Parsley Aralia and little trees

I was given this adorable plant and I just figured out what it is....it's a Parsley Aralia. Do any of you have one and know how to take care of it because mine is looking really scrawny and twigs are dropping off. Here's a picture of it...complete with the poor little "branches" :(

I just love looking at it because it looks like a little tree and now I'm really getting into the idea of growing plants that look like trees! Do any of you grow those? Of course, maybe I'd better learn how to keep this one alive before I doom any more to my care :)

I have the same one, never heard it called Parsley Aralia but it looks exactly like yours so I think it's probably the same plant. I keep it next to a west facing window in my office (with big shade trees outside), but I used to keep it farther away from a window in my house and it seemed to do fine there too. I've read that these guys like water, but I let mine dry out quite a bit between waterings and it's doing just fine (had it almost a year now)

If you like the idea of growing things that look like trees, have you considered Bonsai? Then you can grow actual trees, just smaller!

A year! Well, that's good. I'd like to keep at least one of my houseplants alive for a whole year :) I don't think I have a green thumb yet, but I want one soooo badly! :) I have the Aralia, a philodendron, schefflera, basil, oregano, mint, thyme, rosemary, palm, English Ivy, and some plant that I'm not sure what it is. They're all alive, but none of them are flourishing and some are struggling. Do you have lots of houseplants? Also, you're so lucky to have big shade trees outside your office window! Actually, you're so lucky to even have an office window! :)

I did think about Bonsai, but they look so manicured... I mean, not really natural... like what you'd see in a forest. Of course, I guess you wouldn't really see parsley in a forest either lol :) I'm going to do a search for them right now and look at some pictures! Also, I've heard they're really hard to grow. And if I have problems with a schefflera, that may be waaay over my head :) And, I'm embarrassed to admit... Bonsai are really actual trees??!

Well, I found a whole forum dedicated to Bonsai and they're cool! Maybe I will try it out!

I don't have too many houseplants--since I live somewhere that I can garden pretty much year round that keeps me plenty busy! I used to do orchids, but I had trouble getting them to rebloom for me so gave up--no point in spending $20-$50 on a plant that only looks good for a few weeks and then never again! Right now I have the Aralia, a Dracaena, and a maidenhair fern at my office, and a Schefflera and Chamaedorea at home (all except the maidenhair fern receive the same treatment where I let them dry out a bit, sometimes quite a lot, between waterings, and very irregular fertilizing). The trouble you're having with the herbs could be lack of light--I tried to grow Cilantro once indoors and didn't have any luck at all, I think they prefer to be outdoors, but if you try them indoors you need to make sure that they get LOTS of light. If you want help with the others, you should post pics here and describe how you're caring for them now (what kind of light they get, how often you water, how often you fertilize, etc) and someone will probably have some ideas on how you could get them healthier.

Bonsai are indeed real trees, some trees are better suited to this than others, but by keeping them in small pots and carefulling pruning both roots and top growth you can keep them small. You also don't have to prune them into the extremely manicured shapes that you see in pictures--I guess it's not true Bonsai if you don't do something artistic with them but if you prefer a more natural look I personally don't see anything wrong with that! They can be harder or easier depending on the specific tree that you choose, I think there are some that are supposed to be easier for beginners (I don't do Bonsai so can't provide specific recommendations) but I'm sure the experts on the Bonsai forum would be happy to help you get started

Ellianor, those plants have very fine roots. Too much water and they will rot. Could be what's making the branches fall off. Let it get almost dry before watering and don't let it sit in water. Does that planter have holes in the bottom? When I get home I'll find a link to the care.

Debbie

Thanks Debbie! No, the container doesn't have a hole in it so I probably did overwater it. I'll have to be much more careful....or use a different container.

I have a fairly large one of these plants, as well as 6 other types of Polyscias (they're one of my favorite plant families!)

Debbie has a really good point, and that may very likely be the problem....Polyscias do need good drainage.

BUT.....these are also quite famous for dropping branches and leaves as they grow, it seems to be a charachter trait....I think they're actually 'semi-deciduous', as mine will often do this a couple of times a year, and it's usually when new growth begins (off with the old, on with the new, I guess, lol!), although it does also seem to happen when the plant is under or over-watered.

If that were *my* plant....I'd move that sphagnum moss away from the trunks/stems, as that's a sure way to encourage stem rot.

She looks pretty good!

Thank you Nan! The moss is gone :) Would you send me some pictures of your plants? I would love to see them! After getting this one, I've become enthralled with this type of plant. I didn't know they were in the Polyscia family. Actually, I didn't know there was a Polyscia family :) If I can manage to keep this one alive, I'm going to get some others.

Ellianor, here's the link. I totally forgot yesterday. Sorry.

Also, I'd get it out of the pot and get one for drainage. They also say in that link you shouldn't overpot them, so if you change pots unless it's really root bound stay with the same size. If you need to go up only go up an 1".

Hope that helps some!!

Debbie

I'll try to get some photos over the weekend.....somewhere on this forum I posted photos of the 3 new ones I recently purchased......I think the thread is called 'Three new Polyscias'....not much activity on that one, lol!

I have since had to repot those 3 and they've grown quite a bit.

This one is the easiest to grow. Some of them are more 'picky', particularly about humidity (I find it to be the variegated ones) and lighting.

And, as Debbie stated, good drainage really is a must.

Thanks Debbie for the advice. I think I will repot it... darn, I like that pot! :)

Nan, I found your thread with the 3 polyscias. They're cute! I'm going to use "search" more often... I found all sorts of information about polyscias! If you can send current pictures that would be fun because we could see how much they've grown compared to what they looked like back then.

If it hasn't outgrown that pot you could drill 4 or 5 holes in the bottom. If it's breakable start out with a really tiny drill bit and gradually work up to about 3/8" or slightly bigger holes.

Debbie

Thanks Debbie... I may try that. I did notice yesterday that there's some new growth on one part of it and I was so excited! At least it's not dying! I called my husband over... "look look look, it's a little green thing sprouting out the stem!!" He said, "oh my, what are you going to do when you actually have a real garden!" lol :) We're planning on getting a house next summer and I can't wait to have a yard :)

Congrats on the house. When I was lookin for my house about 12 years ago, I looked at the yard first, house second. LOL

Debbie