We love Rubber Plants. If you're looking for a way to add a dash of elegance to your home decor, then a tineke rubber plant is the perfect way to go about it. These eye-catching indoor plants have beautiful thick leaves, and can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. This combination of versatility and stunning aesthetic have made rubber plants popular all over the world.
You would be forgiven for thinking that, with all these benefits in mind, caring for a rubber plant must be tricky - but that really isn't the case. Rubber plant care is actually pretty easy - as long as you know what you're doing. So we have put together this complete guide to rubber plant care, to give you all the tools you need to grow a healthy rubber tree houseplant.
Are Rubber Plants easy to care for?
Let's cut to the chase - yes, rubber plants are pretty easy to care for. This is yet another reason why they have become so popular - you don't need to be an expert on indoor plants to keep a rubber plant alive!
In this guide, though, we are going to talk you through a few steps that will really help your rubber plants to thrive, not just survive. It's all still very straightforward, but if you want to really get the most out of having a rubber plant in your home, then just follow our easy steps.
What are Rubber Plants?
You may know rubber plants by one of their many other names; rubber trees, ficus elastica, rubber fig, ficus robusta (for the robusta plant). The focus on rubber is down to their leaves - they have latex in their veins, which gives them a very rubbery texture.
Throughout history they have been used for many different things - from being used to make bouncy balls in Mesoamerica, to being used to make small bridges to cross streams in India (their strong roots being as useful as their rubbery leaves). They can be massive in their natural habitat - growing up to 60 metres in southern Asia. Fortunately, the ones we have on our site will be a much more manageable size - but if you're worried you could always opt for the adorable Lil Rubber Plant.
How to care for a rubber plant
Caring for a rubber plant is straightforward and largely comes down to common sense. If you've ever had a houseplant before, and you managed to keep it alive, then you are probably already qualified to look after a rubber plant. Congratulations!
There are a few key factors when it comes to how to care for a rubber tree plant. First of all there is the watering routine, which isn't really a routine at all. In order to determine whether your rubber plant could do with a drink or not, all you need to do is feel the soil. If it's dry, it could do with a little water. If it's moist, then you can leave it for another couple of days.
When you do water, don't be too heavy-handed, it's just to ensure the moisture level of the soil is sufficient, and make sure you water evenly so all of the roots get a drink.
They prefer indirect light, but will thrive in bright rooms. The best place for them is near to a window that gets plenty of bright light. They can cope in shade, but you'll get much better results with more light in nice bright rooms. In terms of temperature, they are quite similar to us, so if you're comfortable, the plant will be too.
In order to get the best out of your rubber plants, a little spray of mist every now and then will do it the world of good. They come from places with high humidity levels, so a quick spritz with water will make it feel at home!
Here is a quick guide of everything you need to know:
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Origins: Rainforests in South America
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How much light: Bright indirect light
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Water requirements: Occasional, just when the top soil is dry which will be more often in spring and summer
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Humidity requirements: A little mist every now and then is perfect! You can use a damp cloth to wipe the leaves instead
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Soil requirements: Well-draining potting mix or cactus compost
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Temperature requirements: 15°C to 23°C, minimum 10°C
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Pruning requirements: A quick prune before growing season can encourage stronger growth
Propagating Rubber Plants
It's pretty easy to grow rubber plants - all you need is a cutting and a little bit of patience. Cut off from the tip of a mature plant, getting a cutting around 10cm in length, then strip off the leaves and place it in water for about half an hour. Then pop it in some compost, and place the pot in a sealed plastic wrap or bag, and keep it away from direct sunlight. In around three months, you can transfer it to a new pot. That's all there is to it! This is best done in Spring.
Rubber plant care - troubleshooting
A couple of things to look out for. You may need to repot your rubber plant as it grows. Do this is stages, rather than going from a tiny pot to a huge pot. One that is around 5cm bigger than the previous pot is the best way to go.
If you notice your leaves are falling off, you can encourage new growth by making a little incision where the leaf fell off. Like other ficus plants, the rubber plant is vulnerable to overwatering - which can cause root rot and may be the cause of your dropping leaves. Allow the soil to dry more between watering, if you have this problem.
Elevate your indoor plant game with Prickle
We love rubber plants, but in the interest of fairness we should point out that we love loads of different indoor plants - and we have cultivated a selection from which you can create your dream setup. So what will you go for? (Oh, and we also have outdoor plants too!)
We're here to help, so iff you have any questions for our team of experts, drop us a line via social media @prickplantsuk or email contact@prickleplants.co.uk and we'll be more than happy to help you out.