Large Schefflera With Root Rot

Question

My Schefflera is probably 30 years old and weighs 100+ pounds in the pot. It was the healthiest ever this summer, as we bring it outside for the season, however, the rain has flooded it. We poured off as much water as possible (the pot has no holes). Now that it’s back inside (November), everything is wilting. Should I attempt a re-pot? Not an easy task as big as this plant is. Should I trim off this year’s growth? Everything looks deathly on it and I wonder if it can even be revived (I really didn’t want to drill holes in the pot now after decades. ).

Answer 1

It does sound like root rot and replacing the soil in the pot will help alleviate the problem. If repotting really is not an option, you can try applying fungicide to the soil and that kill the fungus that sometimes causes root rot.

At this point, trimming back the plant would be a good idea. There is probably not enough of the roots left to support the foliage. Try cutting it back by about 1/3.

Adding drainage holes would definitely help as well.