How To Care For A Rubber Tree Plant : Rubber Plant Care

The rubber tree plant (Ficus elastica decora) is a favourite houseplant due to its attractive thick, large, glossy dark green leaves, besides it is considered an air purifying plant. It is known by different names as rubber fig, Indian rubber bush, rubber bush, rubber tree, etc. It is grown around the world as an ornamental plant outside or indoors.
Following are the key points on rubber plant care tips.

Rubber Plant Care

Caring a rubber plant is quite easy if you care for soil, light and water requirements. You can buy a small rubber plant from nursery or make one by propagation from cuttings (how to root a rubber plant from cuttings).

Rubber Plant Care Light

Light and heat are the most important factors on how not to kill a rubber plant kept indoors or outdoor.

1. Position your rubber plant in bright indirect light, but never in hot sun, especially afternoon sun. Otherwise, the leaves will eventually fall off.
2. When the new leaves are emerging, less light is preferred to promote larger leaves.
3. Do not shift your rubber tree plant quite often from warm to cool environment as it is very susceptible to such changes.
4. Keep your rubber plant away from heat sources.

Soil For Rubber Plant

Use well-drained potting mix suitable for houseplants or made by mixing river sand to the potting mix in equal quantity.

How To Water Rubber Tree Plant

1. Correct watering is the most important thing in keeping the rubber plant healthy and growing. Keep your plant moist when the plant is growing in spring and summer, but on the dryer side during other time.
2. The top soil should feel dry to the touch before watering. Add water to the pot until it drains from the bottom into the saucer. Empty the drained water from saucer.
3. Keep moist in growing periods. But water only once or twice a month during the dormant period.
4. Do not over-water. Too much watering will turn the leaves yellow and fall off and your plant will become leggy (Reasons of Rubber plant leaves falling off). Remove any dead leaves. Over-watering can cause drooping all the leaves in a short time. If this happens, it means the roots have started rotting. To revive the plant, prune the plant keeping at least one set of healthy leaves and don't water until the pot is dry.
5. If the plant lacks water or moisture, the leaves will lose their firmness and begin to drop, but still on the branch. Increase the amount of water gradually until the leaves again firm and stand up.
6. On very hot and dry days, mist your rubber plant with warm water in the morning.
7. I wipe the leaves of my rubber houseplant with a damp cloth to remove dust and make the leaves shiny.

How to Promote New Leaves and Branches

1. How to make a rubber plant bushy? If you want to branch out your rubber tree plant, then you have to prune the plant (how to prune a rubber plant). This pruning will force the side shoots on the rubber plant making it bushy. If your plant has only one branch or shed most of its leaves and you want it to make it bushy, trim the top of the branch with a sharp pair of pruning clippers to encourage branches. Two or more new branches will emerge at the end. When these new branches grow 2-3 sets of leaves, then you may again prune the growing tips. This way your rubber plant will grow several stems and make it bushy. Don't throw the stem cutting of the branch, but rather grow a new plant from this cutting.
2. You can also promote new leaf by cutting a fine slit using a sharp knife just above the node where the leaf fell off. How to force side shoots on rubber plant by notching

Rubber Plant Fertilization

The growing season for the rubber plant is spring and summer, give your plant a liquid feed when the plant is growing.

Pests and Diseases on Rubber Plant

Rubber tree plant is resistant to pest and diseases, if grown in well-lit areas, otherwise spider mites and mealybugs can attack the plant (Rubber plant leaves falling off).