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The Kitchen Table

Rubber Tree Plant....Way too tall....

14 years ago

My Rubber Tree plant is 4 inches from the ceiling. It would be touching if it was bowed. I have it tied to a piece of copper pipe that is about 5 1/2 feet tall.

The main stem of the plant has two stems growing out from it...and one of them is only a foot shy of the ceiling.

Then there is one other stem that sprouted out from the soil, but it looks like it is going to be a tall fellow too.

What can I do to incourage it to plump out some. I hate to break the stem off...they are fullest at the top.

Will it hurt to break off the red piece at the top where the new leaves will grow?

I bought this poor plant at an auction for 50 cents...it only had three leaves on it at that time and was just a little short guy. I've had it for several years.

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Comments (8)

sea_shell
14 years ago
Not sure what to tell you but here is an old Garden Web site on care of a Rubber Tree. Isn't it great how old postings show up, I just searched for "care for a Rubber Tree", note the date 2005

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Care for a Rubber Tree
nodakgal
14 years ago
I am trying to be patient til late May to do some trimming on mine.
I bought this at a garage sale for 50 cents last fall. I put it out on my deck for awhile then brought it in when it got too cold. I repotted it last fall, cost me more for a new pot and soil than the plant! LOL Now it has put out several more leaves and a couple new branches starting so apparently it wants spring as bad as I do.

I knew it wasn't the right time of year for it but to experiment a couple weeks ago I cut off 2 branches that only had 2 and 3 leaves on them.Cut off at about 10-12 inches long I am guessing. Then dipped in rooting hormone and stuck down in the dirt in the pot so that 5 or 6 inches were out of the dirt. By gosh they rooted!
The two branches are on the left and right sides here, notice the stick that I wasn't sure what to do with on the right side too! LOL I don't know if it will ever do anything but it is rooted.

I know I will trim this up and make it look better come spring when it starts to grow more. I've never done it before though, so take what I say with a grain of salt cause I am no expert! LOL
I found this site, but if you google it there is lots more!

Here is a link that might be useful: pruning a rubber tree
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It's being kept too wet all the time - water well, but only once some of the soil has dried out, and the soil should really be quite gritty, and not mostly 'potting' as it's full of peat and never dries out (beyond the top layer). Also, good air circulation is important, so an airy room, not necessarily intensely bright, is better than too much heat and constant watering.
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I just prune mine and make more plants. It looks like you could make at least 3 new plants out of it, perhaps into one pot. Snip off with at least a leaf or two on top and one towards the bottom of the cut. I snap off the bottom leaf....and let it dry for a little while until the oozing stops. Then just stick it in soil and water once thoroughly. Repeat the same with other cuttings and stick in the same pot. Keep the pot in a bright room away from direct sun and away from drafts. After about a month, if you lightly tug on the individual pieces, you'll find they should have rooted. I water about once a week, lightly, until they root, then it's back to business as usual. I made a pot for my mom to take home and kept other snips here; they look like they're doing well.
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Yes, the best time for controlling the height has sort of slipped by. It would have been better to pinch out the tip of the vertical growth frequently to encourage branching and slow down the ascent. But...if you want to be able to reach your avocados, I'd certainly cut it back. They cut back avocado trees in the fields all the time, sometimes a lot more drastically. Just watch out for sunburn if you remove too much canopy. May need to do a little painting.
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I never personally tried it, but I hear cutting off a stem and rooting it in water works very well. Once you get about 1/2 an inch of roots repot it with some root hormone powder and it should grow well. I cut the tops off mine not for cuttings, but to make a fuller plant and it works really nicely. Good luck! -Alex
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jannie
14 years ago
I had a rubber tree that was so ugly I put it outdoors . That was around January 2009. It died of the cold (of course) so I put it out with the trash. Problem solved.
Jasdip
14 years ago
Oh Jannie! The poor thing!
*problem solved* Love your sense of humour though. LOL
gemini40
14 years ago
I would just take a pair of pruning shears and start snipping away ..get it down to a manageable height...and then the tree will branch out with new growth
Jasdip
14 years ago
Be careful of the sap when you cut the branches. It flows freely. It's harmless, but it's white milky liquid.
socks
14 years ago
I bought a 39-cent rubber plant at the grocery store about 40 years ago. It grew so big I finally put it in a very large pot on the north side of the house. I barely water it, so the roots must have gone through to the ground. It will be way too tall if I don't clip it back, so about once a year I cut it back on the growth tips. It's quite bushy and looks pretty good.
kacram
14 years ago
I'd cut it back 1/3. I'd cut Marie's back a third too.

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