Hawaiian Schefflera

I recently took a trip to a local bonsai nursery called Bonsai by Dori. Home of a very nice man named Maxwell Hayes, Local Bonsai Master .

Long story short, I couldn't leave without this peculiar specimen. She struck me, as my favorite tree was an indoor ficus my mother received when I was born and it died when I graduated highschool!
I decided to take her home with me ( pictures coming soon)

So I had a few questions to see if anyone knows about the Scheff:

1)First, is there a difference between a dwarf scheff and a hawaiian scheff? ( all i can find is about dwarfs and brassaia)

2)Are Hawaiian Scheffs water preferences only top soil beginning to dry out before watering, or maybe a little more dry before watering?

3) The leaves are producing this white coating of what I can equate to what it would look like if there was a residue in my water that is drying on the leaves ( tested this, and it is indeed the leaves themselves producing it. I am now paying closer attention to moisture levels in the soil to see if it's the leaves shrinking and leaving behind a waxy powder. A few curling leaves are telling me that it might be that I am underwatering slightly. Anyone have any idea what I am talking about and can confirm?)

4) Max had made a spiral shape in the trunk ( pictures coming shortly) similar to a cork screw, I would simply like to know how he did it! I enjoy only one single full corkscrew, but I will propogate when I have learned how to take care of it and I would like to attempt to copy it!

Thanks so much for your time!

-Clayton

The term Hawaiian schefflera is meaningless. There are two species of Schefflera. The dwarf one, usually sold for bonsai and houseplants, is Schefflera arboricola. The other one, which grows into a huge tree, is Schefflera actinophylla, formerly Brassaia. I assume the one you have is S. arboricola.
S. arboricola likes to be watered thoroughly, then dry somewhat between waterings. The plant is semi-succulent, so don't overwater.
White powder on the leaves could be powdery mildew. Keep the plant in full sun with plenty of air movement. Meanwhile, spray with a fungicide.
It will be healthier if you keep it outdoors for the summer.
Curling leaves are more likely a sign of overwatering. Plant should probably be repotted in a loose, free draining mix.
Real bonsai rarely have spiral corkscrew trunks. It is usually considered bad taste.
Iris

Thanks Iris!
That makes much more sense since I am a biology major and would prefer their scientific names since it makes life SO much easier. You've helped a lot!

I'm going to see how watering less affects what's going on.

again, thank you

-Clayton

Clayton, there is a good shefflera thread already here. Try the search bar at the top of the page.

Thanks Russell! I checked it out. It was very helpful! Before this past weekend I had never even heard of a Schefflera!

Now I'm keeping my eye out for a golden gate ficus to play around with

-Clayton

kaspr00 wrote:I am a biology major
-Clayton

Then you will be interested to know that arboricola means living in trees. S. arboricola is actually an epiphyte, so you can treat it more like an orchid or a bromeliad. It can take drying out.
Iris

Thank you Iris!! Yes, that makes total sense! I have grown Orchids in the past and having the mind set that they leech nutrients from what ever is growing up in the tree ( and sometimes the tree itself!) really helps understand their watering needs.

To update, I have let the Scheff go about 3 days without watering and the leaves are looking much nicer now. They are flattening back out and the white flakes haven't been back! I only lost one tiny little leaf that was in a weird spot anyway. Thanks for the guidance

EDIT:
Also, a NORMAL day around my neck of the woods has about 70% humidity, recently closer to 80% now that things are getting hotter. So I have to remind myself that my zone is more humid than some others where they are watering their trees daily!

kaspr00 wrote:
EDIT:
Also, a NORMAL day around my neck of the woods has about 70% humidity, recently closer to 80% now that things are getting hotter. So I have to remind myself that my zone is more humid than some others where they are watering their trees daily!

Humidity or not, don't kid yourself into believing people down here don't water every day - and sometimes twice a day.

Russell Coker wrote:
Humidity or not, don't kid yourself into believing people down here don't water every day - and sometimes twice a day.

You have to watch your trees closely until you know what they need. It depends so much on the species, amount of sun, soil mixture, pot size, & other factors, as well as the temperature & humidity.
Use a wooden chopstick or a freshly sharpened pencil. Stick it down into the soil somewhere between the tree & the side. If it comes out wet, don't water. If it comes out bone dry, you should have watered yesterday.
Iris

I believe it is true as they say that watering is the most important and dificult thing to learn with bonsai, and each different species I take on teaches me how to water all over again every time. So far willow leaf ficus in a very shallow dish takes the cake as most tricky to learn, took about 7 months. Second place Bougainvillea.

bonsaisr wrote:

Russell Coker wrote:
Humidity or not, don't kid yourself into believing people down here don't water every day - and sometimes twice a day.

You have to watch your trees closely until you know what they need. It depends so much on the species, amount of sun, soil mixture, pot size, & other factors, as well as the temperature & humidity.
Use a wooden chopstick or a freshly sharpened pencil. Stick it down into the soil somewhere between the tree & the side. If it comes out wet, don't water. If it comes out bone dry, you should have watered yesterday.
Iris

Well, I can't disagree with that. Sound advice, no doubt. But, Iris, with all due respect, I seriously doubt you have any concept of what summer is like in south Alabama. It's hot, and it's humid, and the nights are no relief. It's bad for me, but at least I get a sea breeze. Clayton is considerably inland, so it's much worse. If you want aerial roots, water, and water often.

bonsaisr wrote:
Use a wooden chopstick or a freshly sharpened pencil. Stick it down into the soil somewhere between the tree & the side. If it comes out wet, don't water. If it comes out bone dry, you should have watered yesterday.
Iris

Haha...this made me laugh

We've had some increasingly hot temps here in South Texas, and I'm near the coast (practically on it) with very high humidity. I find myself watering at least twice a day, may have to add a third at night. I had been watering only once a day not two weeks ago. Some mornings I wouldn't need to water at all so I'd wait till the evening. And my most of my plants are in nursery pots, not bonsai pots. The point of this is, watering needs vary from day to day and can change very drastically in a short time. I've learned to watch the plants/soil and water accordingly, not on a schedule.

I appreciate all of your replies! They help a lot. It seems I need to simply keep a close eye, on EACH of my plants a few times a day.

Iris,

What I have been doing is similar to the pencil or chopstick, except that i stick my pinky down into the soil( to the first knuckle) so I can feel the moisture, or lack there of, to help myself learn.

-Clayton