How to Grow Rubber Tree Plant

About Rubber Trees as Houseplants

Rubber tree plants are popular houseplants. They are commonly grown for their large, shiny, dark green leaves. This tropical plant is not suitable to grow outdoors in most parts of the country. Frost and freezing weather kills the tree. Native to Southeast Asia, these trees grow up to 150 feet tall outdoors. However, when grown indoors as a houseplant, they usually grow up to just ten feet tall and three feet wide. They look great in an open corner space near a sunny window. While this plant comes from hot and humid tropical regions, they adapt to the cooler and drier conditions in your home. This guide on “How to Grow Rubber Tree Plants” will help you to grow a beautiful plant indoors or out.

In their native regions of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, rubber trees typically grow in tropical rainforests, on hills, and along cliffsides. They are members of the mulberry family and are related to fig trees. In case you are wondering, if the plant actually is used to produce rubber… it is!

Gardeners and homeowners grow this plant indoors for its attractive, large, and deep green foliage. And most of us grow it as a houseplant. The tree produces flowers and fruit. On rare occasion, you will find small, greenish flowers hiding amidst the big leaves. Look carefully, as they are easy to miss.

Favorite Song: High Hopes (1959). Frank Sinatra sang this song about a rubber tree plant and an optimistic ant.

Did You Know? The plants filter toxins from the air of your home.

Rubber Tree Plant Care Specifications

Here is the basic rubber tree plant care information:

Flower Colors: Small, greenish flowers. Flowering rarely occurs. They almost never bloom indoors.

Plant Height: Outdoors, the tree grows 90 to 150 feet, depending upon variety. Indoor plants usually grow up to 10 feet.

Light Requirements: Bright, indirect sunlight.

Ideal Soil pH: 5.0 – 6.0.

Hardiness Zone: 10 -12.

Toxicity: The plant is mildly toxic to humans. And it is toxic to dogs, cats, and other pets, too.

Number of Species: There are 10 species.

Native To: Southeast Asia.

Plant Type: Perennial.

Botanical Name: Ficus elastica

Other Names: Indian Rubber Tree

Are Rubber Tree Plants Edible?

NO!!

The plant’s sap contains latex. This chemical is mildly toxic to humans, dogs, cats, and other pets. It is toxic to other animals, too.

Note: The seeds can be pressed to produce an edible oil. However, the flowers are infrequent, and it takes a lot of seed to produce the oil.

Medicinal Uses for Rubber Tree Plants

Rubber trees have a variety of medicinal applications. The leaves have anti-inflammatory properties.

Rubber tree medicinal uses include:

Treat wounds, cuts, and sores.
It relieves muscle and joint pain.
Use it to treat insect bites, too.
Relieves constipation.
Treat parasitic worms.

Caution: Because this plant is somewhat toxic, we recommend you do not prepare these remedies yourself, unless you are properly trained to do so.

Light Requirements

For outdoor planting, select a location where this tree can grow tall and receive at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight.

Rubber tree plants grown indoors adapt to lower light levels. Place them in a location near a sunny window where they receive bright, indirect sunlight. If the planter isn’t too big and heavy, occasionally rotate the planter so all of the leaves get sunlight. After the weather has warmed in the late spring, you can take your rubber plant outdoors. The direct sunlight is good for them.

Rubber Tree Plant Propagation

Most people buy two- to three-foot-tall rubber tree plants from their local garden store. They are ready to transplant into a flowerpot and adorn your home. However, the plants are propagated from seeds or cuttings. To start them yourself, rooting cuttings are the easiest way.

How to propagate plants from cuttings and rooting.

It is uncommon to start the trees from seed. If you already have a plant, you probably know that it seldom produces flowers and seeds. It takes much longer to grow the plant, too. And, the seeds are hard to find commercially.

How to Grow Rubber Tree Plants Outdoors

Select a planting location where it can grow tall and wide. It starts small, so plan accordingly. You probably do not want it placed too close to your house, garage, or other buildings. When it is really young, you may need to keep other plants from casting too much of a shadow on it.

Dig a hole twice as large as the root ball. Then, mix in plenty of rich compost at the planting site. The enriched soil helps to feed the plant during its early growth stage. Next, place the tree roots into the soil with the plant roots level with the soil around it. Then, fill the hole with the soil you took out. Thoroughly water the planting site. Then, watch your new rubber tree plant grow!

As the rubber tree plant begins to grow, keep the soil moist, but not wet or soggy. Prolonged soggy soil can damage the roots and kill the tree.

Apply a fertilizer a couple of times during the first year.

After it has grown several feet tall, it does well on its own. It basically becomes a no-maintenance tree.

The tree is often grown outdoors in large containers on a patio or deck. Then as winter nears, you can bring them indoors to grow as a houseplant. It is important to make the transition slowly to avoid and minimize plant leaf drop. Slowly expose the plant to decreasing amounts sunlight. This is accomplished by slowly moving the container into more shaded areas of your patio or deck. And importantly, protect it from cold weather. Bring it indoors when temperatures drop below 50 ° F.

How to Grow Rubber Tree Houseplant Indoors

These plants make great and popular indoor houseplants. And, rubber tree plant care indoors is easy. Grown indoors, they will grow much slower than outdoors. Like other container plants, they require a little extra attention than when planted in the ground.

Select healthy young plants from your local garden store. While there are several varieties, garden centers offer plant varieties that grow shorter and are more adaptable to the indoor conditions of a home or office.
Use flowerpots or containers with drain holes in the bottom. This allows excess water to drain so the roots will not rot. Use a saucer to capture the excess water. Otherwise, the water will damage your flooring.
Keep an eye on the moisture level. Check the plants every several days. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. It is okay to let the top of the soil begin to dry between watering.
Nutrients in a flowerpot are limited. So, use fertilizer spikes to feed the plants. Or, apply a light, one-half solution of liquid fertilizer every 2 – 4 weeks.
Place your potted rubber tree plant near a bright and sunny window.
Occasionally turn the flowerpot so all of the leaves get sunlight over time.
Remove any dead or sickly leaves.

Did You Know? Your Rubber Tree houseplant collects dust on the leaves. Use a microfiber towel to dust it every few weeks. You can also use a damp cloth with warm, soapy water.

Rubber Tree Plant Care - Repotting Plants

When the plant is young, it can quickly outgrow its container. When the soil begins to push up, it’s a sign that it is getting rootbound. A rootbound plant grows slowly. As a general rule of thumb, repot your tree about once a year. Eventually, the pot may be so big, that repotting is impractical. Then, the plant may need more frequent fertilizer. And, as mentioned previously, the growth will slow significantly.

Pruning Rubber Tree Plants

Rubber tree plants grown outdoors need no pruning. Just let it grow. But, remove any dead or sickly leaves. This improves the appearance of the tree.

Indoor rubber tree houseplants need little pruning. You can pinch off the growing tip to limit its height. And, remove any dead or sickly leaves, too.