Why is my Rubber tree plant acting strange?

8 years ago

Hello!

My 4 or 5 years old Rubber tree plant's leaves are turning yellow/gold-ish and dropping off. Im in Sydney Australia and we are going in to Winter but Ive never sensed that its this unwell...

It has stopped growing the last year (but still looks healthy). Ive had a couple of new leaves appear but they have definite stunted growth.

Maybe I need to give it fresh soil but I just wanted to post this incase I can get around that coz repotting in my apartment has been messy in the past. Ive only repotted it once before.

I water with Powerfeed every month and Seasol also on a monthly cycle but 2 weeks after Powerfeed. I feel like it gets the right kind of light etc.

Please let me know what you think may be the problem.

Thankyou so much!

Lauren

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hard to say w/o more info, but the likely suspects based on the appearance of the leaves in the process of being shed are A) root congestion if you've never repotted (Repotting is more extensive than potting up - includes bare-rooting, root pruning, and a change of soil), B) over-watering, C) under-watering, D) a high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution if you don't regularly flush the soil when you water, and E) a reduction in photo load (duration and/or intensity of the light it's exposed to). I did some looking at your nutritional supplementation program and it looks much better than what the average hobbyist might choose, so you get applause from this quarter for your wise choices in that area.

I think we can probably isolate the most probable cause if you want to spend some time in a back & forth dialog, but I have a hunch we're looking at root congestion, or over-watering unless you're a habitual under-waterer.

Al
LaurenLouise
Original Author
8 years ago
Ill pick A, thanks Al!

Ill look in to D, didnt know about that one.

Thankyou so much for your help + speedy reply (and for the applause lol).

Hopefully I can make this little guy happier in the next little while : )
Related Discussions
No sucess- rubber tree plants!
Q
Comments (4)
Actually, rubber trees are quite forgiving if you follow a few easy guidelines when it comes to their care. They don't like to be watered until the soil is drying down at the BOTTOM of the container; then, they like to be watered THOROUGHLY, so at least 10-15% of the total volume of water applied exits the container. If you can't do this w/o the soil remaining wet for a week, your soil is probably inappropriate and you need to upgrade or take steps that will help you improve how it performs (more on that if required). If you're watering when they are dry an inch deep, you are probably over-watering, and odds favor that as the issue preventing your success with these plants. My suggestion is to follow this embedded link to more information about tending Ficus in containers and read it carefully. In the end, your choice of soil will be extremely important to your ability to manage your plant properly and with the least amount of corrective effort and fewest problems. If you don't find all you need about soil choice, watering habits/technique and fertilizing, you can ask questions there or here & I'll help. Al
...See More
leaves on my pawpaw seedling are acting strange..
Q
Comments (6)
As sorry I am to hear you're having the same occurrence, I'm glad someones on the same boat. That's an interesting theory and makes complete sense to me. But my plant isn't affected by the day light, I have it under artificial light from about 6am-9pm. Which is probably a bit much now that I think about it.. So do think your theory would still be correct in my case? I mean there is a window in the same room as it, so I guess it gets some very indirect sunlight, but I wouldn't think that would be enough to affect anything. I will probably just go plant it outside, I got a spot for it I think. But haha yeah it is quite the pot.. it was the only thing I could find around the house that could accommodate the pawpaws long taproot and have holes easily poked in the bottom for drainage. But yes it should be fun trying to get the seedlings out with the dirt intact haha. Probably will end up trimming the can down.
...See More
strange acting oak tree
Q
Comments (19)
[I'm reposting this from my account in the hopes that the moderators will be able to delete my prior post that displays my e-mail address.] I found this thread while searching for information on what's going on with my red oak. I live W of Boston and suddenly one of my many red oak trees started dropping leaves from the bottom branches. This morning I watched leaves rain down from the branches when a breeze came through. This has been a very normal summer. While it was hot in July, it's dropped back to seasonable temperatures. We've had over 7" of rain in August and I have a lawn irrigation system that waters the area that the tree is in. I've read the descriptions of SOD and SOW. Both SOD and SOW seems to start at the top, so that doesn't match. I'm stumped. The leaves seem to darken & turn slightly brown & then drop while still green. The tree hasn't been pruned in years and nothing has been done to base in a long time. The hosta probably went in 5+ years ago. I've included a link to a photo album showing a dropped leaf, the base of the tree and the entire tree. Thanks, Geoff Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Photo Album
...See More
Are my Waltham Butternut plants acting weird?
Q
Comments (16)
Yes, after fertilization the seeds, within their fruit, grow. If you've ever had a misshapen squash -- large on only one end, normal on one side and dwarfed on the other, or with a wasp-waist between two normal section, etc. -- that's from incomplete pollination where only some of the seeds were fertilized and grew normally. But if none of the seeds are pollinated the baby squash shrivels or rots and drops off while the plant tries again with new flowers. Have you read the hand-pollination thread? Its fascinating. I'm going to practice that on my summer squash so I can get pure seed for my Watauga Pie Pumpkins.
...See More
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years ago
Best luck, Lauren.

Al

Why is my Rubber tree plant acting strange?

Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

LaurenLouise
Original Author

Related Discussions

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Why is my Rubber tree plant acting strange?

Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

LaurenLouiseOriginal Author

Related Discussions

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

LaurenLouise
Original Author