Rubber Plant: The plant that can grow under low maintenance
Have you ever seen a Rubber plant’s leaves closely? They feel sooo smooth and glossy!! Rubber plant is another good option if you are looking for a low maintenance plant to beautify your house corner. Being an air purifying plant Rubber plant produces huge amounts of oxygen in the air giving pure air around to breathe.
Rubber plant does not need too much light and too much water to grow and sustain. It can stay happy with a small amount of water and sunlight.
Health Benefits:
Rubber Plant kills air bacteria up to 60% to 65% and removes pollutants from the air such as formaldehyde. Its large leaves help to absorb the amount of carbon-di-oxide and carbon monoxide and makes air more breathable.
Keep away your pets from the Rubber Plant, they are sometimes toxic for them.
Pot Selection:
Clay or Terracotta pots, 1/3 larger than the root ball.
Temperature:
60° to 80° F
Sunlight:
Soil:
Bright but not too hot, so basically it prefers indirect sunlight plus some shadow in between. You can choose a corner of your house
where you find soothing sunlight which does not give a burning experience.
Any kind of soil with is suitable for the Rubber plant but it should be Well-drained, well-aerated. Peat moss and sand mixture can also be used as potting mixture (pH range 5 to 7.5).
Water needs:
At Least once a week, to keep the soil moist which can help the plant growth. You can spray some showers of water if you feel it dried but remember, too much water will cause your rubber plant to fall sick.
Fertilizers:
Usually Rubber plants don't need fertilizers but adding fertilizers occasionally is good for plants so you can do so every 3 months with
10-10-10 NPK fertilizers.
Pests and Cure
Rubber Plants are a point of attraction for the pests with their thick, soft and fleshy leaves. Spider mites, fungus, pests like aphids and insects are common for Rubber Plants.
Observe your Rubber Plant leaves for holes on them, sticky residue or small drop-like structure which can be insect’s eggs or yellowing.
If you see such crisis wandering around your Rubber Plant then just keep it away from other plants then wash it gently from top to bottom.
Last and most important, You can use horticulture oils to make your Rubber Plant get rid of pests but make sure they are good to use on your delicate plants.
Neem oil can be one of the options. Do not forget to dilute Neem oil into the water and spray it over the Rubber plant. Keep it aside for 2-3 days and wash it gently. This process can be repeated twice or thrice until you see the pests have moved away from your plant.
In between you can simply take a wet cloth and wipe out the dirt and dust from the Rubber plan’s leaves.
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Note: DO NOT put the Rubber plant in direct sunlight with Neem oil on it, it will just burn off your plant.
Repotting Rubber Plant
Observe the growth of your Rubber Plant. Even if it is low maintenance plant, repotting is must every one or two year. If you see the roots peeping out of the drainage hole or coming out through the top of the soil or just stuck to the sides of the pot, it is the time to repot your Rubber Plant.
Choose a pot which is 1 or 2 inches larger in diameter compared to its current pot the plant is potted in.
Rubber Plant Care
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If you see that the leaves of your Rubber Plant are drooping down or changing color to dark brown/yellowish brown it indicates that the plant is either overwatered or underwatered, The top layer of the soil will help you know the root cause to take further precaution while watering the plant.
(Remember: Dark brown leaves: Overwatered, Yellowish Brown leaves: underwatered)
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Trim out some of the leaves from the top of the tree near their internode (Joint where the leaf is connected to the stem), it will help to grow that upward and outward.
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You may see some yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant. It is because the top-layered leaves form a canopy and the bottom-layered leaves do not get adequate sunlight. Just cut down the leaves which are prominently yellow.