i am just a green greenthumb, so i am wondering what the best way to go about encouraging my 3 yr old schefflera (umbrella houseplant) to branch out...it only has one stem...STILL! should I do a cutting...and if so what kind? help!
you can cut the top six inches off it and it will branch. Of course if you do this you will sacrifice the topknot. You could also make a cut down about a foot and put a toothpick into the wound keeping it open until it either makes a limb or roots. I pruned one of mine that was a singular trunk and it's rewarded me with several branches now. I also summer mine outside. sheltering them a little at first until it gets used to direct sunlight. They do grow outside in the tropics after all. If you put them out in direct sunlight all at once they'll sunburn just like I do. Start out slowly and put them in indirect sunlight outside. More sun a little at a time until it's used to it totally. by the way, I have two that I've had now for going on 20 years. One is the one I've cut back, the other has a neat crook in the trunk that I have left alone. Both summer outside until fall frost warnings. Then I clean them off and bring them inside and put them under florescent lights until springtime again. I water enough to keep them happy but not too much. Spindley growth is hard on them. Good luck. It will be hard to cut it back, and if you can't, buy another one at Lowes while their tropicals are so cheap and experiment on pruning off a piece of that one.
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