Umbrella help

[Anth]

I am new to bonsai and need some help with a umbrella tree. 
I got the tree off a restaurant owner who could not keep it alive very well. I am told it's aprox 35 years old and when I got it , it was dropping leaves and going yellow. I believe it was not watered enough and was not enough light for the tree to stay healthy. I took it from him in December and put it out side all summer , watered it regularly and the yellowing went away and it stopped dropping leaves. I then began giving in very diluted waterings with seasol and it started bringing out new shoots and new growth. The tree was looking good and healthy again . I gave it back to the owner at the end of Feb. After about 2 months he came to me and told me the tree wasn't looking good and for me to have a look at it.  I went there and it looked bad . All the new growth had dropped off and it had a sticky substance all over the leaves. I told him that it was in real bad shape and could no longer live inside at all. I took it home again it put it out side on the side of my house.  After a few weeks it stopped dropping leaves an seemed to be stable . I cut it back about April and have just been watering it ever since . In the position it is in it gets the first 2 hours of direct sunlight then the sun moves an its shaded behind the fence. At about 11 am it gets another hour of direct sun and the full shade for the rest of the day. I have noticed over the last week that it is starting to shoot again and am happy with the progress of the tree but also noticed some of the leaves have a black residue on them almost like algae on aquatic plants.
What I would like to know is
1. Is it getting enough sunlight?
2. What was the sticky residue the tree had on it when it was unwell?
3. Is the black algae like substance. Normal if not what is it? And what can I do to stop it?
4. Any recommendations on what I should do next to ensure a full and healthy recovery
I should also add that I live in Melbourne .
Any help will be greatly appreciated
Anthony

[Bougy Fan]

Hi Anthony and welcome. A photo would be great - can help a lot in trying to determine problems. 2 things that come to mind is that you haven't mentioned repotting and it may be too cold down there. Umbrella's usually fill up the pot with roots fairly quickly so it may not be getting enough water. I don't have any experience but being outside in Melbourne may be too cold for what is essentially a tropical tree.


Tony

[Craig]

damn it you beat me to it Tony, Hi and welcome to AusBonsai

[BonsaiPanda]

Hi Anth and welcome,
If you could post a few pics of the tree and substance it would help a lot. The black sticky substance may be sooty mould, a discharge from scale insects. No pics makes it hard.

Regards Panda

[Anth]

Hi guys thanks for your help so far. I am aware that it maybe too cold out side for it and the only reason I have it out there is because of the condition it was in when got it I thought it would need some natural sunlight. I have put it next to the hot water system to try keep it warm.
As far as re potting it has only been in that pot for 12 months and a good 8 of the months the tree as not been in full health .
The tree originally came from what am told one of melbournes best bonsai nurseries .
As far as photos it is a bit hard at the moment as my computer has crashes and I'm accessing this forum via my iPhone and cant work out how to post photos if you pm your number I can text you photos of the tree.

[Bretts]

Hi Anth
Umbrella trees are VERY tuff. They are the one true indoor bonsai so although it will grow better outside I am not sure that would have caused all the issues. This time of year frost will be it's biggest enemy so be very careful about that and less worried about it getting enough sun.
I noticed you have not mentioned giving it any fertiliser? As you say it is re-shooting at the moment I would recommend light frequent doses of a good chemical fert (fast acting). The umbrella tree does not mind dry soil (I am sure mine likes it) so it might be a good idea to be sparing with the water for a while.
Other than that there is not much I could recommend about the black mold without pictures except that it is most probably from the tree being some what weak with it's roller coaster ride. Make sure there is plenty of air circulation and probably would not hurt to spray with a copper fungicide just in case or maybe a systemic drench? Have you tried wiping the black stuff off the leaves?

Oh I had what I think is the same as the sticky stuff on leaves of a few of my figs a couple of years ago. I could not work out where it come from at first but then have a vague memory of finding some scale on them shortly after. Not sure really but it went away and all trees where fine.

[Anth]

The black stuff does wipe off. It is very much like algae you get on aquatic plants , I have never seen anything like it on a tree and that is why I'm concerned about it. I will bring the tree inside and start fertilizing . Do you have any recommendations on a good fertilizer

[mickaus]

There is a particularly good article on these here http://www.bonsaihunk.8m.com/info/ScheffleraBonsai.html

Do you know if it is the dwarf variety as apparently they have different watering requirements. Here is the relevant paragraph from the above link:

Moisture and Soil

The two species prefer different soil moisture levels. The Dwarf Schefflera likes a moist soil and must not be allowed to go bone dry. On the other hand Brassaia will rot if kept in a constantly wet soil mix; it prefers to have a thorough watering and then to have its roots go almost dry.

A good starting soil mix for the Dwarf Schefflera is one half bark and one half inorganic material. For the Brassaia use one-third organic material and two-thirds inorganic material. To make a wetter mix use a higher percentage of organic material like bark or sphagnum moss and less inorganic material like Haydite, Turface, chicken grit, or gravel. Remember also that a finer, smaller particle size also creates a wetter mix. As always adjust the soil mix to your specific tree, micro-environment, growing conditions, and watering preferences.

If you are one of those people who love to water their trees you should grow the Dwarf Schefflera but if you typically forget to water the Brassaia has a better choice of surviving.

[Anth]

It is a dwarf variety .
I must say that I have been a part of many forums in many different hobbies from cars, aquariums, 4x4 , fishing and many more and none of them compare to the response I'm getting off this forum. It truly is a great forum and much appreciated help.

[Steven]

G'day Anth, welcome to AusBonsai and thanks for your kind words about our forum!

You might like to check out THIS THREAD of my Schefflera arboricola. There are some good tips there from knowledgeable members regarding the keeping of Schefflera.
When you have time and get your computer fixed, post a picture or 2 and we will be able to give much better advice.

Regards,
Steven

[Bretts]

Thanks for the correction mickaus I shyed away from saying they did not like being miost as I did wonder about those cute little root over rock umbrella trees they sell that sit in a pool of water. Seems they must be the dwarf variety

[mickaus]

Seems they must be the dwarf variety

They are, I have one sitting on my desk at work, I quite like them but mine has gotten a bit out of hand in recent times and is in drastic need of a cutback. Hopefully going back to a bare trunk come summer time wont kill it