Hello All,

Well, I finally took the plunge and chopped my Schefflera Mini arboricola in half. I began by removing it from it's 4" nursery pot that it's been growing in all summer. I carefully removed all the old soil from it's roots then repotted it into a nice pot using a bonsai soil mixture of half Diatomatious earth and half compost...then I did the chop! I then dipped the cut end of the top half of the plants trunk into some rooting hormone and potted it into a second smaller pot with the same soil mixture to root and grow in.

Here's hoping for the best! Thank you for viewing. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.



This is the plant before the chop.


The main trunk after the chop



Close-up of the main trunk's remaining leaves.



The top half of the tree after the chop.



The top half potted to root and grow.

Hi leslie, I like what you've done . How is the tree coming along? has the top section grown roots?

MWid wrote:

Hi leslie, I like what you've done . How is the tree coming along? has the top section grown roots?

Hi MWid, thank you for asking.

Well...there's good news and then, there's sad news. The good news is the top half of the tree is still alive and has six leaves now so, clearly it has rooted.

The sad news is the bottom half of the tree died. I think it died because, shortly after the chop, I let the soil dry out too much before watering it...and the mini arboricola needs to be kept moist. That's all it took for the leaves to wilt and that was it! Even careful, future waterings could not save it. ...sigh...

Anyhow...I've learned my lesson the hard way and I am far more dilligent with the little top half. It's having a growth rest right now as are the rest of my idoor trees and plants. I'm looking forward to Spring when everything starts growing again! Thanks for the interest!

Aww that's a pity, the bottom half was looking really good. At least you didn't loose the tree altogether. The top half could make a nice looking mame.

You are right, MWid...it's the perfect size for a mame! Thanks!

Leslie wrote:

You are right, MWid...it's the perfect size for a mame! Thanks!

Except that the leaves are quite large for a mame..?

leatherback wrote:

Leslie wrote:

You are right, MWid...it's the perfect size for a mame! Thanks!

Except that the leaves are quite large for a mame..?

Hi J, good to hear from you! Yes, the leaf size would definitely need to be a strong consideration. Right now the plant stands at 2-1/2 inches high (6.5cm) and the largest leaf frond is 1.75 inches wide (4.2cm), almost as wide as it is high. Leaf reduction is possible to a certain extent but not dramatically. I will play with it when Spring comes and see what happens.

hope it goes well