Growing Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica)

Growing Rubber Plant
(Ficus Elastica)

Ficus Elastica or commonly known as the Rubber Plant, belongs to the family of fig trees and is native to South-East Asia. Its popularity as an ornamental plant has increased incredibly in recent times owing to its strikingly beautiful green foliage and low maintenance requirements.

It’s a true tropical plant and can be grown both indoors and outdoors. When planted outdoors, it can reach a height of 60 to 70 feet. Indoors it grows less quickly and attains a height of about 10 to 12 feet.

Interesting Fact

The plant got its name as the Rubber Plant in the early 1900s owing to the milky colloid or latex extracted from its stems and branches for manufacturing rubber in those days. However now a days, manufacturers no longer use this plant as the quality of rubber made from the milky extract is considerably inferior.

Varieties

There are mainly three varities of this plant available – Burgundy, Ruby and Tineke

Temperature

The plant is sensitive to cold temperatures. Hence if it is kept indoors, it is recommended to place it away from ACs vents.

Light

Though it is usually said that the Rubber plant requires a lot of Sun or bright light, but practical experience suggests to keep the plant away from harsh sunlight as it may lead to burning of the leaves. The plant thrives well in bright to medium lit areas of the house.

Watering

The plant is partially tolerant to under watering. It is recommended to water it once in 3-4 days. Over watering is a strict no-no. Care must taken to ensure that the pot or container has sufficient drainage holes to allow excess water to seep through.

Fertilizer

To help this plant grow better, it is recommended to add fertilizers once in every 30 to 45 days.Liquid organic manure can also be used.

Pruning

In order for the plant to develop side growth and help it look fuller, pruning of the stem from the top should be done.

Cleaning

As the leaves are big, dust tend to accumulate on them reducing the shine. Therefore it is recommended to clean the leaves with a small damp cloth on a regular basis. It’s also often observed that the leaves retain water marks. In order to clean such marks, a liquid of 1 part of lemon juice and 1 part of water can be used.

Tips

The milky latex secreted from the Rubber plant is poisonous for humans as well as animals. Hence it is advisable to wash hands thoroughly after handling them.
As this plant grows vertically , you may need to give a support to hold it upright.