Every home should have an Umbrella Plant. That's our bold opinion and we're sticking to it. If you like houseplants, then you'll love this wonderful little houseplant that manages to brighten up any room its put in.
All you need to do is take a quick look at the Green Umbrella Plant to see why we think so highly of it. Look at that graceful foliage, pretty little waxy leaves that arch over in an incredibly pleasing way. They manage to provide a dense shade of green while at the same time being quite light and airy plants. They are bold, but without being imposing.
If you believe feng shui experts, the Umbrella Plant is also a lucky plant to have in your home, bringing prosperity and good fortune. Getting a little more scientific about it, it's been proven to help purify the air in homes, which in turn makes you feel less stressed and help you be more productive.
We love these plants so much that we want to make sure that yours thrives when you bring it into your home. So we have compiled this Umbrella Plant care guide to make things as easy as possible. We'll cover everything from the amount of water they require to Umbrella Plant propagation - read on and you'll know everything you need to know in a few minutes!
Are Umbrella Plants easy to care for?
We'll save you from the suspense - yes, Umbrella Plants are very easy to care for. Easy to grow and low maintenance. It's just one more attribute about this plant that we love!
They are native to a wide range of different habitats, which makes them quite adaptable. They can cope with some neglect, so they won't die immediately if you forget to water them! This is part of the reason that they make wonderful gifts for people, especially housewarming gifts.
What are Umbrella Plants?
The Umbrella Plant (Schefflera Arboricola Nora to give the botanical name) is originally from East Asia, specifically China and Taiwan. They tend to grow in tropical climates over there, but also thrive in subtropical areas. As an evergreen shrub, they tend to grow low down, but can also grow on other larger trees. Like we said above, these are wonderfully versatile plants.
They are also known by quite a few different names - Green Umbrella Tree, Starleaf, Parasol Plant and Octopus Tree. They can vary in height, you can opt for a lower grower, at around 40cm, or you can opt for one that can grow up to 1.2m, if you want to add a bit more height to your indoor plant display.
One quick thing to note, these plants are mildly toxic to humans and animals, so best to keep out of reach from pets and children.
How to care for Umbrella Plants
Now it's time to run through everything you need to know about Umbrella Tree care. We'll go through each of the main sections (like watering and light requirements) and then we'll provide you with a quick-fire schefflera arboricola care guide that you can refer back to whenever you need it.
We'll start with the watering requirements for Umbrella Plants. We mentioned at the top of this article how Umbrella Plants can cope with some neglect. In actual fact, it is far worse to water an Umbrella Plant too much than it is not enough. If you leave them sat in water, you can risk inducing root rot, which is not good.
The best way to check to see if you need to water an Umbrella Plant is to put your finger into the soil, around 5cm deep. If the soil is dry, you can give it a little drink but if you feel moist soil, then it's best to leave it for a few days before checking again.
When it comes to light, the Umbrella Plant thrives in bright, indirect light. They are used to shade, often living among much larger trees and plants that take the majority of the light from them. They're not great in direct sun, as that can burn those beautiful green leaves. On the other hand, if they are not getting enough light, you'll see that the plant gets a bit leggy.
One thing you can do to really help those glossy leaves really look their best is to give them a little spray with a water mist from time to time. That helps to recreate those conditions that they are used to in their tropical habitat.
When it comes to Umbrella Plant pruning, you don't need to worry as not much is required. If you see some leggy growth you can prune off those bits to encourage a bushier shape, but other than keeping a nice shape, you won't have much pruning to do.
Here, as promised, is our quick-fire guide to Umbrella Plant care:
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Origins: East Asia, particularly China and Taiwan.
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How much light: As tropical plants, bright, indirect sunlight is best. Some shade is fine, but keep out of direct sunlight where possible.
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Water requirements: Only when the top soil is completely dry. More often during growing season and less often in the cooler months. Overwatering can cause yellowing leaves or dropping leaves.
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Humidity requirements: A little water mist every now and then would be wonderful!
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Soil requirements: Well-draining potting soil is perfect
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Temperature requirements: 18°C to 27°C is great, which is pretty normal for a house. Anything lower than 15°C can cause leaf loss.
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Pruning requirements: Just a little reshaping from time to time.
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Pests: Look out for spider mites, scale insects and mealybugs. Remove with a cloth if you see any.
Propagating Umbrella Plants
It's quite easy to propagate schefflera plants from cuttings. All you need to do is take a cutting of around 15cm, and trim off all but four or five leaves (leave the ones at the top). Then you can plant that stem directly into a plastic nursery pot filled with some fresh soil, and cover it with a small plastic bag (for humidity). It will take around a month for it to produce roots, and when it gets big enough, you can replant it in a larger pot.
Use Prickle for the perfect house plant setup
That's all there is to know about Umbrella Plant care, so now it's time to think BIG! These wonderful plants work brilliantly in a display with other plants, so think about what you would like in your dream setup. Have a look through our huge selection, from plant bundles to the perfect lounge plants. We have everything you need to add a WOW factor to your home.
If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team - they'd love to hear from you. you can get them on social media (@prickplantsuk) or email contact@prickleplants.co.uk.