New Member with a new tree

Hello Everyone,
I am new here, and I just love all the great bonsai trees I have seen.  I recently purchased a Dwarf Hawaiian Umbrella tree, which I found out from a bonsai nursery is a dwarf schefflera   The price was reasonable on the internet so I took a shot at it.  Low and behold, its not a bad little tree for a beginner like me.  I have had it a couple weeks now out on our patio, and it is actually growing.
My question is, I need to clip back a couple of the leaf's that are sticking out, and not sure if I should cut just the leaf and leave the stem, or take the whole thing off to the branch.  I have a couple books, but haven't found any info on the tree that I have.   Any help would be greatly appreciated.  ( not sure how to add pictures yet, but will figure that out )  Steve

Steve Kneebone wrote:not sure if I should cut just the leaf and leave the stem, or take the whole thing off to the branch.

Not knowing anything about this species is the best position to give advice      
Cut off all unwanted leaves that go over the outline of the crown.  You can cut through the petiole or even take off a piece of the branch if it is too long.  

Steve Kneebone wrote:  I have a couple books, but haven't found any info on the tree that I have.  

In my view the current form looks a bit busy = too much foliage. Well, at least for my taste.  If you would consider some changes I suggest to spend some time on the internet to search for bonsai articles related to this species.
eg
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/hawaiian-umbrella
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/stepbystep-train-dwarf-schefflera-bonsai-23557.html

You will find a lot information.  Your challenge is to find the one that works for you...

And being not far from Wigerts Bonsai, you have a reliable source of info nearby !

But Schiffies grow like weeds... do not be afraid to prune !

Vlad and Kevin, Thank you both for the great information. Planning a trimming this weekend. It is growing like a bad week, but that is ok because it might cover up any little mistakes I make. I will post a before and after picture. Steve

Well, I did my first trimming today. It has been growing nicely on our patio with the summer rains, and had some "stickie outies" around the top. Thinned out the bottom around the trunks, and found that there are quite a few aerial roots coming down and a couple already down in the soil. Then took off some of the leaves around the sides and top to try and keep a shape to it.
Posting before and after, front and back. Kind of like the look so far. S

You don't have to cut the stems on a schefflera, just the leaves. As new leaves start growing the stems will fall by themselves. You should cut off the large leaves first. you will find the new leaves will be about half the size of the cut off leaves.
Here in Chicago we bring your tropical plants out around Mother's Day at which time I cut off all the foliage from last year. What this does is gives me much smaller foliage, which makes the tree look much more in proportion. Plus this way I can put my tree right into then sun without burning the leaves
Looking at the pictures on this post, it looks like you have more the one plant in the pot. We call this a twofe, you get more than one tree for the price of one. Next spring or when you transplant this tree look and an see if you have more than one tree.
I am new to this forum, and do not know how to insert pictures in the post, but I will learn so I can show you my schefflera

this is a test to see if I can insert a picture into a post this is not a schefflera, but a lace leaf fig this is just for the test

I love tropical bonsai. I spent a lot of time with tropical specimens.
Dig the blooms.
Oldman

Welcome Steve, umbrella trees are great for beginners because they are considered almost indestructible. They can tolerate severe drought and bounce back. They prefer to be on the drier side vs soaking wet. I think it was stated before about defoliation; to reduce leaf size and increase light/air flow into the inner canopy for a healthier tree. If you can't see through the canopy into the inner parts of the tree then sunlight can't reach those parts either, this causes dieback to the inner parts. Your tree has been grown out for some time without pruning and I would suggest cutting off every single leaf on the tree. Yes, every single leaf, as drastic as that sounds. On this species you should cut back each leaf and leave the leaf stem on. The stem will yellow and fall off in about a week while producing a newer smaller leaf. The first leaf produced will be the smallest progressively getting larger and larger as the stems grow out. If you cut back all the way to the older/woodier/white bark then you risk the tree losing the entire branch. Don't cut back too far or it won't produce any growth on the drastically cut branch. Dont be afraid to make serious cuts on this tree though, this tree is very forgiving. This species needs very heavy pruning through the summer time but allow to grow out indoors during winter.

Don't cut off the aerial roots. they are an integral part of this tropical tree and they add to the overall interest and impact of the tree, emphasizing, in part, the age of said arboreal.

After a very long weekend I got the picture of my Schefflerra tree I have had this tree since 2010. This tree was purchased in Boyton Beach Fl.

As you can see the tree is open to allow sun light into the tree. Also notice that the leaves are not that big, so the tree looks in proportion. As you can guess up in Chicago we don't have a whole lot of tropical. I have a town home just south of West Palm beach, and my wife and I belong to the West Palm beach bonsai club. This tree was purchased from one of the club member a few year back. I wish that I could get a Bougainville to grow and flower up here in Chicago. I can over winter them, but after the first or second year they don't flower for me any more. I have tried all the trick my teacher hase told me.

As you can see the tree is open to allow sun light into the tree. Also notice that the leaves are not that big, so the tree looks in proportion. As you can guess up in Chicago we don't have a whole lot of tropical. I have a town home just south of West Palm beach, and my wife and I belong to the West Palm beach bonsai club. This tree was purchased from one of the club member a few year back.  I wish that I could get a Bougainville to grow and flower up here in Chicago. I can over winter them, but after the first or second year they don't flower for me any more. I have tried all the trick my teacher hase told me.