Rubber plant – Indoor House Plants

Rubber plant is a most loved houseplant because of its attractive thick, large, glossy dark green leaves. The leaves are oblong to oval, 8 to 12 inches long and in different shades of dark green, deep maroon or marked with yellow, cream, pink or white, other than it is viewed as an air purifying plant. It can easily grow 6 to 10 feet tall or more indoors if there is sufficient space. They can be pruned to decrease their size.

Scientific Name: Ficus elastica.
Common Name: Rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree.

How to grow and maintain Rubber plant:

Light:
Rubber plant does best in medium to bright indirect light. The solid green and dark burgundy varieties can adapt to less light, but the stems may be weak and the leaves small.

Soil:
Utilize well-drained potting mix suitable for houseplants or made by blending river sand to the potting mix in equal quantity.

Water:
Keep soil equally moist. Utilize a pot with a drainage hole, water thoroughly, then empty drainage tray. Be careful not to overwater, which will cause root spoil. Drooping yellow leaves are a symptom of overwatering.

Fertilize:
You just need to fertilize every 6 weeks with a customary, liquid fertilizer. The rubber plant also tolerates ripe compost as a fertilizer in so far that the soil is blended with coconut or wood fibers. You should not fertilize during the winter.

Propagation:
Take stem cuttings in spring. To keep its sticky, white sap from forming a cap on the base of the cutting, place the tip in water for 30 minutes. Expel from the water and dip only the cut surface in rooting hormone. Then insert it into the moist potting mix to root.

Pests and Diseases:
Rubber plant is resistant to pest and diseases if developed in well-lit areas, generally, spider mites and mealybugs can assault the plant.