Schefflera help!

[glass_shark]

I've had this guy for a couple of months. Schefflera are ones I've struggled a bit with, over watering mainly, but the two I keep inside are doing better now. This one has been outside, I've tried shade, sun, it's not seeming to want to cooperate lately. I defoliated it and cut back some of the branches when I brought it home, and since then two of the branches have turned black about an inch in, you can see in the first pic. The growth on the one branch looks good, and there's some buds, but not much activity. I'm worried I'm killing it, any tips for a noobie? I'm considering bringing it inside since the other two I have inside are doing a lot better, but overall I've had less luck with this plant than others I've gotten.

 

[luvinthemountains]

I have been working one for about a year, and it seems to enjoy being outside in the summer. It did take a while (2-3 weeks) to start sprouting after a full defoliation, so some patience might be good for your sanity. Full sun should be fine in Raleigh. The soil can dry out a little more than a ficus would like, but not too dry.

As for the blackening branches, I am really not sure but, on the off chance it is some kind of disease, I would snip those branches back to healthy tissue, using sterilized scissors or cutter. Good luck!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

We had these in our landscape in SoCal. They stood in full sun and were quite adaptable to either wet or dry conditions, though they did better when wet. The only way to keep them somewhat compact was to cut them back hard and defoliate them. Then they were good for perhaps two years before you had to do it again.