Rubber Fig Plant Care Guide
What is the Rubber Fig Plant?
The Rubber Fig plant has also been called the Indian Rubber Tree, Indian Rubber Bush, and simply the Rubber Tree. This eye-catching plant features spectacular large oval leaves. These green leaves have a smooth, slick and shiny texture that make the Rubber Fig a sleek addition to any home, office or business space. The Rubber Fig is simple and approachable, while simultaneously intriguing. This amazing houseplant can be placed on the floor or on a table near an entryway to provide a warm welcome. It would also encourage smiles all day long if placed in a common area, kitchen or bedroom.
Light Care
Rubber Fig plant care is a pretty easy. This plant prefers medium light environments and truly flourishes if provided plenty of indirect sunlight. This plant can be placed on a table or shelf close to a window to provide a nice source of bright light. Any room that gets soaked in lots of natural light is ideal for the Rubber Fig.
The Rubber Fig plant can live happily on a windowsill as long as it doesn’t get blasted with too much direct light. Unfortunately, harsh direct sunlight can actually do some damage to the luscious leaves of the Rubber Tree. If you start to notice that the leaves of your plant are starting to turn from green to brown, it may be due to the plant receiving too much sun exposure. This means that it is time to adjust the location of your plant to avoid scorching the leaves.
Water Care
Being native to Southern Asia, the Rubber Fig Plant does best in a moist environment. With that being said, this plant has adapted quite well to living in a variety of climates around the world as a lovely indoor plant. Rubber Fig indoor plants like to be watered about once or twice a week. Water your plant just enough to moisten the soil. It’s best to let the soil become dry to the touch before watering it again. The Ficus elastica is a hardy, and slightly drought resistant species that can survive during periods without water.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make while caring for your Rubber Fig is to over water the plant. If the lower leaves start turning yellow or brown, this may mean that you have given your plant too much water. It is imperative that your Rubber plant lives in a pot that allows for proper drainage. With excessive watering the plant’s roots become waterlogged and can sadly begin to rot. Keeping this in mind, it’s always better to err on the side of watering your Rubber Plant less often, rather than too often.
Food Guide
Fertilizing your Indian Rubber Fig is a great way to give your beloved houseplant that little extra boost of energy it needs to grow big and strong. It's a good idea to fertilize your Rubber Plant with a water soluble fertilizer. When mixing the fertilizer with water be sure to dilute it to half of the recommended concentration. Then simply water your Rubber Fig with the plant food and allow it to drain completely. This can be done about once a month during the plant’s peak growing season during spring and summer. When your Rubber plant is not actively growing, such as during fall and winter, it is not necessary to provide any fertilizer.
Staff Holy Grail Tip
One of the most attractive features of the Ficus elastica is its large, beautiful, voluptuous leaves. But just like any other surface in your home, these leaves are prone to collecting dust. When this inevitably happens, don’t fret, the experts are here to help.
The easiest solution for removing dust from your Rubber Fig plant is to gently wipe the leaves with a very soft, clean, wet sponge. You can also rinse the leaves with a steady stream of water either outside with a hose or even in the shower. Removing the dust that has built up will have your Rubber Plant looking fresh and shiny. More importantly, those clean leaves will be able to soak up even more sunshine!
