Umbrella Tree’s Branch Is Leaning

Question

We have a large Umbrella Tree in our indoor atrium. The 2 branches have grown towards the skylights. When the HVAC company came to install ducts, their ladder pushed the branch down and it’s now leaning. Will the branch eventually straighten back towards the skylight or do I need to tie it to the other branch to help support it back up? The tree is about 12 feet tall, so I’m not sure if I can support it to a brace.

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Answer 1

Since it is growing toward a light source in response to a lack of light, it will likely continue on that path. There will be no need to correct the leaning. It will continue to grow towards the nearest bright source of light.

What you can do is use a grow light of 200 watts or greater to force it to grow in any direction that you would like, though once you remove that light source it will grow back towards the nearest one.

The problem with this type of small tree is that it requires very bright, but indirect light. The direct light that it receives for a small portion of the day, while the sun is directly in view of the skylights will be enough to keep it happy, without being overbearing. At ground level, it may not be as bright as necessary.

There is no, real, course of action to be taken. Pruning should be done carefully, should you decide to do so. This can shorten the plant. If you do decide to cut the plant, start with one of the branches cut to your desired height until you see new growth. Then you can trim the other one. This can be intimidating, but they respond well the pruning.

Here is an article that will help you to care for the small tree:

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