Low light, tight roots, a N deficiency, an excess of phosphorous from fertilizers with a high middle number, high pH, mites, over-watering, and a high level of soluble salts in the soil can all cause the symptoms pictured on scheffs, so we can't make a lot of progress from our end ...... but you can eliminate from the list anything you're sure it's NOT and we can explore the other possibilities further .... if you like.

Scheffs don't mind getting quite dry between drinks, but they don't like tight roots or wet feet, and they do need to be fed regularly. If you go only by what the odds are, and taking into consideration what you said, I'd tend to discount over/under-watering and suggest it's probably tight roots, a high level of salts in the soil, or a N deficiency. The problem is the fix for deficiencies is the polar opposite of the fix for a high level of salts in the soil.

Before we go further, can you tell me if the roots are severely congested? When was the last potting up or repot?

Al

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What a beauty Al! Thanks for the quick reply. I can only see roots (on the surface) on the bottom inch or of soil BUT when I lifted the plant out of the pot all of the soil came out. Does that mean Imy soil is too dry? Or I should have repotted? Or neither? I haven't repotted or potted up this plant at all. I rooted it in the spring/summer of 2010 and I this summer I thought it didn't need it.

Since the top's been chopped, maybe it's shedding a few leaves in preparation for activation of axillary buds?

I removed leaves from my Scheff about 8 weeks ago (by cutting through the petiole & waiting for the remainder to fall off of the stalk) & am just now seeing axillary budding at 5 former leaf nodes...

GB

"Since the top's been chopped, maybe it's shedding a few leaves in preparation for activation of axillary buds?"

It seems I removed the petiole incorrectly, it hasn't budded, but that may be my fault. I just took off the entire petiole (at the base) and I probably damaged the area that would bud.

Looking again at Al's pic, I was reminded that I have a dwarf scheff. I figured I'd mention that, in case it matters.

If it came off easily, there was very probably no harm done!
If you had to tear it off, that's another story... I cut mine because the leaves were still healthy & securely attached; I just wanted to force the issue.

GB

So, this weekend I repotted my scheff and gave it a bath/spritz with alcohol water and dish soap.

I found three tiny webs but, no mites. My house has lots of actual spiders though. When my fiance finds spiders roaming around the house he put them in my plants "so they can live like on Terra Nova". I sprayed it just in case. She lives on a window near the stove and I can't tell if have mites or the leaves are dull from grease. I tried to cover all the bases. If nothing changes, the next step will be more light. How did I do?

Here is a link that might be useful:

Grace, was your Scheff outdoors this summer?

When my Scheff's come inside, a few bottom leaves yellow. I remove them. Sheff's acclimate, yellowing stops.

What type of stove, and how often is it used.
Scheff's shouldn't be near artificial heat. Whether it's an oven, burner or heating vent.

Spider Mites weave very fine webbing. Finer than the common house spider.
OMG, I am terrified of spiders, lol, how do you do it???

Mites build webbs in-between stems. They're very tiny.
One way to tell if it's Mites is by placing a white sheet of paper under the webbing. Tap leaves/stems over paper.

If they're Mites, they will fall on the sheet. There are red, black, and a few other color Mites. Depending on your eyesight, you might need a magnifying glass. They'll look like little, moving speckles.

BTW, your Scheff looks good. Nice and green.

Spray leaves, daily if possible, especially during winter months.
If possible, shower in sink or tub. If soil is wet, aim at the leaves. Good luck, Toni

Grace, was your Scheff outdoors this summer?
It's wasn't

What type of stove, and how often is it used.
A gas stove, it's used about 3x per week. I hope it's not that, I have a lot of other plants (AV's, ponytail palm, pachira, satin pothos) there.

OMG, I am terrified of spiders, lol, how do you do it???
I figure they get the bugs that give me the heebie-jeebies:)

Mites build webbs in-between stems. They're very tiny.
One way to tell if it's Mites is by placing a white sheet of paper under the webbing. Tap leaves/stems over paper.

If they're Mites, they will fall on the sheet. There are red, black, and a few other color Mites. Depending on your eyesight, you might need a magnifying glass. They'll look like little, moving speckles.

I did this and didn't see anything. I don't have a magnifying glass but, I did have Lasik.

Thanks for your help Toni.