water flows freely from the drain hole(s). When done watering, tilt the container at a steep angle & allow the wick to hang down below the container until water stops dripping from the wick. The hole with the wick should be the lowest part of the container while draining. This will eliminate almost all of any excess water your soil 'wants' to hold onto.

* Never let your pot (or wick) sit in the effluent that comes out the drain when you water. Lift the pot and wick above the saucer or water over the sink.

* The first time your plant needs water after the repot, water with a half recommended strength solution of any 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer. Examples are MG or Peter's 24-8-16, MG 12-4-8, and my favorite, Foliage-Pro 9-3-6.

* Site your plant in the best light you can give it. Keep soil temps at 65 or higher. Wait.

Things move slow at this time of year, so don't expect an abrupt turn-around. This will stop the decline & help your plant get settled so when you get past the spring equinox your plant will be ready to go. You should seriously consider a full repot in Jun or Jul, using a soil whose primary ingredient is not comprised of peat, compost, coir, or other fine particulates. The link I'm supplying is something that every container gardener NEEDS to know if he wants to be on top of his game:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1073399/

...and here's the picture that might give you an idea of how to secure the tree. Sorry the tree looks a little shabby - it was a tree I had just removed 90% of the roots and at least 75% of the foliage from in a 'makeover'. If you're interested, I can post the photo sequence.

Al