ficus burgundy (rubber plant) leaf spots & drop
greentoe357
10 years ago
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greentoe357
10 years agogreentoe357
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Burgundy Rubber Plant - Help!
Comments (6)CMB, watering most plants twice a week is quite a bit of water. Ficus won't survive in muddy soil. Like Sasha asked, do you water well or give sips? Watering is best done, by giving a hearty drink, (soak entire root ball till water drains out of drainage holes) then wait until soil dries before adding more. Ah, after rereading your thread, I see what's happening. Since roots are growing atop soil, most likely your plant is rootbound. It's possible the entire root-ball is all roots, no soil. It's probabable your Rubber Tree is begging for larger living accomdations. Sounds like it's time to repot. Increase 1-2 sizes larger container. Remove plant from its old pot. If it's all roots, increase 2 sizes. After repotting, you can fertilize. Some folks claim it's best holding off fertilizer 1-2 months after repotting..IMO it depends on the soil. Any 'All Purpose' fertilizer will work. Follow container directions for dossage and times. BTW, before adding fertilizer, moiston soil. Chemical fertilizers can burn roots..Mainly chemical fertilizers, but I wouldn't risk using any fert, be it chemical or organic, on a plant. Water, wait a day, then firtilizer. Ficus are touchy to begin with. Good luck, Toni...See MoreMy favorite plant: Ficus Elastica (Rubber Plant)
Comments (5)Ficus elastica "Burgundy" This plant is also one of my favorites. Back when I first moved out on my own, well I moved in with a couple of my best friends into our bachelor pad, lol. By splitting the cost, we could afford a really nice high rise apartment. Well, one of my friends had a really big rubber tree plant. I still remember helping him trying to move it into the elevator and up into our apartment. This past Spring, I seen them for sale, and seeing them brought back many good memories. So I had to buy one for my own. Since then, it has already grown quite considerably. I think that I may have to repot it next Spring into a bigger pot. These plants really are very forgiving. One (all- natural) trick that I use to keep the leaves nice and shiny is to clean them with lemon juice. This works great for removing water spots, dust, etc. :)...See MoreColor of new Leaves for Ficus burgundy rubber tree?
Comments (6)I wrote this as a reply to something over on the botany forum and figured I'd be able to use it from time to time, so saved it. Let me know if you want anything explained a different way: A higher degree of expression of the pigment anthocyanin (which expresses the color red or purple) in juvenile foliage is very common throughout the plant kingdom for a couple of reasons. First, even though the pigment absorbs light w/o being a part of the photosynthetic process, it plays a photoprotective role for new leaves that emerge under high light conditions ...... when they are in an ontogenetic stage that make them more sensitive/vulnerable to light over-saturation. If you were able to quantify it at home ..... the reduction in anthocyanin's expression would be seen to correspond with a decreased need for photoprotection, this, because photosynthetic maturation allows leaves to utilize higher light intensities. A major consideration (that occurs during photosynthetic maturation) is an increase in chlorophyll, the pigment often referred to as 'nature's sunscreen for plants'. In short, the red coloration disappears as photopigment concentrations and leaf cuticle thickness increases, both of which would be occurring as mesophyll underlying the leaf cuticle differentiates into separate layers (pallisade and spongy). Second (but probably not a consideration in F benjamina), the red coloration is also very often associated with an increase in phenolic compounds that serve as defense against insect predation or herbivory by making leaves unpalatable. It's also thought in many circles that the red coloration may make leaves more difficult for some insects and herbivores to see, and may signal insects that the affected leaves are a less nutritional food source than bright green foliage elsewhere, or that it would make a poor receptacle for ovaposition (egg-laying). Al...See MoreNeed help with Burgundy rubber plant
Comments (14)Hi, Jay. Sorry for the lack of reply, but my business has been requiring an inordinate amount of time, which means that I have much less time for the fun stuff, like spending time here. The clump consists of 7 trees and then there's the 8th tree off to the side (which you advised I eliminate - do you mean take this one out from the pot entirely?) Yes, but you don't have to do it immediately. You can leave it grow or cut it back, then remove it the next time you repot and can get a look at the underground connections. If you can separate it from the rest of the clump with some roots attached, the odds of survival are extremly high. Within the clump, the thickest 2 trees are the tallest and both somewhat in the center, but they lean outwards. These two also lost the most amount of leaves. I am thinking one of these should be the main/leader. How much should I prune the leader back? If you want the planting to be taller, don't prune the stem you choose as dominant. If it's as tall as or taller than you want it to be, cut it back to about 2/3 as tall as you want it to be, which leaves 1/3 of the finished ht for the developing canopy. If you can envision a more attractive arrangement if you removed 2 or 4 of the 7 trees, you can do that, too. Odd numbers look best in grove/clump arrangements. I will prune other trees at different heights, shorter than the leader, as you suggested. What is the minimum number of leaves I should leave on a tree for it to photosynthesize to have enough strength to back bud? Your tree looks very healthy, so you could cut back far enough that there is no foliage on any given stem and it will still back-bud - especially if you can get it outdoors in bright light & air movement. Elastica is a reliable back-budder, like most Ficus. Benjamina is somewhat iffy unless it's a very healthy tree and/or you live in the fairly deep south - Fl, GA, MS, TX, SoCal, AL, AZ, etc. Will secondary branches form from all the nodes (where leaves fell from)? Possibly. It depends on a number of factors, the most important of which are when you cut it back, how much reserve energy the plant(s) has/have, nutrition (make sure it's being fertilized in the luxury range. You might flush the soil and fertilize immediately after with an appropriate fertilizer. Trees need to be well fertilized if you want to maximize the back-budding response. What's the best way to minimize/control bleeding (the white liquid that seeps out from the tree)? It's of no concern insofar as the tree's physiology is concerned. Fill a spritzer with tap water and spray the sap after you make the cuts. Wait 2 days and then seal the wounds with a waterproof wood glue. The stubs will die back to the leaf immediately proximal to the pruning cut. After several months or a year, you'll see that the live/growing tissues will start to form a collar around the dead stub. When you can see the collar, cut back to the collar and seal. Should I put the pot outside so it gets maximum sun? I live in zone 7A so it's warm enough outside until probably early October or at least mid September. If the tree could vote, it would definitely be a yea, and w/o question it will demonstrate it's appreciation. It would even be helpful if you held off pruning for a couple of weeks after moving it outdoors. Sorry to bombard you with questions. I don't mind. I enjoy both the back & forth between 'plant people', and the feeling that I might be helping someone increase the personal satisfaction they get from growing; so, not an imposition. Al...See Morepetrushka (7b)
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10 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
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10 years agocherise2000
9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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8 years agoMentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years agokyojwa
8 years agoMentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agokyojwa
8 years agoMentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)
8 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoMarquesha Sims
7 years agoDave
7 years agoMarquesha Sims
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)