Rubber Tree Care

Even though a rubber tree is planted outdoors, it can also be planted indoors in a pot, to spice up the interior decor of your home. It's in reality a large plant, which has thick, shiny leaves. The color of the leaves range from deep green to brownish green and they are oblong shaped with pointed tips. If you are thinking of planting them indoors, you need to make sure that you plant them in large enough containers; besides the soil should be a mixture of garden soil mixed with sand. There are a few rubber tree care instructions which you need to follow, so that the plant lives for a long time to come.

Instructions on Caring for Rubber Tree

The first and the most important thing that every living organism needs is adequate amounts of water. You need to provide them with enough water or else the plant may die. Normal tap water is good enough, but you also need to make sure that you don't over water the plant. This can be ensured by checking the soil conditions after regular intervals. If the top soil becomes dry, you need to water the plant. While watering, make sure that you don't soak the plant completely, rather the top soil should be moist. Too much water may destroy the root system. Keep the soil moist during summers and springs, while in winters, even if the soil becomes dry, there's nothing to worry.

The second most important requirement of any tree is adequate amount of sunlight, especially if you keep it indoor. While thinking of indoor rubber tree care, you need to make sure that a combination of sunny and shaded areas are provided. Rubber trees love bright areas, but not direct sunlight. Whenever there's a growth of new leaves, it should be placed in shaded areas, or else it may harm the leaves. These trees don't like areas where there is too much of wind, so you need to take care of that too.

Unlike other houseplants, rubber trees need to be fertilized at regular intervals. Ideally, it should be fertilized after every 2 weeks. There are fertilizer solutions available in the market, which are specifically prepared for rubber plants, so you need to go for those. These solutions contain essential nutrients, which are required for the healthy growth of the plant. There may be times when your plant may thrive when fertilizer is applied, and in such cases, fertilizing once a month would be enough.

Pruning Rubber Tree

There's a possibility that indoor rubber trees could grow very tall to heights of 6 or even 10 feet. So it's essential to prune them at regular intervals. Alternatively, you can also support it with a stake. Pruning rubber tree plant should be done only during springs so that it has enough time to regrow. Pruning helps control the height, thereby giving it a bushy appearance.

Before you start pruning, it's important that you take a good look at it. It's only 1/3 of the tree that needs to be cut, so you need to make sure about that. Sharp and clean pruners should only be used or else, you run the risk of harming the plant. It's recommended that you wear gloves while pruning, as the rubber trees are filled with sticky white milky sap which will come out when you prune them.

While pruning, make sure that you don't cut too many leaves, besides you should cut them above the nodes. Nodes are those places where the leaves are attached to the stem.

So these were some of the important rubber tree care instructions which you should follow, so that your plant continues to live a healthy life. If you find any signs of disease, get in touch with a plant specialist as soon as you detect it.