Umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla) care

Trees · easy to keep

Last updated 26 October 2026

Umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla) wants bright indirect light to a little direct sun. Water it every 8 days. Water when the top third is dry. More scheffleras are lost to a permanently wet pot than to drought. Pot it in standard compost with perlite. Balanced feed at half strength monthly through spring and summer, and repot every 1.5 years. Humidity: room humidity is fine. Toxic to cats, dogs and people if chewed — the sap carries insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which burn the mouth and throat.

The full-size umbrella tree: large glossy leaves of seven to sixteen leaflets fanned out like the spokes of an umbrella, on a plant that can reach the ceiling. The bigger cousin of the dwarf umbrella plant — it wants more light and more room, and the same care otherwise.

Quick facts

Water: Water every 8 days. Water when the top third is dry. More scheffleras are lost to a permanently wet pot than to drought.
Light: Bright indirect light to a little direct sun.
Humidity: Room humidity is fine.
Soil: Standard compost with perlite.
Feeding: Balanced feed at half strength monthly through spring and summer.
Repotting: Repot every 1.5 years.
Toxic to pets: Toxic to cats, dogs and people if chewed — the sap carries insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which burn the mouth and throat. Keep it off the floor if anything in the house tastes its way through life. The ASPCA lists Schefflera (Schefflera), the genus as a whole, as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).
Difficulty: Easy.
Mature size: 2–3 m indoors.
Native to: Northern Australia and New Guinea.

Watering an Umbrella tree

Water every 8 days. Water when the top third is dry. More scheffleras are lost to a permanently wet pot than to drought.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright indirect light with an hour or two of sun. In poor light the stems stretch and the plant leans; variegated forms lose their cream markings entirely.

Humidity and temperature

Room humidity is fine. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

Ordinary potting compost with a third perlite. They are not particular, as long as the pot drains.

Feeding

Balanced feed at half strength monthly through spring and summer. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot every 1.5 years. Every second spring. Prune hard at the same time if it has gone lanky — scheffleras take it well and branch generously.

Common problems

Leaves dropping in quantity
Usually overwatering, sometimes a cold draught.

Fix: Check the pot is not sitting wet, and move it away from the door.

Leaves falling off: how to read it on any plant
Long bare stems with a few leaves at the top
Too little light.

Fix: Move it brighter and cut it back by a third in spring.

Leggy, stretched growth: how to read it on any plant
Sticky residue on the leaves below
Scale or mealybugs above.

Fix: Check the leaf undersides and stem joints, wipe them off with alcohol on a cotton bud, and treat weekly for a month.

Propagation

Stem cuttings in spring, rooted in damp compost under a bag. Air layering works for a tall bare specimen.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

The ASPCA lists Schefflera (Schefflera), the genus as a whole, as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).

If your pet has eaten a plant, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Both are open around the clock and may charge a consultation fee. Take the plant or its label with you.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. We don't test plants: what we say about toxicity follows the ASPCA's published plant list as it stood on 26 October 2026, and that list can change. "Non-toxic" means not poisonous — a pet that eats enough of any plant can still vomit, and fertiliser, pesticide or leaf shine on a plant can harm it. It also only helps if the plant is what you think it is. It covers cats and dogs only; ask your vet about rabbits, birds, reptiles or anything else, and a doctor about children. Read our terms.

Every houseplant in the library the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs

Questions people ask

How often should you water an Umbrella tree?

Water every 8 days as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Schefflera actinophylla. Water when the top third is dry. More scheffleras are lost to a permanently wet pot than to drought. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does an Umbrella tree need?

Bright indirect light with an hour or two of sun. In poor light the stems stretch and the plant leans; variegated forms lose their cream markings entirely.

Is Umbrella tree toxic to cats and dogs?

Toxic to cats, dogs and people if chewed — the sap carries insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which burn the mouth and throat. Keep it off the floor if anything in the house tastes its way through life. The ASPCA lists Schefflera (Schefflera), the genus as a whole, as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026). If a pet has eaten part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 straight away.

How do you propagate an Umbrella tree?