Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can I grow schefflera cuttings? I've heard so, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about doing it.
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)

Hi Melissa,

You can take tip cuttings but they can take up to 2 months to root and another 2 before you can succesfully pot up - and usually need bottom heat. Air-layering is a more efficient way and you can end up with a larger plant, sooner, than by cuttings. Air-layering is a great way to prop many plants including ficus. here's a link (.pdf file)

lele
air-layering

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.5 Mad. Hissers
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
?.? Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula (no name yet)

Thanks for the link Lele. I'm not sure that would work on my schefflera though, seeing as it seems to be dying from the roots up. One entire plant (seems there are three in one pot) has died, the bottom all dark and dead but the very top still green. I think the soil couldn't drain well enough. I wasn't sure if it was worth repotting or not. If the roots are rotten then it seems like a lost cause.
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)

yup - sounds like root rot from too much water. Scheff's are very sensitive and not forgiving when it comes to water - better too little than too much. If there are three plants in there I would repot the one or two good ones in fresh soil. You could take stem cuttings but you'll have to baby them for awhile.

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.5 Mad. Hissers
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
?.? Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula (no name yet)

Hi Lele,

I repotted the two surviving plants today. I used the soil I had before (what was left in the bag, not what was in the pot) and mixed it 50/50 with perlite. When I pulled the plants out of the pot the soil was still very wet in the middle inbetween all the roots. Hopefully now it will drain better. The plants are still producing new growth, so I think they will be okay.

Do you know of any plant-specific lighting? I read that incadescent lighting is good for red rays, while floursecent is good for blue rays... Do they make a full spectrum bulb that's good for plants?
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)