It's really difficult to pin anything down as the likely problem with so little information. Even if I try, there is always going to be the question begging "So why didn't the other two plants (did you mean one plant with 3 stems?) succumb to what you view as the probable issue?"

I'm not sure if the blackening is just on the foliage ... and I don't know what you meant by "... the plant which is wrinkled ...".

The most important questions initially are: What kind of soil is it in? and, Is there possibility/probability of soluble salts build-up in the soil?

Anthracnose and botrytis are fairly common diseases that affect leaves, and Southern Blight often/usually affects stems, but there is not enough info to do more than just tell you the diseases are common or suggest any one of them as a likely source of your trouble.

I'm just not quite getting a clear picture of what's living/dying or what is attached to what.

Al

It sounds like the plant is heavily stressed from prolonged exposure to too much direct sunlight. Ficus elastica (solid green and variegated) requires bright INDIRECT light even indoors. The portions of the plant that were heavily sunscalded are unlikely to recover.

If you acquired the plant fairly recently, it's doubtful that a build-up of salts in the soil is a problem. You don't mention either the size of the plant or the size of the pot that it's in. Ficus elastica does best with somewhat crowded roots. Re-potting into a container that's too large can be another stress factor, and also makes proper watering very tricky. The soil for this plant should be kept always slightly moist and never allowed to dry out completely. Fertilizing a plant that's in stress is, ofcourse, never a good idea.

Personally, I'd remove the most damaged of the growth and bring the plant indoors immediately. I suspect that a western exposure in zone 9 -- even behind 2 layers of shade cloth -- is more than this already struggling plant can withstand.

Since much of what you write is contradictory to what I offered, I think I'll take the liberty of additional comment.

"It sounds like the plant is heavily stressed from prolonged exposure to too much direct sunlight. Ficus elastica (solid green and variegated) requires bright INDIRECT light even indoors. The portions of the plant that were heavily sunscalded are unlikely to recover. "

Mentha already told us the plant was suffering from photooxidation (sunburn), but I would point out that sunburn happens quite rapidly when the plant is under-protected and it doesn't have to be from prolonged exposure. While you're correct about the tri-colors not tolerating full sun well (because of the lack of chlorophyll in the foliage) the species plants all PREFER full sun. They are grown on hillsides in full tropical sun on huge plantations,. or occur naturally as understory plants that climb through the foliage of primary plants until they reach the canopy, at which point the growth "explosion" occurs.

"If you acquired the plant fairly recently, it's doubtful that a build-up of salts in the soil is a problem. You don't mention either the size of the plant or the size of the pot that it's in. Ficus elastica does best with somewhat crowded roots. Re-potting into a container that's too large can be another stress factor, and also makes proper watering very tricky. The soil for this plant should be kept always slightly moist and never allowed to dry out completely. Fertilizing a plant that's in stress is, of course, never a good idea."

I'm not sure how we could make the leap that recent acquisition of a plant would make it improbable unless you assume that proper watering/fertilizing technique was followed where it was housed before Mentha acquired it. Even then, there is something that occurs in plants growing in good light and being fertilized at maximum rates. If you take those plants and move them to low light situations, plasmolysis (fertilizer burn) frequently appears w/o the addition of additional fertilizer. I'm not suggesting that this is the issue, only pointing out that you cannot make the blanket statement you made w/o all the info.

I disagree in part about the soil always moist for this plant as well. In almost all cases, this plant can be allowed to remain dry to the touch (even at the drain hole) for a day or two, subsisting on the water in the soil still accessible to the plant after soils feel dry to us.

While potting up can present watering issues, you cannot make that statement either. There is a 3-way relationship between plant mass, container size, and soil characteristics that determine when a plant is overpotted. If you are using a very coarse soil, you can grow the tiniest plant in a huge container w/o risk of root rot issues.

I'd like to hear your reason for suggesting you would NEVER fertilize a stressed plant. I know this is repeated like a mantra, but it is like withholding vitamins & medicine from your kids & pets because they are not feeling well. There is no harm in continually maintaining an appropriate level of nutrients in the soil. When nutrient levels are inappropriate, they should be supplemented, even if the plant is under stress or strain. After all, in MANY cases, it's a nutritional deficiency that caused the stress/strain in the first place. Are we to sentence these plants to death by withholding the nutrition they are in need of? Using that philosophy, you could NEVER correct a nutritional deficiency.

Almost NO plant does best with crowded roots. Growth is measured by the increase in biomass. While true that we can use crowded roots to achieve some of our goals (like forcing blooms or maintaining a compact form) the plant doesn't appreciate it and shows us by a decrease from its potential biomass. F elastica may tolerate crowded feet well, but it definitely doesn't appreciate it.

I would not take this plant indoors. I would leave it outdoors in as much light as it will tolerate (until night temperatures are regularly dropping below 50*, and work on exploring/isolating and correcting the cultural issues that are causing the stress/strain.

Al

Ok more info:

It's in a 22 in clay pot, the three plants (yes plants) are between 3-4 ft tall. They were each staked, but I removed the tapes because the stems were getting cut by them. They are at the moment losely wired together. I have a fast draining soil of crushed lava, perlite, and potting soil.

One of the plants trunk looks like your toes look after an hour in the pool. The leaves have drooped and are blackening at the nodes. The stem other than being wrinkled looks fine, no discoloration there, just the leaves. I have not fed it much other than a weekly weakly. I mean about 1/4 strength at most. It did have ants in the soil when I first got it, but they have since moved on. I have repotted since then in my own mix, I had to wash a whole colony of ants out of the roots. That was months ago though.

The other two plants are nice and plump, with the leaves in a more upright growth. Still not completely upright, but enough to tell me they are recovering from the sun damage. If it were over/under watering I would see the same symptoms on all the plants, not just the one, which gives me the thought that watering is not the issue.

I will try to post a picture this weekend, but am headed out for my anniversary, so it won't be tonight. I was just curious if I should pull this one plant, or if there was anything I could do to save it without disturbing the roots of the other two plants.

The two main diseases that affect F elastica and reveal their symptoms primarily in stem tissue are fungal - Pythium root rot turns leaves brown or black. With PRR, it's usual for leaves remain attached to the stems while distal leaves show some wilting - especially during the day. Stems are usually easily pulled from pots because there are so few healthy roots. Roots are often blackened and mushy and the center of the root often separates from an outer sheath when you pull on it.

Southern blight symptoms may initially appear similar to those accompanying PRR, but there are usually white masses of mycelia (little hair-like growths) and brown seed-like sclerotia (little pods where the fungus stores it's food) to set it apart from PRR. The disease is usually manifest on/in the basal (bottom) portion of stems, but as it progresses, the entire plant may become involved.

There really is no treatment for either of these diseases. If you suspect it is either of them, you should remove the infected plant as soon as you can.

If you have wilting going on or evidence of a drooping stem, it's probably either a drought response from over/under-watering, herbicide injury, or low light issues. Sun damage shouldn't cause a loss of turgidity in any part of the plant other than affected leaves.

Happy anniversary!! ;o)

Al

My tricolor has been such an easy keeper. It has 3 stems and has needed to be staked because the leaves are heavy. I recently repotted my plant (because that's what Al would do) I also cut it back so no stake is needed. It does back fill with wonderful new growth.

Al's response makes me nervous about another plant that I have been doctoring-an aglaonema. Totally different symptoms but I keep questioning myself about the possiblity that this plant could have a virus or something that could spread and how sad would that be.

Good luck with your plant mentha.

The original poster mentioned sunburn of the plant in question and i tend to agree that that may be the main problem. Here's what happened to me recently:

I finally gave in and decided that I couldn't wait any longer to paint our living room. It's quite a large room that we've really never used so I've gradually converted it to a plant room because it has very large windows on two sides and lots of indirect light from a skylite in the foyer. The hardest part of the painting project was moving out all the plants, a number of which are quite large. The very largest I relocated to the deck. Very big mistake.

On the deck, the plants were in full shade until midday & then pretty much in full sun until late in the afternoon. They were returned to the living room early the following morning. Most of the plants were ok except Ficus elastica, the rubber plant, which suffered severe sun scorch. The extent of the damage wasn't apparent for several days. It was one of my favorites and is now more or less ruined. This was the result of less than a day of full sun in mid June in zone 7.

Other plants that showed some minimal damage were both of my fistail palms (mitis and plumosa), Chamaedorea elegans (another palm) and - especially suprising to me - Phoenix roebilenii (in the date palm family). Thankfully, all the Dracaenas (draco, fragrans and sanderiana) and several other plants were virtually unscathed. So yes, I think that too much direct sun can spell disaster for a rubber plant.

Someone above said that the variegated rubber plant needs less sunlight than the solid green variety. I don't agree. My solid green plant became a beautifiul specimen in indirect light, but my variegated plant tends to lose its most vibrant coloration unless it is kept in a location that provides much stronger light. Knowing what I know now, however, I would never even think of placing my variegated plant in light as intense as what damaged my solid green plant.

Thanks everyone for your input. I am not trying to step on toes, but I am going to go with Al's first diagnosis. Al has been a good online friend and has never given bad advice. This also sounds like what my plant has. I will pull the infected plant out as Al suggested. I have too many plants to worry about fungus. I can always get another tricolor ficus elastica. It wasn't all that much at the grocery store.

Al,
Do you think the other plants are ok or should I destroy the whole pot. I'm kind of worried because my fiddle leaf fig is right next to it. Do you think the fungus could transfer to my fiddle leaf fig? Should I destroy it also? Do you think this can infect my Epiphyllums?

You'll need to be the judge when it comes to destroy/don't destroy. I can't see the plant.

It's really hard to tell if I'm right or not, Mentha. Seeing the plant or even pictures (are worth a thousand ......) would make it soo much easier. Both are soil born diseases and likely came from an infected soil and attacked a low-vitality, weakened plant.

I would have no problem doing this, but I'm not sure if you're up for it: ;o)
I would bare root the entire planting asap (not because of disease-related urgency, but because it's getting really late in the year ........... never mind - I just checked your zone - 9 CA - you're ok to do this. I was thinking that you don't have much recovery time before the winter rest, but in your location, you have plenty of time. Anyway, I would bare root the planting and discard the diseased plant. If the other two are showing no signs of disease (inspect roots carefully), I would dip the (bare)roots in a solution of 1 cup of H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) in a gallon of water for a 10 minute soak after a good swishing. This should kill anything fungal/bacterial. You can then root-prune and repot into an appropriate soil. Perhaps heading (shortening) the plant would also be appropriate at this time.

This is going to set your plant back a little, but within a month (a blink of an eye in tree time) you'll see a transformation happening right in front of your eyes.

Remember the (garden) lime in the soil if you're mixing your own, and be sure the plant is getting a full compliment of primary and secondary macronutrients, along with all the micro-nutrients. You can skip the lime & rely solely on Dyna-Gro's Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 if you care to try it. It's an excellent fertilizer for 90%+ of your plants and soo trouble free.

You're in Ficus heaven (9a), and I envy you! ;o)

Al

First, please try to be civil. This is my thread after all and it does go to my email box. Nowhere did I see a personal attack by Al, so your post was completely out of line. Just because he didn't agree with your care prescription, does not mean he's attacking your intelect. We all dissagree about care of plants, and are quite verbal about it at times, but when we have a problem, we know who to ask.
Second, Al is a he, not she, I don't think his wife would take too kindly to that either.

Now, Al is unconventional in his growing, we can't dispute that, but he's probably been growing bonsai since before I was in diapers. (sorry Al) He does know what he's talking about. He also knows a lot about ficus. That's why I directed my question to him. I do not take Al's word as gospel either. We all know I have dissagreed with him on many issues, however I do know the wisdom of what he says, I just chose not to adhere many times. He's gracious enough not to say, "I told you so," also. ;)

Al, I almost spit out my soda laughing at your comment about my not being up to root pruning, touche! I need to clarify, I have a problem with pruining healthy roots. With diseased ones, I can safely say, "Off with their feet!" I have a few orchids which need to be root pruned, gulp, wish me luck :o)
I'll update on Tuesday when I have time to get some new potting soil and crushed lava.

Al, Do you think If I sifted my potting soil and bleached the lava, it would be ok to reuse on something other than ficus? I bought it as a cheap alternnative to LECA. It has worked pretty well in that instance. I'd hate to pour it out into the yard, but pay by the can for trash service.

Hey!!! What makes you think I'm unconventional!!?? .... and I'm not THAT old (57). ;o) In all seriousness, I think where I differ most from a high % of the growers on these forums is my approach to soils. I can tell from the positive comments on the container forum, that the "aeration and drainage" preaching I've been doing for the last 5 years has had a favorable impact. As for the rest, I think I'm pretty conventional - just always looking for the right path and an understanding of how plants work.

I think you know that along with bonsai and plenty of other plant husbandry interests, I consider GW as a hobby I really enjoy, and houseplants one of my favorite forums. If I can help someone by sharing something I've learned - I get excited. If I step on toes - it's not intentional. I'm very matter of fact, except with my friends, and not bashful about pointing out errors or flaws in reasoning - especially if a post contradicts something I've offered. Point counterpoint is human nature, and if I disagree with someone's offerings, I EXPECT that my feet will be held to the fire. ;o) Sorry about what happened - I wasn't trying to instigate it.

I wasn't taking a shot at you when I mentioned the root pruning. I just remembered your reluctance & thought I'd offer the suggestion anyway. ;o) I will say though, that pruning roots is how we KEEP them healthy - why wait until the plant is struggling? (Now is when you say touch) ;o)

Yes - I think if you put the pumice in a container with a 10% bleach solution it will be fine. I would put it in the shade or a dark place (sun neutralizes sodium hyperchlorite - the active ingredient in bleach) for a few hours, then rinse & let it dry in the sun. It will be good as new.

Take care, Mentha.

Al

Hey Mentha..How ya doing? Long time no talk.
I stopped here to see how everyone is, and noticed your thread.
I guess it's been answered. You got quite a few responses.
I hope your Rubber Plant survives. It seems variegated Ficus elastica are harder to find. Then again, since you're in CA, they may be common.
I'm just happy I found mine when I did..back in 1998 or so..that was the last time any store visited had them available.
If worse comes to worse, and you feel the unhealthy section is too far gone, you can always remove it from the pot. Or, if the base looks healthy, cut it back and it will branch out.
Anyway, I hope you're well, Mentha..take care, Toni

Hey Al, you're still old enough to be my daddy, with room to spare :P If it makes you feel better, my eldest just turned 16 last week. My husband took me out for our anniversary Friday, and the table next to us had a little boy in a high chair. He looked nothing like my son, but I had flash backs of his smiling baby face. I really feel old now, the grey hair is invading, Helpme! lol

Maybe unconventional isn't the word, but I don't know which would fit better. I think it's the soil (or lack of) which throws most people off. They think plants should only survive in dirt. Plants don't grow in dirt. Dirt is what's under your finger nails, not what you grow plants in. Neither do they realize that clay is a type of soil and many of plants prefer it.

Our local C&S meeting had a presentation on plant pests from the guy at Cal Poly's plant conservatory. It was kind of refreshing that he wasn't pushing this insecticide or that one, but alcohol at 70%. He had mentioned that the ingredient in Bayers systemic is a contributing factor to the decline of honey bees. I know that a lot of people recommend BTAS for houseplants, my plants are outside this time of year. Not that I have any blooms right now, but it's good to know because bees are really important for the vineyards.

OMG! Now I get it. Upon quick perusal of your most recent "dialog", it's all crystal clear. Fascinating (sort of). Mildly amusing. Tell you what: Let's agree to keep it a secret among the "three" of us, okay? ;) ;)

For some reason this sounds vaguely familliar. Didn't I read this same quote a couple of years ago, or was it months? Is there an echo of regenerating names saying the same thing over and over. Do that many people repeat the same lines with a Seinfeld like cult following, or could it be the same person respawning from the gates of oblivion with pseudonoms at every turn?

Yeah, I'm ticked off. I don't like people implying things about me. Especially someone who obliviously doesn't realize their beard has been exposed. Now I remember you. Go harass someone else's thread.

Hiya Toni!
I'm so glad to see you're still alive. I wanted to let you know I have baby birds, two lovely little ringneck dovelings. This brings the count to 14 total, and they won't stop laying eggs. I really need to build an aviary so they can multiply in peace. At this rate, I am going to have to sell some off if they keep it up.

Sorry if it's off topic, but 'your thread' - right? My 3 kids have long been grown and are scattered, but at least still in the state. AND - today is my/our 30th anniversary. ;o) Hard to believe how fast time flies .....

I'm also heading to an IPM (integrated pest mgmt)seminar/dinner at Dow Gardens in a neighboring city on Thu. ... looking forward to it. If I remember, I'll mention the systemic and ask them to expand on how it is harming bees. Do you remember if it was imidacloprid or disulfoton they were talking about? Bayer uses both in systemics. I know we've been hit hard by mites here in MI, and I only rarely see the old orange/tan bees I used to see by the millions as a kid. I saw one this weekend - made me think on how long it's been. I also felt that the Malathion our county sprays for mosquitoes was a contributing factor to the bee's diminishment (is that a word? I don't want to have to look at a dictionary) ;o), but I'd be reluctant to make that leap w/o corroboration.

Stay well - I hope you get your tri-color straightened out - DO give us reports. ;o)

Al

It was imidacloprid (I'm trusting your spelling) I didn't want to look that one up myself ;) He also mentioned legally using it on houseplants is a federal crime. He also said using isorb..?? (not going to look that one either) alcohol would also be a federal offense. hmmmm.. That got me thinking of all the things we use for something or some such and it's not on the label, therefore breaking the law for it. One interesting thing he said is imidacloprid is safer to use than bleach. I use bleach a lot to clean cuttings and clippers. Let us know what they say about the bees.

PS Happy Anniversary! We celebrated our 14th, went to Chinese food. I got sick, I always do, it was the greasy shrimp. We then went to see the new Mummy movie. It was really stupid, but it did have Jet Li and the lady from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Michelle Yeoh in it so that was a plus. I really like her. It was the first real date we'd had without children in umpteen years. Make sure to buy your wife some pretties and take her somewhere nice :)

Oh boy - I'm inna doghouse now. She JUST came home & held out her arms and said "Thirty blessed years." I thought she said "Thirty busted ears ...", and I said yes, that's about right. You can guess the rest. ;o)

It's a true story - it really happened, but we both had a laugh & I'm not in the doghouse ...... today. ;o)

Al

Happy anniversary guys. Thirty busted ears is hilarious in an aarp sort of way. I can relate Al. Is the IPM meeting an anniversary event.(BTW,I have 2 beetles in a baggy right now trying to figure out an organic way to get rid of them.)

Thanks, Toots (for the anniversary wish). ... in an AARP sort of way? I NEVER should've let the cat out. ;o)

The IPM deal is Thu, so I'm safe there. ;o)

You have 2 babies inna buggy and you're trying to figure out an organic way to get rid of them? Is that right? Sounds illegal.

I'm off to dinner and to try to make amends for the busted ears crack. ;o)

Al

Hey Toots!
What do the beetles look like? Were they outside or in the house? I hope you're going to take them to the ag department for ID. Or maybe not, our county doesn't know a lick about plants. I read the master gardener's book. I'm sure I could pass the test if I pushed it. It's no more in dept than high school botany or ornamental horticulture.

Al,
That is about how my hearing is. I am about deaf in one ear and can't hear out of the other. Accidently shoving a Q-tip into my ear drum last week didn't help any either. DH has an abscess on his tooth, he woke up this morning with half his face swollen. So we're a matched pair, all we need is a blind monkey to make it complete. ;) Last time he has an abscessed tooth, he couldn't eat for two weeks. I took him to the dentist twice, finally they sent him to emergency room for a shot. That night it burt and he spit it up all over the bed, the smell was horrible, lasted for months. I can still see where part of his jaw was eaten by the infection. Moral of the story, just be happy it's just your hearing that's going.

Well I'm off to find cheats for this stupid computer game I've been obsessing over for the last week.

the beetles are shiny black with some blue and a little yellow. Maybe asparagus beetles. They are eating my beans outside. I am picking them off. I do feel a bit bad about the baggy. Squishing would be more humane is suppose.

this is really off topic....sorry

Toots & Al,
I don't mind off topic. I've gone on enough rabbit trails that I can't fault someone else for doing the same. I just don't like people being rude and having it come into my email box.

Did I understand that correctly - using imidacloprid legally on houseplants is a federal crime? I'm pretty sure the label on Bayer Rose & Flower Spray and also Bayer 3-in-1 (both of which contain imidacloprid) say they are legal to use on houseplants IF the plants are sprayed outside and the spray is allowed to dry before the plants are brought back indoors.

Marathon granules (also imidacloprid) are used by interior landscapers, and they are legally labelled for use indoors, at least in Maryland where I live.

Now it could be that state law, especially in California, is stricter than federal law.

I do know that there is concern about imidacloprid harming honeybees. This can be mitigated by spraying very early or late in the day, when the bees are not foraging.

Watergal, I should have worded that differently. If it is not labeled for indoor use, it is not legal to use on indoor plants. I know Bayer Tree & Shrub is not, it has a higher concentration of chemicals than those used for indoor use. I would also be careful using any systemic outside, because this makes the whole plant poison and will kill bees for months. We need to keep our bee population healthy or else we will not have food, plain & simple. A side note, any insecticide will kill bees.

I didn't follow this thread so I'm late: Happy Anniversary, Al.

Quite OT but I hope you don't mind, mentha.

Xuan

Thanks, (((((Xuan))))). (She's my adopted grandma). ;o) Don't forget to wish Mentha a belated happy anniversary, too. I know you missed it in the thread, but she just had one, too. Be well! ;o)

YPA

Happy Anniversary all around! Mine isn't until November, but we don't usually celebrate... a small vocal acknowledgment, and the day goes on... lol!

I'm, also, experiencing deafness these days... age is catching up, I suppose. We constantly fight over the volume of the television, but if it's not loud, I can't hear it!

And don't even get me started on teeth! We've both been blessed with genetically horrible teeth, and are both at the point where root canals and crowns are not an option... yank them out, I say, and save up for a new set! Abscesses are common, as are infections in the jaw, for both of us... and the list of items we can eat without problems is getting smaller! I do know that tooth and gum infections can actually affect blood pressure, so be careful! Get an antibiotic, and use it until the infection is gone... then, get that tooth pulled! :-)

I'm not worried about the "Plant Police" coming to my home to see if I'm properly using chemicals, but I AM worried about killing all the good bugs along with the bad when using them! I've got a wonderful Praying Mantis population out in the gardens, but they can't seem to eat fast enough!

How do we get rid of those annoying, voracious Japanese beetles? They're destroying my roses! They seem to multiply overnight, and picking them off by hand is too big a job! Any suggestions that won't kill my beautiful Praying Mantises??

Oh my... I just realized... this is the Houseplant Forum! See? The memory is going, too! I'm falling apart, I tell ya!

Well... I'll still take any and all suggestions regarding those beetles! If there were any more, they WOULD be trying to get in my house for my plant collection!

I killed one inside yesterday, Jodik.

Yikes! I would just keel over if I found my precious orchids or hippeastrum bulbs with gnawed leaves! I'd better check all the screens to be sure they're secure!

Jodi
I found a website which lists the parasites and bacteria which will kill JB grubs without chemicals. You could probably find them on any website which sells organics. Or you could go with traps put out away from your roses to not lure more to the roses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jap Beetle management