How to grow a rubber plant? Home potted care methods
The rubber plant, also known as Indian rubber tree or Indian gum tree, is an evergreen tree of the Moraceae family. Its leaves are large, attractive and glossy, making it a well-known potted foliage plant.
The rubber plant is native to India and Malaysia, and is now widely cultivated across China. It likes a warm, humid, sunny environment, tolerates slight shade, and is not cold-hardy. It requires fertile, loose soil and grows well in neutral or slightly acidic soil. For potting, use a mix of leaf mold, grass-ash soil plus about 1/4 river sand and a small amount of base fertilizer. Keep the soil moist normally, and apply a dilute liquid fertilizer every 15-20 days. In the hot summer period, the rubber plant grows quickly and needs plenty of fertilizer and water, but avoid waterlogging in the pot. After autumn begins, gradually reduce fertilizing and watering to help the plant grow sturdy and survive the winter. Because the rubber plant likes sunlight, from spring to autumn it should be placed outdoors in a sunny spot; if kept in a shaded place for a long time, its leaves easily turn yellow and drop.
Because the rubber plant is not cold-hardy, in winter it must be moved indoors to a sunny spot, keeping the room temperature above 10°C, and the minimum temperature should not fall below 5°C; if the temperature is too low and the soil is wet, the leaves will turn black and drop, the roots will rot, and the whole plant may even die. Move it to a courtyard or balcony at the end of April to early May the following year.
After a potted rubber plant has matured, it is generally best to repot and change the soil once each spring before new shoots grow. When repotting, trim away curled roots as appropriate and add fresh potting soil and base fertilizer. For plants that have grown too large, you can repot into a pot one size bigger in September. To make the potted rubber plant full and shapely, pinch out the growing tip when the seedling reaches 60-80 cm tall to encourage side buds to sprout. After side branches appear, choose 3-5 of them, then shorten the side branches once a year; in 3 years you can obtain a round, full tree 1.5-2 m tall.
How to grow a rubber plant, potted rubber plant growing methods
The rubber plant is also known as large-leaf green, red Burmese tree, red-mouth rubber tree, protective-film tree, Burmese banyan, Burmese tree, banyan milk tree, elastic protective-film tree, evergreen, rubber tree, Indian gum banyan, Indian banyan, Indian rubber tree and so on. It is an ornamental plant of the genus Ficus in the Moraceae family, native to India. Its care is not complicated, and even people with no cultivation experience can grow it well.The rubber plant's growing habits:The rubber plant likes a warm, humid, sunny environment, tolerates slight shade, and is not cold-hardy. It requires fertile, loose soil and grows well in neutral or slightly acidic soil. For potting, use a mix of leaf mold, grass-ash soil plus about 1/4 river sand and a small amount of base fertilizer. Keep the soil moist normally, and apply a dilute liquid fertilizer every 15-20 days. In the hot summer period, the rubber plant grows quickly and needs plenty of fertilizer and water, but avoid waterlogging in the pot. After autumn begins, gradually reduce fertilizing and watering to help the plant grow sturdy and survive the winter. Because the rubber plant likes sunlight, from spring to autumn it should be placed outdoors in a sunny spot; if kept in a shaded place for a long time, its leaves easily turn yellow and drop. It likes sunlight, but is also fairly shade-tolerant. When watering, often use overnight tea; the whole plant should be misted frequently, and the leaves should often be wiped clean with a damp cloth, which helps photosynthesis
Because the rubber plant is not cold-hardy, in winter it must be moved indoors to a sunny spot, keeping the room temperature above 10°C, and the minimum temperature should not fall below 5°C; if the temperature is too low and the soil is wet, the leaves will turn black and drop, the roots will rot, and the whole plant may even die. Move it to a courtyard or balcony at the end of April to early May the following year. In the north, note that when moving it from indoors to outdoors with the change of season, it must not immediately receive strong direct sunlight, that is, the changes in light and temperature should not be too great. When winter room temperatures are low, water sparingly and keep the soil slightly moist.
The rubber plant's leaves are glossy and pleasantly green; the plant is tall and imposing, suitable for placing on a balcony to green the environment.
Placement:
In pots, the rubber plant can be placed on an east-facing, south-facing or west-facing balcony for care, with a south-facing balcony giving the best results. The plant is relatively tall, so it suits a very spacious balcony. During its vigorous growth stage, place the plant where it receives at least 2 hours of direct sunlight per day. In summer, keep the environment ventilated. Slightly low winter temperatures do no harm.
Potted care:
It is best to choose a humus-rich sandy loam as the growing medium. If conditions allow, the potting soil can be made of leaf mold, fine sand and garden soil in a volume ratio of 1:1:2. The rubber plant is relatively tall and grows quickly, so a large pot is usually used for planting. The rubber plant likes a slightly moist, somewhat dry soil environment; summer is when it needs the most water, so water more; winter is when it needs the least water, so water less. Besides applying about 50 g of horse-hoof slices and the like at the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer when planting, during the vigorous growth stage you should also apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 10 days. The rubber plant likes direct sunlight and also tolerates shade. If conditions allow, it is best to let the plant receive full sun. Keeping the environment properly ventilated is enough. The rubber plant likes a high-temperature environment and grows well within a temperature range of 16°C-30°C; the overwintering temperature should not be lower than 5°C. Each spring before new buds sprout, cut the old branches of the plant back by 2/3 or 1/2 to encourage new branches, and at the same time prune the inner branches and thin, weak branches. In balcony cultivation, the rubber plant rarely suffers disease, but it is easily attacked by white grubs. Each spring in March, a large plant more than three years old should be repotted once. During this operation, some old roots can be trimmed, some new soil added, and the plant's branches moderately pruned to encourage branching. Only then will the plant have stronger growth vigor, greatly increasing its ornamental value.
Propagation methods:
Mainly propagated by cuttings, mostly carried out in spring from March to April. Fine sand can be used as the propagation medium. The size of the pots used can be determined according to specific needs. Along with pruning, cut the rubber plant's just-lignified branches into single-node segments, each segment with 1 leaf. The cut end of the stem segment will exude a white milky sap, which can be washed off with warm water, then dip the cut surface in a small amount of charcoal powder and set aside. Fill a small pot with fine sand, then insert 1 bamboo stick about 20 cm long vertically, bury the prepared rubber plant cutting stem segment in the soil keeping its polarity, wrap the middle of the leaf around the bamboo stick, and tie it securely with fine string. Then place the pot with the cutting into a plastic tent, mist frequently to keep it moist, and at 25°C-30°C the rubber plant cutting can root in about 4 weeks; when the young plant grows 2-3 new leaves it can be knocked out of the pot and planted. Layering can also be used for propagation.
Rubber plant leaf-cutting method (with pictures and text)
Although the leaf stalk of a rubber plant leaf cutting can grow adventitious roots, it cannot produce adventitious buds, so it cannot grow into a new individual. Therefore, you must use a leaf with a bud at the base or the terminal bud for cuttings to form a new plant. The depth should be just enough to expose the tip of the bud. After inserting, cover with a glass cover to prevent water evaporation. If the leaves are opposite, they can be split in half, with each leaf bearing a bud used as a cutting.Rubber plant leaf cuttings can use one leaf with one bud, or a single leaf, half a leaf or even smaller propagation material; in an intelligently controlled rapid-propagation bed it can root quickly. A whole leaf can be quickly dipped in 2000PPM rapid-propagation solution, and half a leaf treated with 400PPM for 1 hour gives the best rooting effect, with a rooting rate of 100%.
The picture below shows a rubber plant propagated on 2.21; on 3.21 its well-developed root system, at which point treatment with cytokinin will, before long, differentiate buds and become a complete plant.
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Rubber plant growing methods, rubber plant growing experience
The rubber plant is a fairly common tree for us; it is suitable for beautifying the living room and study, and can also be placed on both sides of the doorway, so it is loved by many people. So what points should be noted when growing it? Today, the editor of Shengduoduo Decoration Network will share some good methods with everyone.Best propagation time: The rubber plant is best propagated in spring and summer.
Best growing soil: To grow a rubber plant, use loose, well-draining leaf mold. The usual ratio is garden soil:humus soil:sand 2:2:1. It is best to place moss the same size as the pot on top of the bonsai; this looks attractive and also does a good job for drainage and aeration.
Growing humidity requirements: Feel the condition of the potting soil by hand and follow the principle of "water when dry, and water thoroughly." Do not water frequently, but when you water, water thoroughly. Too much watering will cause the roots to rot and make the leaves drop. In midsummer, during dry periods, you can mist the leaf surface to keep the leaves moist. In autumn and winter, reduce watering.Best growing temperature: The most suitable temperature for the rubber plant is 20-25°C; it tolerates high temperatures and grows well even above 30°C. The rubber plant is not cold-hardy; the safe overwintering temperature is 5°C. Variegated varieties are slightly less cold-hardy, and the overwintering temperature is best kept above 8°C; when the temperature is low, they will drop a large number of leaves.
Best growing light: The rubber plant likes bright, indirect light and has a certain shade tolerance. It does not tolerate strong direct sunlight; when the light is too strong it will scorch the leaves, causing yellowing and scorched leaves. It should also not be too shady, otherwise it will drop a large number of leaves and make the beautiful patches on variegated varieties fade. From May to September, shade it, or place the plant in a spot with plenty of indirect light. At other times, give it plenty of sunlight.
Notes on growing a rubber plant:
Applying fertilizer: The rubber plant grows quickly, so nutrients should be supplied in time to keep the plant growing vigorously. Apply a nitrogen-based fertilizer 2-3 times a month. Varieties with colored patches grow relatively slowly, so the number of fertilizer applications can be reduced, while increasing phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to make the patch colors on the leaves bright and beautiful. If too much nitrogen fertilizer is applied or only nitrogen fertilizer is used, the patch colors will fade or even disappear. In September, stop applying nitrogen fertilizer and apply only phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to improve the plant's cold resistance. In winter the plant goes dormant, so stop fertilizing.
Watering essentials: The rubber plant likes a moist soil environment; during the growing period, supply water adequately and keep the potting soil moist. In winter, control watering; when the temperature is low and the potting soil is too wet, the roots easily rot.
Propagation points: The rubber plant is commonly propagated by cuttings. It is best done in spring and summer; choose a one-year-old branch from the upper part of the plant, 20 cm long; after cutting it roots in 30 days and is potted in 50 days.
Pruning essentials: When the rubber plant reaches 1 m tall, it needs to be topped to encourage branching and keep a beautiful tree shape. When pruning in spring, remove the forked branches, inward-growing branches, dead branches and thin, weak branches inside the crown, and shorten the runaway branches sticking out of the crown, so that the inside of the plant is well ventilated and lit and the tree shape stays rounded. If the crown is too large, the outer branches can be shortened as a whole. During the growing period, thin out overly dense branches at any time and shorten long branches.
Changing potting soil: After rubber plant seedlings are potted, they must be repotted every spring; mature plants can be repotted once every 2-3 years, adding fertile soil.Pest and disease control: The rubber plant is prone to anthracnose, whose pathogen is the rubber plant Gloeosporium fungus. This disease mainly occurs in the hot summer season, and the main affected part is the leaves. Its symptoms are round or oval gray spots appearing on both sides of the leaf veins; in severe cases the spots join together and spread over the whole leaf.
Control method: Along with pruning, remove diseased branches, diseased leaves and dead shoot tips to reduce the pathogen. In the early stage of the disease, spray 50% carbendazim at 1000 times or 70% thiophanate-methyl at 1200 times.
Experience in growing a rubber plant:
1. A rubber plant bonsai should generally be placed in a ventilated, well-lit spot with a certain amount of air humidity; if the sunlight is insufficient, ventilation is poor and there is no certain air humidity, the plant easily turns yellow and dries out, leading to pests and diseases and even death. The rubber plant is not a cold-hardy plant; in northern regions, it generally needs to be moved into a greenhouse for maintenance in winter.
2. It usually needs repotting once every 2 years; it likes fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam, and the growing medium can be made from materials such as garden soil, leaf mold and plain sand.