A Detailed Guide to Rubber Plant Propagation and Cultivation Methods
Rubber plants are generally propagated by cuttings and layering. For cuttings taken during the spring and summer growing season, sturdy two-year-old branches from the middle and upper parts of the plant should be chosen as cuttings. For autumn cuttings, select lignified branches of the current year as cuttings. As long as the bed temperature during rooting can be kept above 15°C, there is no restriction on when to take cuttings. Besides rooting in a cutting bed, water propagation can also be used. In April to May, take a 15cm-long branch of the current year, remove the lower leaves, and once the cut end has dried, place it in a glass bottle filled with water. Keep it in a spot with diffused light and change the water once a week; roots should form in about 1 month.
In South China, rubber plants are grown outdoors as landscape trees, while in Guizhou Province they are mostly grown as potted ornamentals and indoor displays. To overwinter indoors, a temperature of 5-10°C must be maintained. Choose a slightly acidic potting soil rich in humus, loose and fertile, with good aeration, and repot or pot up before the autumn frost or before buds break in spring.
Mature plants should be repotted once a year. When repotting, cut away crooked roots and add fertilizer. During the growing season, apply a nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer twice a month. Keep the potting soil moist at all times. During spring drought and the dog days of summer, pay attention to watering and mist more than twice a day, but be careful that the potting soil does not become waterlogged. In autumn and winter, control watering and do not water unless the potting soil is dry.
When the plant reaches about 80cm in height, pinch out the growing tip to encourage side branches. For branches 80-100cm long, cut them back to a plump bud to encourage more branching and form a full, rounded canopy. After the plant has grown for 6 years, it can be transferred to a wooden tub or large crock for cultivation; there is no need to repot, just replace the soil, add base fertilizer and cut away crooked roots.
How do you propagate and cultivate a rubber plant?
How do you propagate and cultivate a rubber plant?
Rubber plants are generally propagated by cuttings and layering. For cuttings taken during the spring and summer growing season, sturdy two-year-old branches from the middle and upper parts of the plant should be chosen as cuttings. For autumn cuttings, select lignified branches of the current year as cuttings. As long as the bed temperature during rooting can be kept above 15°C, there is no restriction on when to take cuttings. Besides rooting in a cutting bed, water propagation can also be used. In April to May, take a 15cm-long branch of the current year, remove the lower leaves, and once the cut end has dried, insert it into a glass bottle filled with water. Keep it in a spot with diffused light and change the water once a week; roots should form in about 1 month.
In South China, rubber plants are grown outdoors as landscape trees, while in Guizhou Province they are mostly grown as potted ornamentals and indoor displays. To overwinter indoors, a temperature of 5-10°C must be maintained. Choose a slightly acidic potting soil rich in humus, loose and fertile, with good aeration, and repot or pot up before the autumn frost or before buds break in spring.
Mature plants should be repotted once a year. When repotting, cut away crooked roots and add fertilizer. During the growing season, apply a nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer twice a month. Keep the potting soil moist at all times. During spring drought and the dog days of summer, pay attention to watering and mist more than twice a day, but be careful that the potting soil does not become waterlogged. In autumn and winter, control watering and do not water unless the potting soil is dry. When the plant reaches about 80cm in height, pinch out the growing tip to encourage side branches. For branches 80-100cm long, cut them back to a plump bud to encourage more branching and form a full, rounded canopy. After the plant has grown for 6 years, it can be transferred to a wooden tub or large crock for cultivation; there is no need to repot, just replace the soil, add base fertilizer and cut away crooked roots.
Related content on how to grow a rubber plant:
Rubber Plant Growing Methods and Precautions
Cultivation and Management of the Indian Rubber Tree
How to Grow a Rubber Plant
How to Grow a Rubber Plant
Propagation and Cultivation of the Rubber Plant
The rubber plant, also known as the Indian rubber tree or gum fig, is an evergreen tree in the genus Ficus of the mulberry family. It has a tall, sturdy form and can reach 30 m in height. The leaves are large, elliptical, leathery and glossy, growing densely in an alternate arrangement. Because the leaf stalks are slender, the leaves droop slightly, which is why it is also called the weeping rubber tree. Common cultivars include: Golden Edge rubber plant, with golden-yellow leaf margins; Variegated rubber plant, with many irregular yellow-white patches on the leaves; White-spotted rubber plant, with many white patches on the leaves; Red-bracted rubber plant, with thick, deep green leaves tinged with red and red bracts; Yellow-spotted rubber plant, with green leaves bearing irregular yellow-green spots; Pretty-bracted rubber plant, with deep green leaves and the midrib on the underside and the bracts both bright red; Beautiful-leaved rubber plant, with new leaves tinged with pink, mature leaves deep green near the midrib and creamy white around it; and Golden Star broadleaf rubber plant, whose leaves are brownish red-green when young and reddish brown when mature.
It is usually propagated by cuttings and air layering, with cuttings being the main method. Both softwood and hardwood cuttings can root; each section should have 3-4 nodes, with the lower leaves removed and the top two leaves tied together to reduce transpiration. The cut surface should be sealed with plant ash or clay to prevent the milky sap from flowing out. Cuttings are best taken in January, May or September; the summer heat can easily cause cuttings to rot. The best rooting medium is river sand mixed with peat. Insert the cuttings to a depth of about 1/2, place them under a shade house, and keep them at an optimum temperature of 25°C; they will root in 4-6 weeks and can then be potted up. Weak species or horticultural cultivars can be propagated by layering: make a ring cut in the stem, wrap it with moss kept moist, and roots will form in about 3-4 weeks; then cut it off and pot it up. Water propagation can also be used: tie 10 cuttings together, insert one third into water, change the water once a day, and they will root after 50 days.
The rubber plant likes high temperatures, high humidity and sunlight. Temperatures above 25°C are extremely favorable for its growth. It is also quite cold-tolerant; in the Fujian and Guangdong areas it can overwinter outdoors. Generally, an overwintering temperature above 3°C is sufficient. The leaves are thick and leathery and can withstand fairly strong sunlight. However, direct strong sunlight in summer will cause the leaf surface to lose its gloss. Placing it in too shady a spot will cause leaf drop. Indoors, choose as bright a spot as possible. It grows quickly and has a high fertilizer demand. The potting soil is best made from garden soil and leaf mold mixed in equal parts, with some base fertilizer placed at the bottom of the pot. During the growing season, apply liquid fertilizer once a month. When ventilation is poor, it is prone to powdery mildew and brown spot disease.
Diseases include anthracnose, leaf spot and gray mold, which should be sprayed with a 500-fold dilution of 65% zineb; pests include scale insects and thrips, which should be killed by spraying a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
The rubber plant is a large evergreen foliage plant, green and flourishing all year round, beautiful and elegant, and is a common courtyard tree and potted ornamental plant. In the Guangxi and Fujian areas it can be planted as a street tree or courtyard tree; in northern gardens it is mostly grown in pots as a main display. Medium and large potted plants can be placed during the growing season on both sides of the entrance halls of large buildings and on plazas, arranged into flower beds. In winter they can be placed in the hall for decoration.