Schefflera in socal

[Stevetoad]

i have a small (2ft) schefflera that i was going to pop in the ground. ive always like the way they look and thought it would look nice with my palms. after reading how crazy there roots can get im a bit nervous about it choking out the surounding plants... is this only a problem in humid tropical parts of the world? or will i have this problem in san diego as well???

[MattyB]

Don't put them within 3 feet of your house or on top of where your sewer line runs. They are great trees and very drought tolerant once established because of those agressive roots.

[Stevetoad]

Don't put them within 3 feet of your house or on top of where your sewer line runs. They are great trees and very drought tolerant once established because of those agressive roots.

will they choke out other plants???

[MattyB]

I don't know.

[ariscott]

Their roots are very close to the top, so I would say 'yes'. So, make sure you give it plenty of room....

Regards, Ari

[Stevetoad]

shoot... my yard isnt huge so space is an issue. anything i could do to keep the roots at bay??? i have a dypsis plumosa and a Beccariophoenix alfredii about 10 feet from where i wanted to plug it in...

[ariscott]

probably not.... I used to have lots of them at my other place, and I ended up removing them all but one and had to grind the stump so I can plant something else there. Put it in the corner somewhere....

Regards, Ari

[Stevetoad]

good info... thanks guys. i think i have a corner for it.

[MattyB]

Pot plant it in your thickest pot and water it deeply and infrequently allowing the surface to go bone dry. This will force your roots to go down.

[Stevetoad]

Pot plant it in your thickest pot and water it deeply and infrequently allowing the surface to go bone dry. This will force your roots to go down.

thats a great idea matt. should i cut the bottom out? maybe i should double up some of the 15 gal. that i have...

[MattyB]

No, don't cut the bottom out, the Schefflera will throw roots down and out the drain holes and over time they will thicken and eventually break the pot. Double 15s sound good. I'd line up the drain holes.

[MattyB]

Here's a couple of Schefflera growing at my parents home in Alpine. They will be removed due to the large surface roots being too close to the slab. It looks like they don't like the frost here either.

[Stevetoad]

thats what im afraid of. maybe i should just get a trash can and drill drain holes in the bottom...then again that means digging a four foot deep hole

[MattyB]

I don't think that'll do anything different than the 15 gallon pots. Unless you build a concrete and rebar planter to encapsulate it, the roots will eventually break through any plastic very easily. The pot and the deep watering just get those roots started in the right direction; down. Remember, if there's water, they will find it and start to thicken roots in that area, so might as well make deep down underground the wet spot and have the surrounding surface very dry.

[The Silent Seed]

I think the idea of a metal can is to avoid breaking apart the sides of the (pot) - since before long, the sides of a plastic pot will split, allowing for "side roots" to shoot horizontally. But that's just my take on the idea...

That reminds me, I read about some plastic pots that are lined with copper (I think) - which the roots do not like, and therefore forms a better root ball, than just winding round and round. I don't remember quite how it worked, but that would work with the 15 gallon pot idea.

[MattyB]

Oh, a metal trash can. I was thinking plastic. The metal is just gonna rust out though. Like you said, maybe some type of root barrier material like they use at commercial job sites that I see. It's plastic that they line the planters with but it's impregnated with some sort of root deterant so the trees don't break the hardscape. I wonder if Gonzer knows about this stuff. Or maybe try the rhizome barrier plastic that they sell for bamboo. Seems like a lot of work.

[The Silent Seed]

You guys can grow a lot more stuff outside, but I'll have to agree, it's a whole lot more work! Thankfully there are ways to do almost everything!

[Stevetoad]

im thinking the same thing. it sounds like a lot of work...im so used to trying to get things to grow that i get all goofed up trying to hold back roots. maybe i should just plant it in a big above ground ceramic pot and call it a day...

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I would only worry about water, sewer and drainpipes as well as foundations or paving. I would not worry about any other plants more than 3 or 4 feet away. Here, they grow right next to other plants without much drama.

[Tropicgardener]

I would only worry about water, sewer and drainpipes as well as foundations or paving. I would not worry about any other plants more than 3 or 4 feet away. Here, they grow right next to other plants without much drama.

That has been my experience with them too........as long as they are away from foundations and utilities they don't seem to cause problems. They are a locally native plant here but surprisingly have been deemed to be a weed species by the Native Nazi Plant Lobby.......go figure

[tropicbreeze]

They are a locally native plant here but surprisingly have been deemed to be a weed species by the Native Nazi Plant Lobby.......go figure

They're not actually a native to that area, they're from further north. In their native areas they're considered to be in balance with the local natural system. Where they aren't native they're considered to be too invasive and likely to throw the natural system out of balance. They're not declared a weed under state law, that would make them a weed throughout the state. But they can be listed as a weed in specific areas, where they don't naturally occur, by the local authorities.

[aussiearoids]

Seen one beside the Mulgrave River south of Cairns that germinated high in the canopy , very impressive .

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Seen one beside the Mulgrave River south of Cairns that germinated high in the canopy , very impressive .

Yes, they are semi-epiphytic. I see them starting in Sabal crowns and the crotches of Oaks.

[epiphyte]

That would be my suggestion...if you have a suitable tree might consider trying to grow your Schefflera on it epiphytically. That way you wouldn't have to worry about it taking up limited horizontal space. Plus, it would grow as slow as a bonsai...unless you allowed its roots to reach the ground. What I would do would be to use some coconut fiber basket liner to create a half basket up in the tree. Then I'd place the roots of the Schefflera in the basket, tie it to the tree and then fill in the "basket" with a mix of bark, peat and perlite. During summer I'd water it at night maybe a couple times per week. You might have to water it a bit more frequently at first to help it establish.

Since you would be watering the Schefflera anyways then you could consider adding a few other plants to the basket such as...Aeschynanthus speciosus, Begonia boliviensis, Dockrillia pugioniforme, Impatiens keilii, Kalanchoe uniflora, Macleania insignis, Microgramma vacciniifolia, Neoregelia hoehneana, Rhipsalis, etc.

[Tropicgardener]

They are a locally native plant here but surprisingly have been deemed to be a weed species by the Native Nazi Plant Lobby.......go figure

They're not actually a native to that area, they're from further north. In their native areas they're considered to be in balance with the local natural system. Where they aren't native they're considered to be too invasive and likely to throw the natural system out of balance. They're not declared a weed under state law, that would make them a weed throughout the state. But they can be listed as a weed in specific areas, where they don't naturally occur, by the local authorities.

Actually their official distrubution is as far south as Miriam Vale (about 50km to the south of here).

You see them a lot down in south eastern Queensland where they have naturalised themselves in bushland, yes they don't really belong there but rarely though do you see them in such proportions that they take over an area and cause any grief.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Tropicgardener

[Stevetoad]

The deed is done... I doubled up 2 15gal. Pots and stuck it in the ground. I do like the epiphyte idea but don't have a good host for it. Thanks for all the ideas everyone. If it gets out of hand you'll see it in the free plant forum.

[tropicbreeze]

Actually their official distrubution is as far south as Miriam Vale (about 50km to the south of here).

You see them a lot down in south eastern Queensland where they have naturalised themselves in bushland, yes they don't really belong there but rarely though do you see them in such proportions that they take over an area and cause any grief.

The references I've seen for distribution say North Eastern tropical Queensland. But in any event, if it was native there they (the "Native Nazi Plant Lobby" as you put it) would be hard pressed to have it listed as a weed. Any group/authority/whatever outside of the native area could.

Anyway, in the South East of Qld I thought the Lantana would smother them out of existence

[Tropicgardener]

Actually their official distrubution is as far south as Miriam Vale (about 50km to the south of here).

You see them a lot down in south eastern Queensland where they have naturalised themselves in bushland, yes they don't really belong there but rarely though do you see them in such proportions that they take over an area and cause any grief.

The references I've seen for distribution say North Eastern tropical Queensland. But in any event, if it was native there they (the "Native Nazi Plant Lobby" as you put it) would be hard pressed to have it listed as a weed. Any group/authority/whatever outside of the native area could.

Anyway, in the South East of Qld I thought the Lantana would smother them out of existence

The "Native Nazi Plant Lobby" I talk about is really just the few radical types and not a generalization of people who grow native plants.....I have been involved in re-vegetation projects (on a voluntary basis) for most of my life from South Eastern Queensland right up into the wet tropics. As such I love native plants and love to encorporate them into my gardens but without being a purist or Nazi