Ficus elastica, sometimes known as a rubber plant or rubber tree, is a stunning and underappreciated indoor houseplant that resembles a tree.
These plants can be grown large enough to serve as the centerpiece of a room or appreciated as a medium-sized houseplant with their glossy, dark green leaves. They can expand significantly in a short period of time, particularly if grown outdoors in the summer.
Pruning is required to increase the bushiness of a rubber plant. Cutting back a rubber plant:
- Trim the rubber plant’s top to the desired height.
- Take out between one-third and fifty percent of the plant’s lateral branches.
- To promote new development, make your cuts just after a node (the place where a leaf or another stem branches off), and keep pruning back this new growth as it emerges.
- To fill in the lower portions, multiply some cuttings and replant them in the same container.
Pruning rubber plants has excellent results, especially when done in the late spring or early summer. Either a towering tree or a bushy shrub can be kept alive with them.
A rubber plant’s health is maintained through pruning, which also promotes the appropriate size and shape.
I have a rubber plant; when should I chop it?
Since rubber tree plants are quite hardy, trimming them may really be done at any time of the year. In actuality, branches that are out of place can be cut off without harming the plant.
But in the late spring or early summer, around June, these plants will typically respond to trimming more quickly. Cuttings are also supposed to root more quickly and easily at this time of year, making it an ideal time to take them.
Do I need to prune my rubber plant?
Rubber plants just need to be pruned to remove dead or dying leaves. For shaping, however, bear in mind the following: Wait until your plant reaches the required height before removing the top. Your plant will branch out after you do remove the top. You may always trim to the shape you want by removing stray branches. Although it is ideal to prune in the spring or summer, it is not required.
Your plants won’t grow if you don’t repot them. However, avoid putting rubber plants in overly large containers. A decent general rule of thumb is to transplant into pots that are about an inch larger in diameter than the previous pot.
How can I get a bushier rubber plant?
You must first choose the location of your trunk’s amputation. Right where you cut it, there will be at least two new branches developing, and there may be more below that!
Make sure the original plant still has at least a few leaves after pruning. Leave additional space for larger rubber plants.
When pruning your rubber plant to promote bushier growth, you have three options:
Propagate in water or soil
Making a stem cutting and attempting to propagate in water are options if the trunk of the part you desire to remove is still flexible and not woody (and the cutting is not too large).
When the cut end of the rubber plant stops oozing latex, add it to a jar of water (see the latter portion of this page on rubber plant sap).
Instead of first roots the cutting in water, you can also plant it in a pot with soil. Maintain moisture in the potting mix and raise the humidity.
If you place a clear plastic bag loosely over the cutting, you can raise the humidity (but not touching the leaves). Your rooting cuttings will grow new roots more quickly if you place them on a heating mat.
Air layer your plant before cutting it off
The greatest technique to get a new plant when you still want to propagate it and it has woody stems is to air layer the top part of the plant. If you want to learn more about this alternative, I have a post that demonstrates how to air layer a rubber plant.
When you have truly mature, woody stems, air layering is really your only secure alternative.
It is also a fantastic technique to revive a rubber plant that is languid after losing many of its lower leaves.
Prepare a Clean Surface Area
Since they leak a sticky, latex-rich white sap when the stems are severed, rubber tree propagation can be messy. Protect the work surface by taking care. To stop the spread of illnesses, thoroughly clean the area to get rid of any further plant waste or soil. When harvesting cuttings from a rubber tree, it is recommended that you put on safety gloves since the sap might irritate skin when it comes into touch with it. Before beginning to propagate, make sure that you have all of your tools and supplies available.
Choose Where You Will Take the Cutting
Look over your plant to see where any pruning would be beneficial. Search for regions that are uneven or where you would want to see fuller growth. Cuttings from lanky, lengthy stems or branches are also excellent choices. Pick a stem with healthy, spotless leaves.
Make sure to locate the leaf nodes along the stem before making any incisions because here is where the next roots will develop. For the greatest likelihood of success, rubber tree cuttings should be around 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and have four or more leaf nodes.
Make the Cuts
After deciding where you want to cut your rubber tree, make a quick, straight cut just above a node and an inch below a node using a sharp knife or pruning shears. If the cutting is producing sap, dab the cut end of the stem with a paper towel and gently pat it until the sap stops.
Prepare the Cuttings
After taking the cuttings, make sure one leaf is left at the top of each stem by removing the bottom leaves. This helps to guarantee that the cutting’s energy is focused on new growth rather than sustaining its current leaves, as well as to expose the stem and promote roots. Roll the leaf into a cylinder with the waxy side outward, fasten with a rubber band, and insert into the soilless potting mix. The leaf loses less moisture as it is rolled.
Plant the Cuttings
A soilless potting mix and perlite should be added to the little plastic container, and it should be well moistened. Apply a rooting hormone to the end of each cutting before planting. In order to ensure that the top node of the cutting rests on the soil mix surface, first make a little hole in the center of the potting medium. Place a short stick in the middle of the rolled leaf to support the cutting. To firmly anchor the cutting, pat the earth down all around it.
To create a greenhouse-like climate, cover each potted cutting with a plastic zip-top bag. Humid surroundings are necessary for rubber tree cuttings to establish roots.
Place in a Warm, Sunny Location, and Wait
Put the cuttings, along with the bags, in a warm area that gets dappled sunlight all day. Avoid the sun’s direct rays since they will burn the leaves and make the cuts shrivel and dry out. As required, spritz with water. Keep the soil from drying out.
The cutting should start growing roots after four to five weeks. The cutting can be gently tugged to see if roots have formed. When you encounter resistance, the roots have started to take shape.
Rubber tree cuttings can also be reproduced in water as opposed to soil, however this method is generally less successful due to the cuttings’ increased susceptibility to rot. The cuttings should have strong root systems by five to six months. Every week, change the water.
How are rubber plants encouraged to branch?
- Boost Soil: If your rubber tree is big, you might not want to take it out of the pot entirely. Combine new potting soil with finished compost, then aerate the ground. Use the new soil mixture to encircle the bottom. If possible, loosen the soil around the roots without damaging them and work some of the fresh mixture in. Add additional new soil on top.
- Lighting: Place the container in a location that receives plenty of bright light, perhaps even some early sun. This plant can become accustomed to a few hours of early sun gradually. Additional lighting will immediately encourage additional growth and branching if your plant has previously been in a dimly lit environment, especially after you’ve made the necessary cuts.
- Water: For the rubber tree plant, use lukewarm water because cold water can shock the roots. Wintertime requires less water, but the soil still needs to be slightly moist. The soil is too damp if the leaves are yellowing or falling. Wait until it has dried before adding water. When growth picks up in the spring, water. Water thoroughly before fertilizing.
- Feeding: To promote root growth, fertilize young plants with a high-phosphorus product. Feeding elder plants once a month with a nitrogen-based diet will encourage foliage to grow more fully as they produce new branches and leaves.
Can a rubber plant be pruned?
In its natural habitat, the revered Ficus elastica can grow to approximately 100 feet tall, which presents some challenges for indoor plants. A plant in a pot may become leggy and even collapse under its own weight. The secret to a well-behaved Rubber Plant is pruning.
Rubber plants can be pruned at any time of the year, although late spring to early summer is the best period. If you prune outside of their growing season, new growth can be postponed.
With a clean, sharp blade, prune the tree. Trim the growth point or node slightly above. A 45o angle or a straight cut are both acceptable. Below the wound, new branches erupt.
Can my rubber tree remain compact?
Large plants with gorgeous, glossy leaves are probably what rubber trees (Ficus elastica) are most known for. Numerous images of these statement plants in front of big, light windows and contemporary accent walls can be found if you conduct an image search. That’s fantastic if you need to decorate an entranceway, but what if you only have a tiny area or simply need a shelf accent plant?
Rubber trees can they be kept small? Rubber trees can grow several feet in a season and are frequently fast-growing plants, but you can regulate their size by giving them regular trimming. Additionally, limiting pot size and adjusting light exposure may help keep a plant modest, but doing so may jeopardize the health of your tree.
As long as your expectations are realistic, you do have a few options to assist keep your plant at a reasonable size, even though Rubber Trees are normally recognized for their powerful growth and tall stature.
Cuttings from rubber plants can they grow in water?
There are a few things you can do after receiving your cutting to help it root. Remove any leaves that are near to the cut first. Any leaves close to the cut end of the cutting will also be underground and start to rot, which could result in infection. Although it’s not technically essential, you can inject your cutting with some rooting hormone. Rooting hormone, which is quite simple to purchase at most garden supply stores, helps hasten the rooting process.
Plants for rubber trees can take root in either soil or water. Put the cutting in around two inches of water if you wish to root it there. Make sure it’s warm and keep it out of direct sunlight. Once per week, the water is changed. Using this technique, cuttings can take up to 12 weeks to take root. It’s frequently favored since cuttings planted in soil develop roots in about half the time. Cut side down, bury your cutting two to three inches deep in the ground. You can plant cuttings that are longer than six inches deeper.
What does a rubber plant node look like?
Although it’s quite simple, getting your Rubber Plant, Fiddle Leaf Fig, or other Ficus to branch out can be emotionally challenging. That’s why I’m here to walk you through the process step by step.
Many ficus species, like the Rubber Plant and the Fiddle Leaf, do not naturally branch. You must have seen them as they develop into tall, solitary columns from a single stalk.
But it’s really easy to make them branch. You only need to cause a small amount of harm. I’m here to help you through it since it feels like you’re raising your plants like you’re the meanest plant parent in the entire planet.
Making sure that your plant is healthy from the start is crucial. An unwell plant can experience too much stress and die if you try to do this to it.
How does it work?!
Nodes are the little bumps that grow on plants. New growth develops at nodes. The node on a ficus is directly above each leaf. They are simple to identify because the stalk has a thicker ring running around it at the same location as the node.
The node(s) closest to the top will begin to grow and develop into a branch when the new growth is removed.