Can/how do I prune the roots of schefflera?

Question

I got this plant 20 years ago. A few years back I had to travel and left it with a friend. I’ve returned and visited my friend and was shocked seeing my poor plant. It looked almost dead! 4 ft tall and a handful of skinny, pitiful leaves. The soil was so dry it was almost rock… I retrieved it from her. It was still in the same pot, and I’m guessing the same soil. I pulled it out of the pot to change the soil and found a root longer than my picnic table! What do I do? I didn’t know if I could cut the root so I loosened the roots, removed the old soil and re-potted it with fresh soil. He looks so much better! Now he’s top heavy and leggy, but the leaves have grown back and seems healthy enough for me to cut away. Can I cut the root? If so, how would I go about doing something like that? The main (longest) root is about 2 inches in diameter.

Answer 1

You can prune back the plant to a more manageable size.
You also can prune the roots back.

Pruning is quite simple, just cut the plant back to the size you prefer.

Here is a link with more information.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/schefflera/schefflera-plant-care.htm