Grow your rubber plant this way for lush, glossy green leaves, and one leaf can grow a whole new plant

The rubber plant (Ficus elastica) is an evergreen tree of the genus Ficus, with broad, thick leaves in a deep green color, and it can grow to over one meter tall. Keeping one at home represents good fortune and steadiness. It is especially suited to the living room, where it is said to bring good luck. So how do you care for a rubber plant?

How to grow and care for a rubber plant: methods and tips

To grow a beautiful rubber plant, you actually don't need to buy a seedling. Just cut a section of stem from a relative's or friend's plant, and even a single leaf can grow into a whole plant.

Prepare a stem cutting about twenty cm long. You can take cuttings from March to July, and sand alone will do.

Then provide shade and keep it moist, and roots will grow in about ten days. The survival rate reaches over 90%.

When caring for a rubber plant, place the pot somewhere at home with plenty of light and good ventilation. Shade it appropriately in summer, but in the other seasons it needs sun.

If you want the rubber plant to grow vigorously and produce lots of leaves, once it has grown for one or two years it needs repotting and fresh soil. You can keep some of the old soil, add new nutrient-rich soil, and plant it in a mix of leaf mold and river sand. Whenever the potting soil becomes compacted, repot promptly; as long as the temperature is 15°C, you can repot and change the soil.

Rubber plants hate waterlogging, so when watering, be sure not to water too much or water too often. Water again only once the potting soil has dried out. When fertilizing, apply light fertilizer more frequently, and never in excess at one time, otherwise the leaves easily turn yellow.

If it is kept in a very dark spot for a long time, it tends to grow leggy or slowly. It needs at least indirect light; if kept indoors, be sure to open the windows often for ventilation and keep good air circulation.

Also, take care in winter: it must not be left outdoors. Once the temperature drops below 3°C, move it indoors to keep warm and protect it from the cold.

Only a rubber plant cared for this way will grow vigorously, with more and more leaves, becoming taller, fuller and more beautiful.