How to Grow A Rubber Tree Plant

With the rising population and declining size of houses, having a garden is something that majority of the people cannot simply afford. In such a case, the only option for having greenery around you is to go for plants in the balcony and also adorn your room with houseplants. In this context, rubber plants have wooed many people. Since it is easy to plant as well as care for, many people are opting for a rubber plant in their house. In case you are one of them, this article will prove to be quite handy. Go through the following lines and get tips on how to grow a rubber tree plant.

Growing Rubber Tree Plants

Preparation

In the preparation stage, you will be required to get the soil as well as the planting container for your rubber tree plant. Talking about the former, it is always advisable to make use of professional planting mix, which contains equal parts of sand, peat moss and garden loam, for your rubber plant. Such a soil drains well and will suit the plant, which doesn't gel well with soggy wet soil. As for the next aspect, keep in mind that a rubber tree plant will grow to be about 4 feet in height, when mature. So, it is advisable to go for a large planting container.

Planting

After you have arranged for the soil and planting container, it is the time to visit your local nursery and get a rubber tree plant for your house. It will be best to place the plant in a larger plastic container at first, filled with the plating mix and having lots of drainage holes. Thereafter, you can put it in a copper, brass or any other container that is impermeable in nature. Before that, do make sure to add 1 to 2 inch rocks or gravel to the bottom of the container. This will help provide drainage material to the plant.

Watering & Feeding

After you have planted the rubber tree plant, it is the time to take care of its watering and feeding needs. Undertake watering only when you feel that the soil is completely dry, all through the planting pot. At the time of each watering, feed the plant with water soluble plant food. The best way of watering your rubber plant would be to place the entire container in a bathtub or bucket of lukewarm water. This will help provide moisture to the deepest roots as well. it is advisable to use lukewarm water for watering and be less frequent in the winter months.

Cleaning

Apart from watering and feeding your rubber tree plant on a regular basis, it is important to clean it as well. Making use of a damp cloth, wipe the leaves of your rubber tree plant every couple of weeks. As you clean the plant, its leaves will attain a glossy sheen naturally, thus doing away with the need of using any commercial or homemade leave shine product. As it is, making use of shine products has been known to clog the pores of a houseplant, interfering with its breathing in the process.

Maintenance

While a rubber tree plant has the ability to survive in almost any amount of light, it will grow the best in a well-lit area. As for the temperature, maintaining a normal household temperature will do just fine. Another important aspect of maintaining a rubber tree plant comprises of pruning. For the purpose, cut below the thin areas, as close to the larger, internal stems as possible. Remember, the pruned area will get additional branches soon enough. Prune in a way that reduces the overall size of the plant and removes overlapping branches as well, but encourages strong internal growth.