How to grow Polyscias? Mastering these care methods is key

Polyscias is very easy to grow; it can grow outdoors in full sun and even indoors with no natural light at all under fluorescent lamps. However, it is actually quite sensitive to changes in its environment. When it has just moved, it has not yet adapted to the new environment, so it tends to drop leaves heavily. Once the leaves of the Ming aralia (Polyscias fruticosa) are about to fall, they either drop as a whole leaf from the main stem, or they turn yellow bit by bit before falling. Once yellow, they can never recover. With sufficient water and nutrients, it will grow very vigorously and quickly. But watering every day is too much; the roots of the Ming aralia can adapt to dryness but are very afraid of being soaked, and if watered too wet it rots easily.

Below we will take the round-leaf Polyscias (Polyscias scutellaria) as an example to look at the specific care methods for Polyscias.

1. Light

It needs bright light. Insufficient light easily causes leggy stems and leaves, dull leaf color, and fading of markings, but at the same time it also dislikes strong direct sunlight, especially in early summer after a long rainy spell clears up, when the leaves must be protected from sunburn. For household potted plants, it can usually be placed in a well-ventilated spot near a south-facing window or opening; in summer it can be placed in front of a north- or east-facing window, and in winter it should be placed in a brighter spot indoors.

2. Temperature

The optimum growing temperature is 15-30°C, of which 20-30°C can be maintained from April to October, and 13-20°C from October to April of the following year. In short, in winter the room temperature should also be kept no lower than 10°C. When the summer temperature reaches above 32°C, it also cannot simply be left to its own devices.

3. Water

Potted Polyscias prefers a relatively moist soil and air environment. During the growing season there must be a sufficient water supply; water again after the surface of the potting soil has dried, and it does not matter if the soil is a little dry, but do not overwater, to avoid waterlogging and root rot. In midsummer, when the temperature is relatively high, in addition to watering sufficiently, the leaves also need to be sprayed with water once a day, which both keeps the leaves clean and shiny and raises the air humidity around the plant. In late autumn and early winter, when the temperature drops below 15°C, watering should be controlled. In winter, the amount of water should be reduced, or spraying can replace watering, keeping the potting soil slightly moist and a little dry, but when spraying the leaves, make sure the water temperature is basically the same as the room temperature.

4. Soil

Loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam is best, providing it with a loose, moist, fertile soil environment. Under normal circumstances, change the soil once every two years in spring. As for fertilizing, household potted plants can be watered with a mixture of 0.2% urea and 0.1% monopotassium phosphate, or a small amount of multi-element slow-release compound fertilizer granules can be scattered on or buried in the surface of the potting soil. When fertilizing, pay attention to the balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. If disease occurs, promptly remove and destroy the diseased leaves.

How to grow Polyscias

How to grow Polyscias? An introduction to Polyscias care methods

Polyscias plants are tall, with dark green leaves and an elegant, graceful plant shape. They are a relatively popular high-end indoor foliage potted plant in recent years. Because their name contains the word "Fu Lu" (fortune and prosperity), they carry the beautiful meaning of wealth and good fortune, and have thus become the first choice as congratulatory gifts for housewarmings and shop openings, and are widely loved by people. This article focuses on introducing their care methods for everyone's reference and study.

Polyscias is native to the Pacific Islands. It likes a warm, humid, and sunny environment, tolerates partial shade, is not cold-tolerant, and is afraid of drought. At home it can be kept for a long time in a bright indoor spot, and if it can see several hours of sunlight indoors every day, it will grow even more vigorously. In summer, avoid direct outdoor strong sunlight. During the growing season, keep the potting soil moist but not waterlogged, and frequently spray the plant with water close to room temperature to increase air humidity and keep the leaf color fresh. Apply a special fertilizer for foliage plants or a well-rotted dilute liquid fertilizer about once every 2 weeks. If it is a variegated variety, note that the nitrogen content in the fertilizer solution should not be too high, so as to avoid the markings on the leaves fading or even disappearing. Stop fertilizing after September, so that the new branches mature and become woody, which helps them overwinter.

In winter, place it in a sunny indoor spot, appropriately reduce watering, and the temperature should be maintained above 12°C; otherwise, excessively low temperatures will cause a large number of leaves to fall, or even kill the plant. Repot once every 2 to 3 years. The potting soil should be loose, fertile, rich in humus, and have good drainage and aeration. Leaf mold or peat soil plus 1/3 river sand can be used, mixed with a small amount of well-rotted chicken or cow manure as a base fertilizer.

Round-leaf Polyscias can be propagated by taking cuttings from 1- to 2-year-old branches. It is not strict about the choice of growing medium, but drainage must be good. It can be done in both spring and autumn, but spring cuttings give better results. From March to April, cut 10-15 cm leaf sections, keeping only 2-3 leaves at the tip, with the lower cut preferably located 0.2 cm below a node, and soak them in 500 ppm indolebutyric acid or No. 1 ABT rooting solution for 10 seconds, then insert them into a sand bed or vermiculite. For small-scale cuttings, a wide-mouthed flower pot filled with vermiculite can serve as the cutting bed. After watering thoroughly, cover with plastic film to retain moisture, maintain the optimum rooting temperature of 25-30°C, and provide 40-50% shading; roots will form in 20-30 days. After the cuttings sprout new shoots, transplant them into pots.

From May to June, choose healthy, vigorous stems, perform ring-barking 20-25 cm from their tips, with the bark-removed width about 2-3 times the stem diameter, wrap the ring-barked area with peat soil or mud, knead it into a soil ball, bind it tightly on the outside with plastic film, and leave a water-collecting opening at the top. If the stem is relatively thin and cannot support the soil ball, insert a bamboo pole as support, tie the soil ball against the bamboo pole, and always keep the soil ball moist; roots will form after 2 months. You can also buy woody stems specially for cuttings from the flower market and use them for cuttings, which also root easily.

Clustered plants grown in the ground can also be propagated by layering. It likes a high-temperature environment and is not very cold-tolerant; it requires bright light but is also fairly shade-tolerant, and dislikes direct sunlight exposure; it likes moisture and is also fairly drought-tolerant, but dislikes waterlogging. Its optimum growing temperature is 15-30°C, of which 20-30°C can be maintained from April to October, and 13-20°C from October to April of the following year. Beautiful plants are usually a bit more delicate, and Polyscias is the same. Its variegated varieties are somewhat less cold-resistant. Under normal circumstances, even for ordinary pure green-leaf varieties, the room temperature in winter should be kept no lower than 10°C. When the summer temperature reaches above 32°C, it also cannot simply be left to its own devices. For mass production, shade frames should be set up; for household display, it should be placed in a cool spot and water sprayed around it to lower the temperature, creating a cool micro-environment relatively close to its native conditions. In late autumn and early winter, when the temperature drops to 15°C, it should promptly be moved indoors to avoid cold damage to the plant. In winter, if the room temperature can be maintained above 20°C, its stems and leaves will continue to grow; if the temperature is not high, the plant stops growing and enters a semi-dormant state.

Polyscias is very easy to grow; it can grow outdoors in full sun and even indoors with no natural light at all under fluorescent lamps. However, it is actually quite sensitive to changes in its environment. When it has just moved, it has not yet adapted to the new environment, so it tends to drop leaves heavily. Once the leaves of the Ming aralia (Polyscias fruticosa) are about to fall, they either drop as a whole leaf from the main stem, or they turn yellow bit by bit before falling. Once yellow, they can never recover. With sufficient water and nutrients, it will grow very vigorously and quickly. But watering every day is too much; the roots of the Ming aralia can adapt to dryness but are very afraid of being soaked. Dryness at most means leaf drop and slow growth; if watered too wet it rots easily, and then it is very hard to save.

Household potted plants can be watered with a mixture of 0.2% urea and 0.1% monopotassium phosphate, or a small amount of multi-element slow-release compound fertilizer granules can be scattered on or buried in the surface of the potting soil. After Mid-Autumn, stop applying nitrogen fertilizer and apply 1-2 supplemental applications of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to increase the plant's cold resistance and help it overwinter smoothly. After winter begins, the plant has stopped growing, so fertilizing should be stopped to avoid damaging the roots.

Prevention and control of anthracnose: This disease mostly occurs at the leaf tips or leaf margins. It starts as small water-soaked yellow spots, with the center grayish white or grayish brown, with indistinct cloud-like patterns, and the edges dark brown; later, many small black dots appear on the diseased spots, arranged in concentric rings, and finally the spots dry up. Under conditions of insufficient light, poor ventilation, and excessive nitrogen fertilizer, the disease is severe. Strengthen light and ventilation, and pay attention to the balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium when fertilizing. If disease occurs, promptly remove and destroy the diseased leaves.

In the early stage of the disease, spray the plants with 80% carbendazim-anthracnose wettable powder at 800 times dilution, or 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 600 times dilution, or 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 600 times dilution, or an equal-volume mixture of 75% chlorothalonil at 1000 times dilution and 70% thiophanate-methyl at 1000 times dilution; the last one gives the best effect. Spray once every 10 days, for 3-4 consecutive times.

Under conditions of poor ventilation, poor light, and high temperature and high humidity, the plant is prone to damage by various scale insects. During the peak hatching period of the nymphs, spray the plants with 25% buprofezin wettable powder at 1500 times dilution, or 40% methidathion at 2000 times dilution, or 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution.

Summary: The above is an introduction to Polyscias care methods. I hope everyone will exchange their Polyscias care experience more.