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Care and Cultivation of Rubber Plants

Ficus elastica

Hi I just got a rubber tree and don't know anything about them. I got it at a flee market and came w/ no. lit. Wondering some basics. Water light fertaliser(sp) and some more if possible. I also have a 3' Yucca and has been jamming in front of my sliding glass door till 3 wks. ago. I have had it for 3 yrs. or so and has been doing awesome in the last 8 months. Till it has just lost 75% of it's leaves. I don't understand. should I cut it and let it start again if so how do I do that???? Well My name is Harrison and I would be very thankful for what ever you might add as advice.... Thanks Harrison

Hi, Harrison,

I am going to start with the rubber plant, cuz thats the easy one...I assume that you have a Ficus elastica, because it is the most commonly called rubber plant.
Rubber plants like bright light, but never hot sun. When your new leaves are emerging, even less light is advisable, as this will promote larger leaves..Rubber plants are very susceptible to changes in environment, such as warm to a cool room..Keep them out of drafts, and away from heat sources.
Keep your plant evenly moist during the growing cycle in spring and summer, but on the dryer side during the rest of the year. They really appreciate having their leaves sponged off with a damp cloth. When you fertilize your rubber plant in the spring and again in early summer, use a weak mixture of a soluble house plant food.
Rubber plants have a tendency to lose their lower leaves, usually from environmental reasons. If this happens very often, new shoots will emerge from the old leaf node. A very light nick, with a sharp,clean knife, right above the old node will often speed the new growth process from that point, but be sure to not cut to deeply.

As far as your yucca, I can only give you speculations...It sounds like there has been some sort of trauma to the plant, probably at the root level. Is it possible that it has become overwatered, causing the roots to rot. Yucca is also susceptible to root mealy bugs. I had a yucca once that seemed to die overnight. I gave up on it, cut it down, and forgot all about it. the next spring I had about a dozen new plants coming from the rootstock. Its very normal for the lower leaves to die off, but for your plant to lose that much at once, there is definitely something wrong. I wish I could be more help, but this is one of those times I would really need to examine the plant.
Did you know that the unopened yucca blossoms are yummy in a salad, very healthy, and make a great looking garnish too!

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