Rubber Plant Care
Common Name: Rubber Plant
Scientific Name: Ficus elastica
Lighting: Moderate to Low
Watering: Heavy
The rubber plant is a popular houseplant found in many homes. Characterized by its thick, shiny, oval shaped foliage in either a deep green or burgundy color. The rubber plant requires medium to low light so keep within 5 to 8 feet of a window for best results. The rubber plant also requires heavy watering. It should be watered once or twice a week, keeping the soil moist at all times.
If lower leaves begin to yellow or die your rubber plant may be pot bound. The rubber plant is know for having extensive root development in some cases. Another cause of yellowing of leaves may be over watering. Be sure that your pot has the ability to drain excess water. You do not want your plants roots sitting in water. Placing 1 to 2 inches of pebble stones at the bottom of your pot usually prevents this problem.
The rubber plant is usually one of the easiest houseplants to care for. As long as the plant receives the recommended water levels, this plant can survive in low light environments. I say this plant is usually one of the easiest to care for because even though I have been told I have an excellent green thumb, this is the one houseplant I struggle to keep alive.
This houseplant is toxic if eaten by animals or children. It is one of many poisonous houseplants that are common in many homes.
Labels: poisonous houseplants
posted by drayas @ 1:40 PM
50 Comments:
Thanks for sharing all these tips. I have a rubber plant at home. I first placed it in a corner in the hallway which limited light got to. I noticed the whole plant turned slightly yellow, or the green rich colour was slowly fading. So I moved it to a west facing window (probably too close to the heater). Tips and edges near the tips are turning yellow or dried out. What have I done wrong? I googled high and low and found no help.
Can you shed some light please?
Hello,
First thing you need to do is get it into a good location that receives the right amount of light as listed above.
Have you had the plant for a while? It may be root bound. You could try re-potting the plant. Try also giving it some houseplant food for some extra boost.
Keep me posted.
Thanks,
drayas
Thanks for your tips. My plant may be root bound, however it looks healthy to me. There are several branches that have 6-8 leaves at the end. The leaves are dark green. I will be moving it in June and wonder if i can cut the branches back. It is about 5 feet tall. Thanks!
teacher,
Your rubber plant can be pruned back. It will actually help the plant quite a bit and help keep it more compact. Try and prune as close to the stem as you can. New growth will typically begin just below where you pruned.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a rubber plant that has grown to more than 9 feet high. I've been meaning to cut it, but afraid that I will harm the plant. So I was wondering if I could still replant the cut stem.
Hello,
From what I've read on other forums and this one below, you can simply put the stems you cut into dirt.
Trimming / Propagating Rubber Tree
Hope that helps,
Drayas
Hello
I have a small rubber plant that was very happy for a few months. I recently re-potted it as the original pot was small and it was growing well. Since then, it seems very unhappy. I tried moving it further away from the sun but that did not help. Many leaves are turning yellow and the green ones don't look that great. I am limiting the water intake in case of over watering but it does not help... can I still save it??
Thanks
Hello,
After repotting, plants will go through a type of shock period. Put the plant back in the same spot as it was before, water it the same. Basically make everything the same as it was before you repotted, with exception to the pot.
Give it a little houseplant food for boost.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a rubber plant that is dropping perfectly green leaves for no apparent reason. Does anyone have a solution to this problem? New leaves are growing at the bottom but when they get bigger, they fall off, too.
I have the same problem that the last commenter is having. Perfectly healthy leaves seem to be just rapidlly falling off my plant that is 3ft tall. It just seemed to start doing it alot in the last 2 weeks, it was full and beautiful now it is beginning to look sad. PLEASE ! HELP
Hello,
Is your rubber plant root bound? Are the leaves yellowing before falling off?
Thanks,
drayas
Hello
A few weeks ago, I noticed spots on 3 of my rubber plant's leaves. The spots are a paler shade of green rather than yellow, and their shape and distribution remind me of the patterns on some butterfly wings. The spots are appearing on more leaves. The rest of the plant is a healthy dark green.
Is this a fungus? I'd be grateful for your advice.
My rubber plant is also dropping healthy looking dark green leaves, they are almost all gone, other than this, it seems fine, i dont get it... can anyone help?
I have had a varigated rubber plant for a few months and have noticed the edges of the leaves turning brown. Is this overwatering or too much fertilizer?
I have a rubber plant which seems to be excessively dropping leaves. The plant is in a huge 3 ft wide pot, so i dont think its root bound. I have it in a corner about 2 feet from a window, but its against the wall. Is that why my plant seems to be stressed? please HELP?
(ps plant is 11 years old with pot changed in 2006 is that maybe wats wrong?)
Hello,
Are the leaves yellowing or browning before they drop? If they are yellowing before they drop you may be overwatering the plant.
Have you changed anything on the plant lately? Where is was located, etc.?
Thanks,
drayas
I have two similar problems with shriveled leaves:
I have a small rubber plant which is only about a foot tall with very little stem and mostly leaves. It has been happily established for about a year. Recently, it has dropped its larger leaves and started putting on new smaller leaves. The new leaves appear shriveled up for some reason. There have been no changes in its environment except for it being slightly warmer (80º) in my office due to the fact it’s summer. Why are the old leaves falling off and the new leaves shriveled at the edges?
A co-worker who has a rubber plant she’s had for several years recently repotted the plant and cut back the stems to about three feet tall. It is producing leaves just on the ends of the stems. Those leaves recently starting shriveling up and falling off also; even the stems appear to be shriveling up. Why?
M.L.Q. - Arkansas
I have a varigated rubber plant/tree. Is there a difference between the rubber plant and a rubber tree? Also how do I clean the leaves. I heard milk works good or mayonnaise but I don't want to hurt it. Any advice?
Thank you
Janis W
Dubuque, IA
I have a rubber plant and for the first 5-6 years the plant was very healthy. Now, some of the taller branches only have leaves at the top and the bottom is very hard woodish color with no leaves. The are tons of new baby shoots at the bottom coming out of the soil. Any ideas why the taller branches will only grow leaves at the top?
Can a rubber plant be pruned? I have one that is 13 yrs. old and huge. I put it outside in the summer and it loves it. It is getting too big for my house. Any suggestions??
hi i only have a small rubber plant that Ive just potted into new potting mix about 5 weeks ago, i only water twice weekly, now the problem is its just started getting spots of a white powdery substance appearing on all the leaves, i have wiped it of only to find it has reappeared a few days later any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I live in north Florida. I have four rubber plants in pots that I keep outdoors. They receive full sun in the afternoon and seem to be doing quite well. Can they be planted in the ground?
srac,
I have no experience with houseplants outdoors as I live in Wisconsin.
Can any of my readers give us a hand?
Thanks,
drayas
I have this plant in my home and I have a cat. He does not seem to mess with it at all - should I still get rid of it though?
Hello,
If your cat leaves the plant alone, then I would leave it. You could always put the plant in an area where the cat can't get at it.
Basically, its up to you. If you think you're cat will leave it alone, I'd keep it.
-- drayas
HELP!!!
One of my neighbors moved out and left their rubber plant out back of our building. I'm in Colorado and it unexpectedly (or not but it did) got cold. So I brought my orphan plant inside. I hot stem showered it (with out the catch all drain pan), and left it in the bathroom with the humidifier for 2 days hoping the humidity would bring it back. Well, no because I am here asking for help. It is currently 2 feet tall and has been trimmed in the past (I can see the scars). Its leaves have turned brown, but it is still absorbing water. I have a humidifier running constantly in its room.
What are the guide lines for trimming and what is not enough/too much. I have been frantically searching to find answers to help my poor new friend. I read every one else’s comments about being root bound, but the plant is smaller than the pot. Would you recommend taking it out and “re-organizing” the roots? Please help! :~(
I have 2 rubber tree plants one is a clipping form the original and mine are next to my front door where there are two side light windows facing the west they receive filtered light through the light curtains, they are doing very well I do not water as recommended I only water once a week at most, I let the soil get a bit dry before watering again. I hope this helps those in need of help.
Hello,
The cold may have gotten to it. I would begin caring for it as instructed above. Give it some houseplant food, but as for watering and lighting, get it in a good spot and on a schedule. It may come back.
Please keep us posted.
Thank you,
drayas
all i have is african violet soil right now. i'm tempted to put my new rubber plant in this type of soil. what do you think about this?
Hello,
You should be fine using the African Violet soil. It shouldn't hurt the plant at all. Remember that anytime you repot, the plant will go through a short shock period so don't be alarmed when it looks bad or sick for a little bit.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a rubber plant that is about2ft. The botton leaves are green and healthy looking however, new leaves grow in with grey looking spots. Does my plant have a disease and if so what can I do about it?
Hello,
Your plant may not be receiving enough nutrients. Try giving it some houseplant food to give the new growth an extra boost.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a rubberplant, and it was full of big leaves, but I had to relocated it. All of leaves fell off, and it only has one new leaf at the very top that has not opened. The stalk is very brown at the bottom up to the middle of the stalk, then the stalk is greenish from there up. Can I cut the stalk in half and replant it in dirt or water to re-root it. What can I go to save it? Please help!!
I have a rubber plant which was recived in October. It was from a flower shop I had been told not to repot it in the winter. It is terribly root bound and all the leaves are turning yellow with spots and falling off it gets plenty of indirect sunlight most of the day. Should I go ahead and repot it? Also what type of houseplant food do they like.
Texas.
Hi,
I have a rubber plant also, the leaves are all very green, I found it to be root bound and I thought in a result of that the leaves were falling off.... So I repotted it and added soil so it could thrive and grow... I have not found that it is growing any better as a matter of fact the healthy green leaves are continuing to fall off.... I seen others reporting the same problem with their plant but no solution, only the question of are the leaves yellow... I can assure you they are not yellow but they are still falling off.... Please this plant means a lot to me if you have any advice I am listening...
Thank you very much
Lisa
Hi again I found this article, I thought I would post it in case if it is helpful to anyone.....
Ficus elastica, also called the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush is a species of plant in the fig genus, native to northeast India (Assam), south to Indonesia (Sumatra and Java).
It is a fat bush in the banyan group of figs, growing to 30-40 m (rarely up to 60 m) tall, with a stout trunk up to 2 m diameter, with an irregular trunk which develops aerial and buttressing roots to anchor it in the soil and help support heavy branches. It has broad shiny oval leaves 10-35 cm long and 5-15 cm broad; leaf size is largest on young plants (occasionally to 45 cm long), much smaller on old trees (typically 10 cm long). The leaves develop inside a sheath at the apical meristem, which grows larger as the new leaf develops. When it is mature, it unfurls and the sheath drops off the plant. Inside the new leaf, another immature leaf is waiting to develop.
As with other members of the genus Ficus, the flowers require a particular species of fig wasp to pollinate it in a co-evolved relationship. Because of this relationship, the rubber plant does not produce highly colourful or fragrant flowers to attract other pollinators. The fruit is a small yellow-green oval fig 1 cm long, barely edible; it will only contain viable seed where the relevant fig wasp species is present....
Ficus elastica is grown around the world as an ornamental plant, outside in frost-free climates from the tropical to the Mediterranean and inside in colder climates as a houseplant. Although it is grown in Hawaii, the species of fig wasp required to allow it to spread naturally is not present there.
In cultivation, it prefers bright sunlight but not hot temperatures. It has a high tolerance for drought, but prefers humidity and thrives in wet, tropical conditions. When grown as an ornamental plant hybrids derived from Ficus elastica Robusta with broader, stiffer and more upright leaves are commonly used instead of the wild form. Many such forms exist, often with variegated leaves.
Most cultivated plants are produced by asexual propagation. This can be done by planting cuttings or air layering. The latter method requires the propagator to cut a slit in the plant's stem. The wound, which oozes with the plant's latex sap, is packed with rooting hormone and wrapped tightly with moist sphagnum moss. The whole structure is wrapped in plastic and left for a few months. When it is unwrapped, new roots have developed from the plant's auxiliary buds. The stem is severed and the new plant is potted on its own.
It can yield a milky white latex also known as sap, which has been used in some cases to make rubber, but it should not be confused with the Para rubber tree, the main commercial source of latex for rubber making. This sap is also an irritant to the eyes and skin and can be fatal if taken internally.
To Srac:
I lived in the coastal bend of Texas which can get into the 30's at night. Yes, these plants can be planted in the ground. Though they can get quite large, I would recommend they be planted close to a house or building for protection during the winter.
I would like to know as well why perfectly GREEN leaves keep fallling off my rubber plant. Do not ask me if they are yellow when they fall. I just said they are G-R-E-E-N! Thank you.
Hello,
I need some more information before I can try and help. How long have you had the plant? Did you change its location / amount of sunlight? Any changes in watering schedule?
Typically healthy leaves falling off is a sign of a water issue. Typically. Please keep in mind that I am simply a person who loves houseplants and try to share my experience with others by providing experiences that have worked for me.
Thanks,
drayas
I am trying to get information on propagation for Ficus elastica. How and when a rubber plants have seeds.
I have a rubber plant that was given to me when a friend moved away, but before she left it with me she repotted it. Since then i feel like it might be in a bad shock stage i keep it about 5 feet away from the sun coming through the window and i water it every week 4 cups just the same as it was getting when she gave it to me. Lately the leaves have been falling off from the bottom up to the top, but i noticed some new leaves are comming in at the top. It's very bear towards the bottom and has grown about a foot, i am just concerned about all the leaves falling off so rapidily and most of the leaves are turning brown. What do i do to help save my plant i want it to grow big and strong like it was when i recieved it. Any suggestions????
What is the best way to re-root a rubber plant. In dirt or water? Please advise. Thanks
hello i have a 7feet tall rubber plant i bought it off my old landlord he could no longer take care of it when i got it it was beautiful now i looks dead it had leaves from top to bottom it was a nice full plant and very green now the stem turned brown on me and all the leaves fell off except the ones on the top and then i had it gettin better for a wile and some leaves start growing on the bottom now its goin down hill again i never start doin anything different it seems like no leaves wanna grow in the middle and its been like this for about a year now how do i gt the stem green again and get my plant looking full and beautiful again PLEASE HELP ME ITS IN NEED!!! THANKS STEPH P.S how can i clean the leaves
I bought a rubber plant in May of this year, 2009, at a street fair--I live in NYC--from a vendor from Florida--I think.
Description of the Plant: The plant grows a crimson spike about 2 inches long that eventually opens into a shinny green leaf which matures into a duller, darker leaf with a dark crimson center vein. Some of the leaves are variegated with crimson. It's about 21" high with approximately the same spread.
Light:The vendor assured me it would do fine in low light. I have windows more or less facing west, north, and east; the north-facing rooms get the most light--low to medium but very, very little direct sunlight lasting about a half hour (enough to mark the time for planting and harvesting)--so, I placed the plant in the brightest of those two rooms. It used to sit about 10' from the window but I just now moved it in front of the window. I suspect it will eventually wind up somewhere in between.
Watering: I keep the root ball moist in the pot it came in (10" diameter, 9" tall) and mist 2-3 times a week.
The Problems:
1.It's lost many of its lower leaves (all the leaves from the old wood and about half way up the green) and isn't replacing them although it's growing new leaves at the top. I nicked the stalk just above where the lost leaves were; the nicks in the green section of the stalks produced a drop of white sap (I don't recall where I saw that recommendation) It's also begun growing leaves from a new shoot.
2. A small bump sends one of the leaves to the floor; especially the older leaves. Some of the leaves are a bit dusty and I would wipe them but I'm afraid I'd wind up with a plant having only new growth at the top.
It's a beautiful plant and I'd really hate to lose it. Any suggestions?
I have a gorgeous rubber plant with large, shiny, dark green, oval-shaped leaves. It stands 4 feet tall. Today, I noticed a large mature leaf on the bottom half of the tree had developed orange/rust colored streaks. One streak follows the entire main vein in the center of the leaf, and the other orange streaks spread out from that, so the majority of the leaf is now dark orange with only a little green still left showing. I see no signs of this on any other leaves, but I am afraid it may spread. Can you please help me identify and solve this problem? Also, I had heard rubber plants do not like their leaves wet so I dust them frequently. Is this a true statement? Thank you for any help you can send my way!
So...I moved the plant closer to the window, 1 1/2' - 2', the leaves stopped falling (there's not a lot left) and all the branches are growing new leaves at the top.
Now...a couple of the leaves have split about half way down close to the middles. On one or both sides there are small off-white specks. In one case the white specs go down the branch a ways. I thought maybe it was sap from where the leaf split. Does anyone know what might be causing the leaves to split?
I have a rubber plant which I have in direct sunlight for a lot of the day. I water it occasionally, sometimes once a month and sometimes twice a week - whenever I remember really! It is growing like wildfire, so perhaps I am just lucky!
Regarding cleaning the plant's leaves which someone asked about, I recommend wiping them with a cloth dampened with milk. Or wiping a banana skin. Sounds strange but it works, the plant seems to love both and the leaves come out super shiny!
Being serious ... does it make any difference if it's 100% whole milk, 1%, skim? Should the milk be diluted at all? Does wiping with milk or banana skin/peel apply to other plants just as well?
In an answer to a previous post:
Blogger drayas said...
teacher,
Your rubber plant can be pruned back. It will actually help the plant quite a bit and help keep it more compact. Try and prune as close to the stem as you can. New growth will typically begin just below where you pruned.
Thanks,
drayas
9:49 PM
"Try and prune as close to the stem as you can." Some of the rubber trees in this forum have one or two stems. Mine is compact and has, as I count them, 8 stems. Is that possible or am I delusional?
Given a stem with one or two leaves at the bottom or along the stem but most of the leaves at the top, could I cut off the upper part of the stem leaving sufficient length to put it in water until it grows roots, then transplant it back into the pot. Meanwhile, the portion of the stem I left, having a couple of leaves, should have begun growing new leaves at the top, yes?
Do I have this right? Should I expect to lose leaves at the top, bottom, or both?
I have a huge rubber plant that has grown like crazy for over a year. It is in a VERY large pot that can't be moved. It has done fine all year until about a day ago it drooped all the way to the floor. I'm a little concerned about this, what should I do and what most likely caused this...It has just gotten colder, but it didn't seem that drastic.
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