How to Care for the Black Prince Rubber Plant? Latest Care Methods Explained
The Black Prince rubber plant is also known as the Indian rubber tree, rubber plant, and so on. It is native to India and Malaysia and other places, and is now widely cultivated throughout our country. It is a common ornamental tree and street tree in gardens, and is extremely suitable for indoor beautification and arrangement. Small and medium-sized plants are often used to beautify living rooms and studies, while medium and large plants are suitable for arrangement on both sides of the entrance halls of large buildings and in the center of lobbies. Now let us take a look at how to care for the Black Prince rubber plant!
Growth Habits of the Black Prince Rubber Plant
The Black Prince rubber plant likes a high-temperature, humid environment with plenty of sunlight. The suitable growth temperature is 20-25°C. It avoids direct sunlight, can tolerate shade but not cold, and the safe wintering temperature is 5°C. It tolerates dry air. It avoids clayey soil and does not tolerate barren or dry conditions. It prefers loose, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Propagation Methods for the Black Prince Rubber Plant
1. Cutting method: The cutting time is in late spring and early summer, and it can be combined with pruning. For cuttings, one-year-old semi-lignified middle branches are mostly used, and the wounds should be sealed promptly with clay or plant ash. The length of the cutting should be based on retaining 3 buds. Cut off the lower leaf, bring the upper two leaves together, and tie them with thin plastic string. Then insert the cutting into a cutting bed with plain sand or vermiculite as the substrate. After insertion, keep the cutting bed at relatively high humidity, but do not let water accumulate. The suitable temperature is 18-25°C. Frequently sprinkle water on the ground to increase air humidity, and do a good job of shading and ventilation. Roots can form in about 2-3 weeks.
2. Layering method: Select a two-year-old branch of appropriate size, well developed, and with solid tissue. At the part where soil is to be wrapped, make a light ring-shaped peel about 1 cm wide, and apply 30-50 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid solution. Then use wet soil or a moss mixture or water-saturated vermiculite to wrap the ring-cut part, bind it on the outside with plastic film, tie the lower end tightly, and leave an opening at the upper end to facilitate ventilation and watering. Pay attention to care. Layer in June, and roots form in July-August. After rooting, it can be cut off and potted.
Cultivation Methods for the Black Prince Rubber Plant
1. Reasonable fertilization: Fertilization of the Black Prince rubber plant should be mainly nitrogen fertilizer, supplemented with a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Well-rotted soybean water or soybean cake water can be diluted and used to irrigate the roots; generally a 20% concentration is sufficient. Inorganic fertilizers such as urea can also be used, but apply little and often, and do not apply concentrated fertilizer to avoid burning the roots.
2. Soil mix: When potting the Black Prince rubber plant, it is best to use 1 part leaf mold, 1 part garden soil, and 1 part river sand, and add a small amount of base fertilizer to make the growing medium. It grows very quickly in a high-temperature, humid environment, and can produce one leaf every 5-10 days. During this period, sufficient fertilizer and water must be ensured.
3. Light management: The Black Prince rubber plant likes strong sunlight. From spring to autumn, it should be grown in sunlight throughout the entire growing season, and in winter it should also be placed in a place with relatively strong light. But it can also tolerate shade, and it also does fairly well when grown indoors under low light.
4. Temperature control: The suitable growth temperature for the Black Prince rubber plant is between 20-30°C, and it grows most luxuriantly at 25-30°C. Below 10°C, growth is poor, and below 0°C, it is prone to freezing damage. Indoors, if the Black Prince rubber plant is exposed to cold wind, yellow leaves and leaf drop will occur.
5. Timely watering: The Black Prince rubber plant likes water, but it does not tolerate waterlogging. If waterlogging occurs, the roots cannot get oxygen, and yellow leaves and leaf drop will appear. Watering should follow the principle of “dry then wet”; do not water too frequently. In winter, it should overwinter indoors, generally watering once a week. In summer, it should be determined according to the weather and the moisture of the potting soil!
6. Reasonable pruning: To make the Black Prince rubber plant grow evenly and ensure a good plant shape, when the seedling grows to a height of 50-80 cm, the growing tip should be pinched off to promote the sprouting of side branches. After side branches grow, select 3-5 branches, then shorten the side branches once each year. After 2-3 years, a larger plant with a complete, rounded, and full plant shape can be obtained.
7. Pest and disease control
① Leaf spot disease: If leaf spot disease is found on the Black Prince rubber plant, spray the leaves with 800 times diluted chlorothalonil or carbendazim, once a week, and it can basically be cured after 2-3 consecutive times.
② Anthracnose: In the early stage, anthracnose is not easy to find. At first, there are only small brown spots on the leaves. If not treated in time, they will rapidly expand into patches, causing it to lose ornamental value. Therefore, once this disease is found, immediately spray the leaves with 400 times diluted thiophanate-methyl, once a week, for 3 consecutive times, and it can generally be cured.
③ Root rot: Root rot is generally caused by infection by Rhizoctonia or Pythium in the soil, or by its physiological diseases. For bacterial infection, root irrigation with 500 times diluted dexon, dichlorophen, or quintozene can be used for treatment. Physiological diseases are mostly caused by soil that is too sticky and heavy and by watering too much and too frequently, so the root system cannot breathe. The soil can be replaced with well-drained soil.