Rubber Tree Help!

5 years ago

I need some help with my rubber tree!

I got this plant about 3 months ago, and lately it's been looking a bit sick. The leaves are loosing their vivid color (I'm attaching a photo of what it looked like when I originally got it), and several leaves are getting brown spots around the edges. A lot of leaves around the base of the plant are also falling off.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong! I water it once every other week and usually give it a generous amount of water, so that it runs out of the bottom of the pot. Am I over-watering? Or under-watering? I can't tell! The plant was also in a space that was a little dark, so I just moved it to a new spot by the window in hopes that it will help.

Any advice would be very appreciated :)

Featured Answer

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Soil can dry surprisingly quickly in an unglazed clay pot. Do you think it's taking 2 weeks to dry? If it's drying much more quickly, it's getting too dry before you water. The fading is normal as individual leaves age. If the newest ones are also fading, or not even starting with more vivid color, it's not getting enough light to maintain the vividness.

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Comments (10)

Brianna Ailie
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks, that's really helpful!! I think it's probably been in too dark of a place, because even the newest leaves are looking pretty dull... Hopefully moving it will help!

As far as watering goes, it's hard to say if it's getting too dry! It's starting to get spots like this on the leaves... What do you think that's a sign of?
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somegu7
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
To test if it needs water use a chopstick or similar and press it in the soil to the bottom, pull out and see how humid it is.

I would shift it from the corner shade right in front of the window. Even lift it up so gets full window. Wants all the indoor light you can provide.

Can't tell what is causing the spots.
Brianna Ailie thanked somegu7
Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
5 years ago
I’d put it on a stand and get it smack dab in front of that window.
Brianna Ailie thanked Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
stewartsjon
5 years ago
Variegated Rubber Plants need a fair amount of light - get it nearer to the window.
Brianna Ailie thanked stewartsjon
fawnridge (Ricky)
5 years ago
Ditto the light. They will take full sun for best color. Water it once a week. Feed it.
Brianna Ailie thanked fawnridge (Ricky)
Brianna Ailie
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the help everyone! I now have it moved up on a stand and directly in front of the window. Hopefully that helps!
Marcy
5 years ago
When in doubt about whether or not your plant is dry, just pick it up! If it's light weight, it needs a drink! I get soil all over the floor trying to check the moisture level with a stick, so I gave up on that years ago!
somegu7
5 years ago
Water only in the morning, not evening or night.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
5 years ago
Hi, Brianna. If you can still detect moisture in the soil when you water, you're not under-watering, which would make over-watering and/or a high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution the probable cause of the necrotic leaf margins. If you're under-watering - that's easy to correct, but try not to over-correct to the opposite extreme.

Using a wood dowel rod sharpened in a pencil sharpener as a 'tell' is still a very effective way to determine whether or not your plantings need water. If the dowel comes out wet or stained dark from moisture, withhold water until it comes out barely moist or dry. The trick is to water before drought stress becomes a limitation. If your plant's pot is plastic or another light weight material, hefting it whenever you walk bye and comparing it to the 'just-watered' weight is a good way to tell, too. If you've allowed the pot to dry down to less than 15% water retention, areas of the soil might have become hydrophobic and difficult to rewet. If this occurs, water can run over the top of the soil and downward between the soil mass and pot walls w/o wetting the soil. If this occurs, you'll need to soak the pot in a tub for up to a half hour to ensure you've remoistened the entire soil mass. If you're concerned that your soil might tend to remain soggy for too long a period after watering - let me know. There are tricks to deal with and minimize the impact of excess water retention.

The leaf loss is PROBABLY related to low light issues, but it could be nutritional or related to root health as well. Not enough info to determine what's going on with any certainty at this point.

Al