I've never met a ficus I didn't like! The Ficus elastica, or rubber tree, is a thing of pure beauty. I have had this plant in my inventory for just about 3 years. It is the biggest houseplant I've got by far, and it was definitely no easy task for her to make the move all the way up to Portland with me, but there was no chance I was leaving her behind. So when we packed up Noah's car, the U-haul, and my car and didn't have a single square inch of space left, this beautiful babe still got to sit on the passenger side of her best friend's ride any enjoy the views all the way up to Oregon.
{You might as well get used to me using female pronouns for my plants now, 'cause it's happening.}
This plant was my most neglected plant for a long time. She was in the living room at my old place and had the odds stacked against her. She was between two couches and constantly crowded with things and people and smoke, did not get a lot of sunlight, was rarely watered and never dusted. I spent very little time in the living room so I wasn't even there to realize how forsaken she was. Yet despite all of that, she remained relatively unchanged for the 2 years she lived in that spot with the exception of a new leaf or two that would pop out every once in a while. This is part of what makes this species a wonderful house plant.
Ficus Facts
Ficus elastica is referred to by many common names; indian rubber plant, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber fig, etc. In their native range in Southeast Asia, elastica earns the name of rubber tree, where it grows to 100 feet tall with a massive trunk 6 feet or more around. Even outside its natural range, it will still grow to a height of 40 feet in frost-free places. Up here in the pacific northwest, it is only used as an indoor plant, but as far as indoor plants go it can get rather large. The biggest potted one I have worked with was maybe 7 feet tall, but was jam packed with leaves. The one I have has 3 main stems and is about 4.5 feet tall with a rather spread out habit and no auxiliary branching. I have resisted the urge to prune back the meristems (growing points) to encourage lateral branching because in my experience when they are indoors and grown to have multiple leaders, the main stems don't get much thicker, so the lateral branches can weigh it down and it has to be tied or staked up to remain upright. {Keep an eye out for my post on propagating plants to learn more about pruning and plant anatomy!}
In the wild, there is no need for staking for support. Rubber trees forms aerial roots, which make for a crazy looking jungle tree. Aerial roots are roots that form on the above ground parts of the tree and descend down to the ground to anchor the plant and provide support. When they reach the ground they get thicker and eventually unite to form a "pseudotrunk" and give the appearance of vines. They are quite a sight to see in person.
Rubber trees have large evergreen leaves that ar
e thick and leathery and contribute to the "rubber" in the name. The other part of that is that they, like all figs, secrete a toxic latex sap when damaged that was formerly used to make rubber before Hevea brasiliensis took over the latex market. The leaves are oval with prominent main veins and emerge from rose colored sheaths that protect new leaves until they are ready to unfurl. When they shed their sheath, the supple leaves are a beautiful copper color before maturing to a dark green. There are a few different cultivars of rubber tree that have variegated or maroon leaves, and while I am obsessed with variegation in leaves, I think the solid color leaves are just as gorgeous. I believe the one I have is a Ficus elastica decora, but it could also be a F. elastica robusta, who knows.
If you have ever seen that BBC clip about the Queen of Trees then you know that figs have a crazy fruit pollination system going on where they have a fruit called syconium that has evolved this elaborate scheme to be pollinated by one specific teeny tiny wasp. I won't go over it all but I linked the video if you're interested. Because it has such a specific relationship with this one wasp, it doesn't have any visible flowers to attract pollinators. This cycle of pollination and flower development doesn't happen without the wasp, so it is not something you will experience with your indoor rubber tree.
Rubber Tree Care
Of all the plants I have had, this one is probably the least finicky. Unlike Ficus lyrata, this species will take almost anything you throw at it. Mine is right next to my windows, mostly because I don't have enough space for it anywhere else, but my windows are east facing so the only time it gets direct sun is in the early morning. If you have south facing windows, I would recommend pushing this plant back out of the harsh direct sun rays, as it can get sunburn. That happened to my baby when she was riding in the front seat of my car for two days on the journey up to Oregon. In retrospect I should have thrown a sheet over her but alas I did not and so now she has some burn spots on a few of her leaves that you might be able to pick out in the pictures I have here of her. So, keep her out of direct sun and she will love you forever.
Water
Rubber trees have thick leaves which means that their leaves don't lose as much water through transpiration as thin leafed plants would. It is nearly impossible to make a rubber tree wilt, which can be a great thing if you tend to neglect your plants, but also means that you can't use that as an indicator that you're not watering enough. Rubber trees are not super picky when it comes to water but I find they put out the most new growth when they are watered on a regular schedule. I usually let the top 2-3 inches of my 12" pot completely dry out before watering, which lines up with an every other week schedule. When it is time to water, I add one liter of water, which is exactly how much my watering can holds. (planning on doing a full post on my houseplant gear, so make sure to subscribe if you're interested!)
I have only repotted this plant once since before it was in my current apartment, it wasn't growing too much. Since it has only been in this soil its whole life, I try not to water it so heavily that the excess water drains into the drip tray, because this pulls (leaches) nutrients out of the soil. To be fair, these plants are native to shallow, heavily-leached low-nutrient soils in the tropics, so they really don't require a lot of extra fertilizer to be happy. That being said, now that it is spring and she's putting out more leaves than she ever has, I have been fertilizing with basic liquid miracle grow indoor fertilizer every two weeks. I basically use like 5 drops per liter of water which she seems to be happy with.
If you want to know more about general watering tips, I have included a lot more information in my first post on Ficus lyrata!
Dusting
The other main tip I would give you to take care of your rubber tree is to dust ALL THE TIME.
Because these leaves are dark and smooth, they show dust even after just a few days. If your plants are really dusty, they are more susceptible to spidermites and fungal infestations. I don't really recommend using aerosol products like Leaf Shine on plants - those are more for sellers to make their plants look otherworldly shiney with heavy waxes. Instead, if you want your leaves slightly more shiny than natural, you can use something like Green Cleaner that is easier on the leaves and still has wax that acts as a surfactant to help keep your leaves dust free longer. That product (I'll include it in my hort supplies post later) is also very good against a variety of pests. {If you're having issues with pests, comment below and I will be happy to include some info for you, but I'm not going to go into detail about it right now} But beware, your plant can look worse if you use these products the wrong way. You shouldn't use products with waxes over and over without using a gentle soap based product in between, or else they can build up and get sticky and gunky. Once you use a wax based product, you should be able to dry dust easily. You should also make sure that you rub in products sprayed onto leaves or else they will look spotty.
But honestly, if I didn't work for a company that used these products, I probably wouldn't use them, and that would be totally fine! Your ficus elastica will be more than happy if you dust it with regular household things like a dry swiffer duster, or better yet a wet coffee filter or other rag that won't leave lint behind.
All in all, Ficus elastica is an easy-going lovable plant that can make a huge impact in a your home. I hope this post answered some of your questions and if not, drop a comment below to let me know what you're thinking!
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