Rubber Leaf Plant Care
If you re tired of coddling the notoriously fickle fiddle leaf fig or weary of picking up dropped leaves from your weeping fig every day try a rubber plant.
Rubber leaf plant care. But indoors a rubber tree typically tops out at 6 to 10 feet tall. They need very little feeding. They re fast growers with the right light conditions and can last 15 years or more with proper care. Avoid lower than 55 f 12 c sudden temperature drops and cold drafts.
But others like other leaf color variations and there is a nice choice. One way this happens is that a rubber tree owner will fertilize the plant too often and this causes a rubber plant to lose leaves. Rubber plants water needs vary according to season. A number of cultivars with different leaf colors are available.
This includes wiping the leaves with a damp cloth or even misting them. Read my rubber plant care guide to learn more. The plant is easy to care for once it s acclimated to a bright spot. These rubber plant care and growing tips will keep yours looking great.
Propagation of a rubber tree plant. Average room temperatures of 60 75 f 15 24 c are fine. In order to promote new leaves on a current rubber tree houseplant cut a slit in the node where a leaf fell off. However they drop leaves when unhappy and there are many reasons why.
Watch for droopy leaves which indicate a need for more water. It s hardy in u s. It s been slightly pushed aside and i think now s the. In the growing season summer the plant should be kept moist.
Department of agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12 where rubber tree usually grows between 25 and 30 feet high and wide outdoors. This will allow a new leaf to grow quicker. During the dormant season your plant may only need water once or twice a month. After spending quite a few years in the interiorscaping biz i found the rubber plant to be the easiest of the ficus trifecta which includes the fiddleaf fig and ficus benjamina to maintain and keep alive.
Want an easy care indoor tree with large glossy leaves. Once you know how to care for a rubber tree plant and it is growing well you can begin the propagation of indoor rubber tree plants. Over watering another way that rubber tree owners can over care for their plant is by over watering the plant. They grow fastest in the warm season and add about two feet of growth a year.
Rubber tree plants only need to be fertilized once in awhile. As a domesticated houseplant rubber plants grow anywhere between six to ten feet tall you can grow outdoor rubber plants if you live in zone. Outside of the tropics it rarely blooms or forms fruit. Ficus elastica more commonly known as a rubber plant rubber tree or rubber tree plant is a popular houseplant because of its waxy leaves and larger than life appearance.