Can Schefflera be used to make bonsai?

Schefflera is an evergreen ornamental plant that stays green all year round. It is shade-tolerant and prefers partial shade, and it is relatively easy to care for and manage. It is generally placed indoors in a spot with good ventilation and bright light, or on a balcony, where it serves as a very good decorative accent. So, can Schefflera be made into bonsai?

Actually, Schefflera can indeed be developed into bonsai. As long as you can master the technique, you can absolutely create a high-end look. However, when developing it as bonsai, a dwarf variety is usually chosen and trained into a miniature bonsai, which looks very delicate and beautiful.

Before making the bonsai, we can first prune and shape the potted plant, especially the root system. The main task is to cut off the surface roots and taproots, leaving a relatively stable horizontal eight-direction root plate, and then place the plant on a piece of plexiglass or ceramic tile for planting. Using plexiglass or ceramic tile to grow Schefflera is mainly to make its root plate flatter, which makes it easier to plant in a shallow pot later.

Since we plan to develop Schefflera as a miniature bonsai, then in addition to treating the roots, we also need to control the leaves appropriately and let it grow in a limited space for a period of time, so the leaves will naturally become smaller.

Because Schefflera grows relatively fast, in about 3 months it will grow lush branches and leaves. After removing it from the pot, replant it in a shallow pot. The shallow pot used is generally about 6 cm in diameter and about 1 cm in height.

Next, remove the plexiglass or ceramic from the bottom of the plant, and at the same time prune the branches and leaves appropriately and trim the roots. The main task is to cut off excess branches and leaves, especially the parts that hinder the shape, and also cut off surface roots and overly long roots. Insert a few aluminum wires into the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot to secure the plant.

After the plant, shallow pot, substrate and other materials are all prepared, we can repot it.

This is the Schefflera after potting, and it already looks very exquisite. Because 3 months earlier we had trimmed the roots of the Schefflera and cultivated it on plexiglass or ceramic, potting it at this time is very easy. After potting, the height of the pot surface is basically about 8 cm. Now it looks so petite and delicate, this miniature Schefflera bonsai! Not only is the plant very short, but the leaves have also become correspondingly smaller, making it very harmonious and unified.

But this is not enough; we still have one last step to do. That is to wrap the trunk with tin foil and fill some soil between the tin foil and the trunk. On the one hand, this helps the Schefflera adapt after potting, and on the other hand, it also helps cultivate aerial roots. Generally, after 3-6 months, we can consider whether it is necessary to remove the tin foil and soil used to wrap the trunk, depending on the specific situation.