Rubber Leaf Plant Care

A number of cultivars with different leaf colors are available.

Rubber leaf plant care.

It s hardy in u s. This includes wiping the leaves with a damp cloth or even misting them. Rubber plants can grow up to 100 feet in their native homeland of southeast asia. 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.

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. But indoors a rubber tree typically tops out at 6 to 10 feet tall. Read my rubber plant care guide to learn more. Outside of the tropics it rarely blooms or forms fruit.

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. They need very little feeding. Rubber trees require minimal care when grown in proper conditions. Avoid lower than 55 f 12 c sudden temperature drops and cold drafts.

Rubber plants water needs vary according to season. Average room temperatures of 60 75 f 15 24 c are fine. During the dormant season your plant may only need water once or twice a month. In order to promote new leaves on a current rubber tree houseplant cut a slit in the node where a leaf fell off.

Want an easy care indoor tree with large glossy leaves. They grow fastest in the warm season and add about two feet of growth a year. This will allow a new leaf to grow quicker. The rubber plant ficus elastica is a popular ornamental plant from the ficus genus.

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 tree plants only need to be fertilized once in awhile. It s been slightly pushed aside and i think now s the. 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.

Department of agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12 where rubber tree usually grows between 25 and 30 feet high and wide outdoors. Over watering another way that rubber tree owners can over care for their plant is by over watering the plant. But others like other leaf color variations and there is a nice choice. These rubber plant care and growing tips will keep yours looking great.

However they drop leaves when unhappy and there are many reasons why. Watch for droopy leaves which indicate a need for more water. The plant is easy to care for once it s acclimated to a bright spot. They re fast growers with the right light conditions and can last 15 years or more with proper care.