Rubber By

Kinnari JoshiShweta Verma

Deepti JainGayatri L.

The rubber plant (Ficus robusta) was named one of the top 20 plants by Dr. B.C. "Bill" Wolverton's "Eco Friendly House Plants." The rubber plant adds humidity, removes bioeffluents, removes chemical toxins and suppresses airborne microbes when added to a room. Rooms filled with rubber plants and plants such as dwarf date palms, English ivy or spider plants can help reduce airborne molds and bacteria by 50 to 60 percent.

Rubber plants are ideal hardy houseplants that can survive and thrive in low-light conditions. The rubber plant can easily grow up to 6 feet tall indoors. The plant can be pruned to keep its size under control. Leaves of the rubber plant measure between 8 to 12 inches long and are oval in shape. The leaves are tough, glossy and rubbery.

When you have a rubber tree house plant it needs bright light, but it prefers indirect light that isn’t too hot. Some people recommend putting it near a window that has sheer curtains. This allows plenty of light, but not too much.

The rubber tree plant also needs the right balance of water. During the growing season, it needs to be kept moist. It is also a good idea to wipe off the leaves of your rubber tree house plant with a damp cloth or spritz it with water. If you water the rubber tree plant too much, the leaves will turn yellow and brown and fall off.

Rubber tree plants are susceptible to cold air and while your home may be the right temperature for rubber tree plant, cold drafts from windows or doors in your home may be hitting the plant and causing the rubber tree leaves to fall off.

Move the plant away from any draft windows or doors that may be letting a draft in when it opens.

In order to promote new leaves on a current rubber tree house plant, cut a slit in the node where a leaf fell off. This will allow a new leaf to grow quicker.

There are a couple different methods for creating new rubber tree plant cuttings. The simplest is to take a small branch from a healthy tree and put it in good potting soil or water and let it root.

Pests are another common reason for rubber tree plant leaves falling off. In particular, rubber tree plants are susceptible to being infested with scale bugs and these pests will cause the leaves to drop off until the plant is treated.

Treat scale or other pest with an insecticide.

Rubber tree plants need higher humidity. Houses can be dry, especially in the winter when the heat is on. This lack of humidity can cause leaves falling off rubber tree plant.

To correct this problem, mist the rubber tree plant daily or set the plant on a tray of pebbles filled with water.

Rubber tree plants are frequently killed with kindness from their owners. One way this happens is that a rubber tree owner will fertilize the plant too often and this causes a rubber plant to lose leaves.

Rubber tree plants only need to be fertilized once in awhile. They need very little feeding.

Another way that rubber tree owners can over care for their plant is by over watering the plant. When a rubber tree plant is over watered, it can shed its leaves.

Only water the plant when the top of the soil is dry.

The trees often grow in areas where tropical rainforests were logged and clear cut to make room for rubber tree plantations. Some of the first rubber plantations formed in Java, Singapore and Sri Lanka after the British carefully shipped the seeds to these countries in the 1890s. The trees also grow in areas including southern Thailand, South America, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and along Africa's Ivory Coast.

Rubber trees grow best in sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. The drought-tolerant trees thrive in hot, humid weather where the soil dries out between watering. In the U.S., the trees grow in hardiness zones 10 and 11. The trees also grow well in containers or above-ground planters.

The sap from the rubber tree is made into numerous products, including tires, belts, insulation for electrical writing, gloves and gaskets. A variety of toys and waterproof clothing also are made from the valuable sap. The trees work well in the landscape when used as screens or single specimens. The trees also provide shade for a patio or deck. Some people grow rubber trees indoors.