How Often Do You Water A Rubber Tree Plant

Everything Y'all Need to Know for Your Safety Tree Plant Care

SaveComments

Nosotros independently select these products—if y'all buy from one of our links, nosotros may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

In contempo years, the ubiquitous fiddle foliage fig has dominated all other entrants in the competition for most popular in-house tree-like plants. Just we think it's time to give this understated but stately tree — with its large, deep green leaves — a 2nd look and another risk. Here's how to maintain a rubber plant as a hitting role of your domicile decor for years to come.

For more than content similar this follow

About Rubber Plants

Rubber trees, formally ficus elastica, tin can be enjoyed as either medium-sized business firm plants or grown to become focal bespeak, beautiful indoor trees. If you're patient enough to abound your ain, plants that start out younger when you buy them adapt better to indoor living than starting with a more mature plant. They tin abound to impressive heights within a few years, especially if y'all put the plants exterior during the summertime. Keeping the plants in small pots will restrict their growth, if you lot want to keep them smaller.

(Epitome credit: Emily Billings)

Soil for Safe Plants

Rubber plants don't like to sit down in water, and so a well-draining soil is important. Firm Plant Expert suggests, in particular, that a "well-draining and well-aerated potting soil is needed. ane part peat, 1 part pine bark and 1 part coarse sand (or perlite) is a adept mix."

Calorie-free Requirements

Rubber plants similar brilliant light and a lot of information technology, but not direct sunlight. A sunny spot shielded by a sheer curtain is often perfect for prophylactic plants. You can tell if your condom constitute needs more low-cal if it becomes leggy, its leaves lose their luster, and lower leaves autumn off.

Watering and Fertilizing Your Rubber Plant

Rubber plants' water needs vary according to flavor: In the growing season (summer), the plant should be kept moist. This includes wiping the leaves with a damp textile or even misting them. During the dormant season, your establish may only need water once or twice a calendar month. Watch for droopy leaves, which indicate a need for more water. Leaves that turn yellowish and brown and driblet indicate over-watering.

Mist during whatever season if they air is as well dry, especially heated dry air like that which might occur during winter indoors.

Some other tip is to water with lukewarm water. Flower Shop Network explains, "Permit cold tap water to stand until room temperature as this allows chlorine to evaporate and reduces the shock that cold water can cause to plant roots."

Fertilize your rubber plant during the growing season but, as is typical with most indoor plants.

(Image credit: Emily Billings)

Pruning and Re-potting Rubber Plants

Aside from removing dead or dying leaves, rubber plants don't crave much pruning. However, for shaping, keep the following in heed: Don't cutting off the height until your plant reaches the desired summit. When you practise cut off the top, your plant will co-operative out. You tin ever clip to your desired shape by cutting dorsum unruly branches. Pruning in spring or summer is all-time only not absolutely necessary.

If you don't re-pot your plants, they volition not grow. However, don't put rubber plants in pots that are also large. Transplanting to pots that are nigh an inch bigger in diameter than the previous pot is a skilful dominion of thumb.

Burgundy Rubber Plant in 1 quart pot from Etsy; xv.99 plus $vii.95 shipping

Propagating Rubber Plants

Once your friends and family meet how gorgeous your rubber establish is, they'll probably want one of their own. Although it doesn't always piece of work perfectly, safety plants are one of those plants that you lot can merely hack a slice from and stick in soil and they tin grow. Allowing the sap to dry out, dipping the cut in rooting medium, and adding a heating pad under the pot with the cutting in it can increase your chances of success.

You can as well air layer, which Gardening Know How explains: "Another method, called air layering, is where yous make a cut in a healthy rubber tree houseplant, put a toothpick in the hole, then pack damp moss effectually the cut. After that, you wrap it with plastic wrap to go on the wet level higher. Once roots brainstorm to appear, cutting the branch off and plant."

To promote new leaf growth where leaves have fallen, cutting a notch in the node from which the leaf brutal.

10″ Burgundy Ficus Rubber Plant from Garden Appurtenances Directly; $39.99 plus shipping

Indoor vs. Outdoors

If you alive in U.S. zones x and xi, you can abound condom plants outdoors. (If y'all are able to protect them during the winter, zone 9 is possible every bit well.) Otherwise, keep them in a container to bring in during the colder months, one time it dips to 30 degrees. Identify them in shade, or dappled sun, where they can grow up to 100 feet. Due to their size, they make great infinite dividers and privacy screening on patios and decks.