Keep their soil slightly moist, make sure they get plenty of sunshine, and if you're at a comfortable temperature, they'll be comfortable too.
If the leaves on your rubber plant are looking a little paler than normal, it probably needs more sunlight. Try moving it to a sunnier spot - it should perk up again in no time.
Place plants in bright, indirect light (if available) or grow outside with plenty of room to spread out in zones 10 to 12. Plant rubber plants in Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix. Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings. After a month, feed when plants are actively growing with Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food.
Watering. Your Rubber Plant enjoys weekly waterings. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings, especially during the winter when you may only need to water your plant fortnightly.
Rubber plants like humidity and bright indirect light. Mine is in an east-facing window and is very happy with morning sun. They can get burns/sun spots if the light is too intense. Let the top inch or two of the soil to dry between watering (once a week or every 2 weeks). Remove dead and dying leaves or offshoots.
Yellow leaves and a heavy pot may be your Rubber Plant's cry for help—overwatering is often the culprit. Root rot can follow, turning roots into mush and sapping the life from your plant. Signs: Yellow leaves, root rot. Causes: Too much water, poor drainage.
To make a rubber tree plant bushy, prune back the branches a few inches in late winter. This stimulates branching at the cut. Remove dead or damaged leaves anytime, but always wear gloves — the rubber plant's milky sap can cause skin reactions.
Rubber plants like humid air and appreciate an occasional misting—especially during winter, when the air is usually drier. But if your home is on the dry side, your plant can learn to deal with it.
Sometimes a rubber plant may not be growing uniformly or branches out too much. This can also be remedied by pruning. To promote upward growth, cut the side shoots of the tree – either directly on the trunk or above a node where you want new branches to grow.
Overwatering or Underwatering
“There is a chance the leaf drop could be related to overwatering or underwatering. Give a rubber tree too much water, and its leaves will fall off. Let it get too dry between waterings, and that can make the leaves fall off, too,” Lalicata says.
Trim a 2- to 4-inch section off the top of a healthy stem. Remove all the leaves from the shoot except at the very top. Plant the cutting in your prepared container and mist with a spray bottle. Place in a warm and humid environment receiving bright light.
Remove the yellow leaves to encourage new growth. It's a bit like weeding, but for your plant. Maintaining plant hygiene is also important. It's not just about looks - it can also help to prevent further yellowing.
You can put your rubber plant outside in the summer, provided you keep it in partial shade on the porch, where it's shielded from the UV rays. For a young rubber tree, gradually acclimate it to the outdoor environment, ensuring it doesn't get overexposed to heat and direct sunlight.
If your rubber plant develops leggy growth and its leaves lose their shine and start to drop, it's a sign that it's not getting enough light. Find it an alternative spot with more light and it should resume normal growth. You can cut a notch in the node from which the leaf fell to promote new leaf growth.
If your rubber plant is threatening to outgrow its space, you can keep it in check by pruning the central stem back to a leaf node, which will encourage the growth of side branches. You should also trim off any dead or damaged leaves to keep your plant looking its best and discourage the development of disease.
Rotate your plant every so often to keep its growth looking nice and even, allowing every portion of it to receive light at some point!
It's totally okay to tie up your plant. Rafaelle uses a bamboo stake that he inserted right through the root ball, gently tying the branches that were getting unruly.
The more frequent end of the range will be for spring and summer than you can reduce in the winter. Pro tip - If you use tap water for watering your Rubber Tree, let it sit out until it reaches room temperature. This method reduces the shock to the roots if cold water is used and allows chlorine to evaporate.
Best Times and Frequency for Repotting
Signs that your rubber plant needs repotting include roots growing out of the drainage holes, stunted growth, and the plant becoming top-heavy. Late winter, spring, and early summer are the ideal times for repotting rubber plants.
Rubber Plants prefer a bright spot indoors away from direct sunlight - direct sun, particularly hot afternoon sun, can burn the leaves. You'll find Rubber Plants in different forms including those with dark green or dark purple leaves and variegated forms with leaves mottled white/green or pink/green.
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH RUBBER? Rubber grows on around 14 million hectares worldwide. Similar to palmoil, the production of natural rubber has been associated with deforestation. Also loss of biodiversity and soil erosion due to monoculture cultivation are major ecological problems of rubber cultivation.
Average Lifespan: In the right conditions, a Rubber Plant can grace your space for 10-15 years, sometimes even longer. Growth Timeline: Achieving full size can take several years, with the plant's growth rate slowing as it matures.