From my perspective as a Schefflera plant, leggy or sparse growth is my way of communicating that my fundamental needs are not being fully met. I am stretching and reaching, trying to adapt to my environment to survive. Here is what I am trying to tell you.
This is the most common reason I become leggy. My stems elongate with large gaps between leaves because I am etiolating—stretching toward any available light source to perform photosynthesis. The energy I produce is barely enough to sustain myself, so I focus it on growing taller to find light rather than on growing full, lush leaves. I need bright, indirect light for several hours a day. A north or east-facing window is often ideal. If I am in a dim corner, please move me closer to a light source. Rotate my pot a quarter turn every week to ensure all my sides receive equal light and I grow evenly, not leaning toward one direction.
Growing healthy foliage requires a steady supply of nutrients. If I am in depleted soil without any supplemental feeding, I simply lack the building blocks to produce dense growth. However, the opposite problem can also cause issues. Too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer can force me to grow long, weak stems very quickly, exacerbating the leggy appearance. Please feed me with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer diluted to half-strength every 4-6 weeks during my active growing season (spring and summer). In autumn and winter, I am mostly resting and do not need fertilizer.
You must intervene to correct my shape and encourage me to grow bushier. My apical bud (the growing tip of a stem) produces hormones that suppress the growth of lateral buds lower down on the stem. When you prune off that tip, you remove that hormonal suppression. This signals to the buds below to wake up and produce new branches, making me fuller. Use clean, sharp shears to cut back the leggy stems to just above a leaf node (the point where a leaf joins the stem). Do not be afraid; this is the best way to tell me exactly where you want me to focus my energy on growing new, bushier shoots.
While I prefer to be slightly root-bound, being severely pot-bound can stress me and contribute to poor growth. If my roots have no room to expand and my soil is exhausted, I cannot uptake water and nutrients efficiently, leading to weak growth. Conversely, a pot that is far too large can hold excess water around my roots, leading to rot, which also prevents me from absorbing nutrients and will cause my foliage to suffer. Please check my root system every spring. If my roots are circling tightly, it is time to repot me into a container only 1-2 inches larger in diameter with fresh, well-draining potting mix.
