Hello I have a dwarf umbrella tree I bought about a month ago.
I think it might have a fungus or the soil was too wet at first. I try to keep it dry now but the leaves still start turning brown then fall off. live in a East facing apartment not much light, which is pretty dry right not.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
You have purchased a Schefflera arboricola, variegated leaf, commonly called an Umbrella Plant.
A few points about this plant:
- Likes bright room but not direct, full sun – East exposure will be ok if it gets lots of morning sun.
- Maintain consistent soil moisture – Do not let the plant dry out between watering. Water soil slowly, ensuring adequate absorption and drain excess water if required.
- Don’t move once plant is sufficiently stable in one location. Plants will adapt to the light conditions, and if changed, the plant will drop leaves due to stress.
- Keep plant away from drafty windows in the winter or heaters such as electric baseboards or radiators, where they get blasted with hot air.
- Fertilize with a liquid tropical plant fertilizer during the growing season (March – August) per instructions on the bottle.
I see you have some browning on the tips, likely caused by inconsistent watering if you have let the plant dry out. Those leaves can be removed and once you have returned to a normal watering schedule, the plant should recover. The lower leaves visible in the photo look healthy.
Refer to our website: www.torontomastergardeners.ca for more information on tropical house plants.