My dad had a rubber plant since just before I was born. I took a cutting several years ago and now it’s massive, the leaves are as big as my head, and I’m considering chopping one side to make it bushier and get a clone. Meanwhile he’s neglected his due to an extended work trip so it’s barely hanging on. Thanks for the info I hope to use it for both of us.
I only brought 1 of them moisture meters because of your channel honestly your the only person in the uk i enjoy watching on plants and feel I can honestly trust what you say I'm really new to plants and failing alot but I won't give up I'm trying everything your advising
Honestly might just start using this guy as my only source for plant advice,, I live in the same city so I get to just use the advice he gives without having to adjust for climate or anything
I inherited a 40 year old rubber tree.. it has many long branches with leaves only on the end about 6 inches per branch.. and the whole plant is about 7 feet tall and the root ball is as big as a basket ball..I gave it a bigger pot since the pot it had was the size of the root ball and so far he's happy❤
Thus rubber plant video is far better than the one from 2 years ago. well done for improving the quality. this format and tone of voice is much more helpful and engaging.
Cut it off so new shoots start & fill out. Then take the part(s) you cut & root over. You should be able to root in soil, but I’ve successfully rooted in leca.
@@SparkleCityGamecock1 do you mean essentially to "chop the stalk"? If so, does what remains in the pot eventually start put out new growth? What if there are no leaves at that point? Thx!
@@lindasue8719 exactly. Cut it shorter~how short is up to you, as long as there’s a spot left where a previous leaf dropped. It will encourage new growth to emerge as long as growing conditions are good. If any of the stalk is dead, like a portion of the tip, cut that & toss it obviously, but anything still living will sprout new roots &/or new growth. I had one survive a frozen green house that sprouted new growth all over after thinking it was surely a lost cause! I’ve allowed leaf loss too many times to count on others, & recently started a baby yellow gem over for the upteenth time. Just make sure it has good sunlight & be more consistent than you were before watering. As long as it’s not a dead stick, there’s hope
About getting new leaves to grow on the side of the Ficus Elasticia aka Rubber plant, there is a way. In warm weather take the plant outside (if you can) and tie it down by pulling the top as far down as you can to expose the barren limb. you can simply place bamboo poles in the pot as an anchor for tying. Make sure it can get good light and over time leaves will sprout, the pictures I took start date 6/13/23 last 10/12/23. So it took 4 months. I saw a TH-camr demonstrate this ("Secret to force rubber plant branch out without pruning, by Gardening Upbeat) I tried this on my Elastica and Ficus Audrey, they nearly doubled the amount of leaves produced.
Does it have to be outside or just bright light because my guys in bright light every day and flourishing is just that it's going vertical instead of horizontal
Just ordered a moisture meter and now I need a rubber tree plant coz you've convinced me thay I cant kill it! You have the most informative videos and just so simple. Keep it up! Aloha from Hawaii! 🤙
@@SheffieldMadePlants I literally just got a Burgundy rubber tree plant from home depot today and it has lots of red ants 😭 I had to repot it I hope it won't die. I didn't see it when I was checking it from the store, but as I was cleaning and watering it they started to come out the soil, it was nasty. I hope I did the right thing.
I am very proud of my fig elastica. 30+ years old and about 1.5m high and wide (5 feet). It has had bad times and better times. One of the best ideas was to put it outside one summer. The leaves unfortunately got scorched, but the tree thrived on it. (Southern Finland.) And about the moisture meter. Here I found it under the brand name “Nelson Garden” and it cost only 7.90€ in a store chain called Jula. Some places take double that price.
I have a 8 foot tall rubber tree that I got when it was about 6inchs tall I still have the leaves on 90% of the trunk but it gets lots of even light. Also I slap my tree around a lot ass they get taller without stress from wind they grow weak over the years. Note you can also use a fan( fans also help to battle sober mites
Hello gloomy Sheffield from wet, grey Wales ! Your channel is so well presented: clear, to the point and it is ultimatly very helpful especially if you live in the UK and not Florida ! Thank you for your down to earth, concise approach.
One note I would add is: more light---> more water, less light--->less water. Each plant different and requires different amounts of light and water but this is a good overall general rule of thumb from experience with many hundreds of plants. Especially with house plants here in four season climate. During summer I can bring rubber trees outside and acclimate them to higher amounts of sun and their roots can stay wet most of the summer and be super happy, but in the winter they come inside and get much less light and I water very little, and they don't grow much if at all during this time but also show no signs of stress or ill health.
I have three old multistemmed rubber plants. They prefer to be in a small pot...a little rootbound...but I have to check the soil and water them more often. I had leaf drop from a mealy bugs infestation on one of the larger plants, but I made an Ivory soap solution and sponged it on all parts of the plants...and also the top of the soil...and got rid of them. The soap solution didn't hurt the leaves, but left a slight film on them, which I will hose off when the weather gets warm enough for me to do it outside.
I bought a gorgeous tall rubber plant, within 5 months it was a stick with 3 leaves on, I tried watering a bit more/ a bit less nothing helped. It was dropping leaves on a weekly. I have never been this stressed about a plant before and I have a dramatic calathea as well
My rubber tree dropped almost all its leaves, but they were not brown or anything. I had mine in a spot with too little light, so I put it out on the patio for now and she's sprouted several leaves 🍃
I also had to get friends with my rubber tree. Now after 5 years, new branches appearing on the spot where the tree dropped leaves. So one branche has 5 new branches, it's gonna be bushy 😊. Greetings from the netherlands
Thank you so much! Very helpful! My rubber tree plant was about 6 feet tall and leaning over a tiny bit. I'm going to take a before and after picture, hopefully to be able to share with you
Just sharing something I do that works for me. I use a Himalayan salt lamp for my light source for my succulents. I have them on a shelf in my bookcase. The plants are placed around the lamp and they have been thriving very well over the winter,including new growth and propagating is mostly successful. Ever heard of this before.
I live in an apartment with central heating, it’s a pain trying to protect the plants from the overdrying in winter. I’ve started covering the tops of the pots with moss to prevent excessive evaporation, we’ll see how it goes… anyway, thank you for excellent tips!
I live in North Central Victoria, Australia and recently planted two rubber figs in my food forest. They are both less than a foot tall but I know they’ll grow! There are massive ficus trees, either rubber figs or Moreton Bay Figs, outside of Bendigo Railway Station. They must be about 100 feet tall and are developing buttresses. Bendigo is quite a hot and dry climate and they do just fine there, and don’t seem to get any extra care whatsoever! There is also a massive and ancient Moreton Bay Fig at Geraldton, in West Australia, it is so big that my father (deceased, born 1930) used to play in its huge branches when he was a boy. Once again, Geraldton is very hot and dry and often receives no rain for 5 or 6 months at a time!
Thank you for the fungus gnat sticky trap suggestions (they are amazing!!!) and the water conditioner (aquarium) suggestions for better watering. Hugely helpful!
When using the moisture meter, should I stick it all the way to the bottom of the pot? I live in Arizona, so the first 2 in are always dry even when but the bottom of the pot is still wet.
I can only recommend bottom watering pots with a thick cotton wick going into the saucer and up under the root system; it consistently keeps all my plans alive, regardless of their water needs. Works on cacti, works on Monstera, works on rubber-trees, works on cressulas. Never had happier plants and no leaf-drop ever!
Love your videos! I have several rubber trees and in my experience they love being outside in the summer and can even handle several hours of direct afternoon sun. I live in Michigan so I'm not sure if that would work in Florida lol! Definitely found out the hard way they don't like low light or overwatering😊
@@lizbailey3439 in arizona we can plant them outside! a house down the road from the nursury i work at has one in the front yard that’s literally taller than the house!
@@lizbailey3439 I am also in Michigan and have never put any of my Ficus outside - how many hours of direct sunlight does yours get when you have it outside?
Thanks for this video, I really appreciate what you do. That being said, my problem isn’t leaf drop, what happening to my plant is that the leaves get a big black spot and then it spreads till the entire leave is black and then I take if off
@@xShadowTorrentx - I had that happen to a leaf. It was a few drops of water that were not dried. They pooled up on the leaf and the leaf turned black and stiff. I plucked it off the plant and threw it away. I've been very careful now to dry all the leaves well after washing them.
I had my rubber plant placed near south facing window and it was doing fine but once I moved it to north/east window it started growing new branches on the bottom and new thick leaves on top and it became more deep green and glossy.
I moved it in the summer because I felt that it was too hot and too sunny there, its leaves were dull and it didn't grow as I expected, which surprised me. The new place, cooler and more shaded, seemed to bring relief to the plant and revived it. @@SheffieldMadePlants
Thanks for the vid! This happened to my rubber tree and I also forgot to water it so maybe that’s the problem 😂 Also I hope you get to 100k soon! You really deserve it!
Thank you mate this is a great video I needed this Iv had a rubber plant for a while now and it just doesn’t look as good as I know it can Iv tried repotting it to a bigger pot and changed the soil to miracle grow and other stuff any ideas?
You guys all NEED the new rubber tree color the Shivereana Moonshine! I think it might be favorite out of 150 plants. Top 5 easy. The variegation is so unique this mint smoothie color with peach growth points and veins. It's different from the regular Shivereana, which I have on my wishlist too lol but that one is more sectoral chunky variegation with red growth point.
@@SheffieldMadePlants lmao I would if I were in Europe and had an extra! Mines still a baby but it's been growing faster than my other larger plants in other colors. It came in sphag/perlite and the roots were too little to pull it out when I got it so I left in that and it seems pretty happy actually in that mix I've been watering about once a week when it's dry :) can't wait till the leaves get full size.
Great info again. The pointing finger into the soil up to the 2nd knuckle is an amazing tip. Have you heard of wiping the leaves with milk? I was told they like it years ago, and do it, and they appear to like it.
Recién me suscribí al canal, no entiendo muy bien el inglés, tu contenido es de gran ayuda, por favor podrías subtitular en español, saludos desde Aguascalientes 🇲🇽
do you put your plant meter all the way down to the bottom of a 5 or 6 or 7 inch pot? When you test moisture with your finger you only test maybe an inch or inch and a half below the top of the soil. what are we supposed to test?
This plant is happy being outside in full sun all day every day. I live in Israel, these are just regular trees here that grow to huge proportions, just being outside in full scorching sun. That includes ficus benjamina and fiddle fig. They need as much light as you can give them, and then some more.
My rubber plant leaves are curled inward only a few. And I can't figure out what is causing this issue. Can someone please help,I use a moisture meter and have grown light on my plants. So what am I doing wrong? Please help. Thank🪴 you
How far into the soil do you like to stick the moisture meter? Does the depth matter depending on the type of plant like a tropical plant, cactus, fern etc?
Every summer in Ontario Canada where I live I bring my rubber tree outside. It's done great it's actually got 3 ft tall and it was only a foot when I got it it has three main stems in not sure why the lady did that but I brought it back to life putting it out every. But this year I made a mistake before bringing it in I always spray my tropical plants with a solution that works for all insects scalemates you name it it's always worked. This year instead of using Castile soap I use castor oil by mistake and now my leaves are super oily😢 again I've done this to all my tropical plants not just my rubber tree but I'm wondering if you think too much oil will clog the pores?? I did wipe off as much as I can, but I feel like I should take a little Dawn soap and water and wash the backs because I can see oil spots on the back of the leaves please help I know it's a lot that I said but hopefully you made it to the 🤞
I have a 6 year old rubber tree it’s my favourite plant I own I refuse to give up on it but I need some help please. I lived in a house with damp and I sadly lost every single leaf when I moved in into my new place it’s now started to re grow it has 12 new leaves at the top and it has grown to be a 48cm tall! But it looks funny with no leaves on the branch is there any way that I can get some to re grown on the stick?or is it going to look like sticky for life
Hello and thank you for teaching us , Please tell me how to change the soil for my rubber plant it seems dry and white at the surface and roots are out of the soil THANK YOU Just to mention that it is a big size pot 😊
My rubber plant has these really weird things growing right above the dirt I don't know if they're roots and I should bury them or if they are supposed to be above the dirt but they are long kind of thick sneaky looking things any advice would be so appreciated❤
I was hoping you might discuss how to make your plant grow vertically. I have a plant with many stems coming from the soil and they fall sideways and grow outward. And new stems keep coming from the soil. Probably up to about 6 of them. 4 are about 3 feet and the others about a foot. With new ones still Coming. Wow😮
I've never pruned the roots of my plants and my rubber plant is about 6 years old, so it miiiight be in need of some pruning xD Thanks for all the information! Hope my poor baby will be happier once I check everything you said in the video.
@@SheffieldMadePlants I guess I may be confused with how they work. It won't cause it to have wet roots? I know my Calatheas love being in them because it also helps with a little extra humidity (I am in the desert)
@@SheffieldMadePlants thanks so much for replying. My ficus is getting leggy and it’s currently about 3ft tall but the leaves are not as densely populated as most. I don’t know if I should do prune. I’m looking to get the tree look. One thick trunk then stems at the top but I don’t know how to achieve that
I'm an avid watcher of your channel. I've started a ficus elastica from a single leaf. It took quite a while but it now has relatively extensive roots (I have it in a clear plastic pot with plenty of drainage holes and bottom water it per your directions). I'm just wondering how soon can I possibly expect a stem? Or any new growth other than roots. Trying to be patient here but it's been almost a year.
I just got a ficus burgundy and it’s like a stick with all the leaves at the top. Maybe 5 leaves. Will leaves grow towards the bottom or should I cut the plant down and repot or leave it alone?
Hi. Thank you for your videos, so helpful. Any advice on stem health, I have single stem that’s chucking out a lot of leaves, but I don’t think bark looks too great…. Has had thrips but treated before got hold seems to be ok now. Took off damaged leaves, using sticky yellow paper to monitor. Wiping leaves both sides etc
Hey I have removed the white small roots thinking it's fungus while propagating in water 😢😢😢 will the roots grow again or I hve destroyed my cuttings 😢😢😢 pls reply
I’ve had this rubber tree for 10 months, and it hasn’t grown ONE leaf! It’s not dying, dropping leaves or nothing! It simply hasn’t grown! It had the sane amount of leaves it had the day I purchased!😵💫
I have a rubber tree with one stem. I want to cut it to encourage the growth of more than one stem from the cut. Its still Winter where I live, so I am going to wait for the Spring to do this operation. I wanted to ask your advice: (1) When do I do the cut? Before I water the plant or after I water it. If after watering, how long do I wait before I do the cut? If the answer is before watering, how long do I wait after the cut, to water the plant? (2) How much light do i give the plant after the cut operation, the same as before or more light? Do you advise that I place the plant after the cut outside? If yes, how much sun should i give it. I really value your opinion and watch your videos many many times over. Thanks in advance for your help.
It doesn't matter too much when you water it. Keep it in the same place after you prune it. No need to change. There will be a LOT of sap when you make the cut so be ready for that. Maybe wear gloves
Sorry I don’t remember exactly but I recall you saying to cut off the hardened dark stem of the rubber tree.. sorry if that’s not what you said or meant. But my rubber tree has new growth on the top but the stem has hardened and is all brown. I thought that now it’s on its way to being dead. Is it still alive you’d say if the leaves are still popping but the stem is hardened and brown? Appreciate your feedback
@@SheffieldMadePlants no not black. Just dark brown like the bark of a tree but new leaves growing on the top and the old leaves along the stem and leaning downwards but there are leaves all along the stem.
I just got a 20+ year old 6 ft tall rubber plant given to me and it started doing some serious leaf drop as soon as i watered it for the first time. I may have overwatered, as the previous owner said he hadnt watered it in a while. We checked the bottom of the pot and it appears to have no drain hole in it.. should i remedy that, even though its probably been in that pot for a good few years?? Also, its more the upper leaves closest to the (south facing but middle of dreary PNW winter) window that are dropping the most.. thanks for any suggestions :)
Hey my plant is not growing well there are no leaves at the bottom 16 inches then there are few on the top only. The pot is around 14 inch which is big I think.. I water it once a week, a medium size water mug, it is growing in normal soil no cactus mix etc etc. plant is indoors need your advise how to improve the plant and make it grow ......
Hi mate thanks for the response much appreciated. I did tried to notch on the lower side but did not help much .. although I had it on a 14 inch diameter pot..I have now shifted it to an 8 inch diameter pot with fresh soil.. so it can concentrate on growing upwards rather then trying to grow roots. I will give it few months to see what the results are and it's it is giving positive outcome I would give it few notches again.... your thoughts....... thanks
Thank you for this video. I do have a couple of questions though. My variegated rubber plant has not looked happy for a little while now. First, I thought it was getting too much sun, because it was in a west facing window, so I moved it. I'm also trying to not over water it, which I think I tend to do to most of my plant babies. The plant has droopy leaves that are slowly falling off and the central stock is wrinkly, if that makes sense. Any advice? Also, what are the yellow things in allot of your plant pots? Thank you
Sounds like your plant is in a bad way sadly. Have you checked out the roots? Normally west facing is good because they like lots of light. They are fungus gnat traps
I see in all your examples that you have one plant in a pot. I took a few cuttings from my rubber tree and now that roots have been established, could I put them in a single pot to create a grouping or will they not like the company?
@@SheffieldMadePlantsI recently bought a gigantic Ficus tineke rubber plant! It is 6 seperate stalks, in one big pot, all sharing the same root ball. From home Depot.... it was drenched in water so first thing I did was use paper towel to dry off all the leaves. There was a large amount of dust and dirt caked on the leaves.... I wonder why 🤔 I was scared after watching your video about buying "senior" plants that don't like change. It's been 2 weeks, no leaf drop. Pray it continues to grow 😅 Thank you so so much Mr. Sheffield 😊
So I got given my rubber plant (due to allergies). I’ve had it now for 2 months ish, in the start it lost leaves, and now hasn’t for a while, so i figured it was good now, but it’s dropping so badly… I checked the roots, it was extremely root bound, so I just re potted it. Its roots were fine, no rote, water is like every 2 weeks ish. Do you think it’ll come back!? Also it has 3 long thick stems that go out wards, not straight, I really don’t like that, why?
I have a yellow green ficus that is one tall trunk that needs to be pruned. The last 10 or 11 leaves have come out small and wrinkled. My plant is getting propper light and i only water once its dry. Whats happening?
@@SheffieldMadePlants I re-potted it about a year and a half ago. There are a few roots coming out of the bottom hole but none showing at the surface of the dirt. I also have a small humidifier running next to it.
I have a bad habit of neglecting my plants in the winter. Now that spring is coming I’m paying more attention and my rubber plant is looking a little worse for wear. I’ve repotted it in good soil since it was originally in straight coco coir when I bought it, but after some time the stem is still really wrinkly and the leaves are all still droopy, do you think it still has a chance of bouncing back by summer or will it always look wrinkly and sad? Am I better off trying to propagate it and/or cut it back and try to start over? It’s stopped losing leaves but it looks so pitiful.
I’ve found that once the leaves droop it’s hard to get them to bounce back. I’d wait until summer and if it’s still looking sad consider cutting it back.
Thanks for this video! I noticed that in this video you water your rubber plant by pouring water in the tray rather than directly on the soil. Is there a reason for that?
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My dad had a rubber plant since just before I was born. I took a cutting several years ago and now it’s massive, the leaves are as big as my head, and I’m considering chopping one side to make it bushier and get a clone. Meanwhile he’s neglected his due to an extended work trip so it’s barely hanging on. Thanks for the info I hope to use it for both of us.
I only brought 1 of them moisture meters because of your channel honestly your the only person in the uk i enjoy watching on plants and feel I can honestly trust what you say I'm really new to plants and failing alot but I won't give up I'm trying everything your advising
Honestly might just start using this guy as my only source for plant advice,, I live in the same city so I get to just use the advice he gives without having to adjust for climate or anything
Love it!
I inherited a 40 year old rubber tree.. it has many long branches with leaves only on the end about 6 inches per branch.. and the whole plant is about 7 feet tall and the root ball is as big as a basket ball..I gave it a bigger pot since the pot it had was the size of the root ball and so far he's happy❤
Thus rubber plant video is far better than the one from 2 years ago. well done for improving the quality. this format and tone of voice is much more helpful and engaging.
Always improving hopefully 😅
And what if your rubber plant is now just a stick in a pot ...asking for a friend of course 🤣😬
Don’t give up
Of course 😂. Follow the steps in the video... 😁
Cut it off so new shoots start & fill out. Then take the part(s) you cut & root over. You should be able to root in soil, but I’ve successfully rooted in leca.
@@SparkleCityGamecock1 do you mean essentially to "chop the stalk"? If so, does what remains in the pot eventually start put out new growth? What if there are no leaves at that point? Thx!
@@lindasue8719 exactly. Cut it shorter~how short is up to you, as long as there’s a spot left where a previous leaf dropped. It will encourage new growth to emerge as long as growing conditions are good. If any of the stalk is dead, like a portion of the tip, cut that & toss it obviously, but anything still living will sprout new roots &/or new growth. I had one survive a frozen green house that sprouted new growth all over after thinking it was surely a lost cause! I’ve allowed leaf loss too many times to count on others, & recently started a baby yellow gem over for the upteenth time. Just make sure it has good sunlight & be more consistent than you were before watering. As long as it’s not a dead stick, there’s hope
About getting new leaves to grow on the side of the Ficus Elasticia aka Rubber plant, there is a way. In warm weather take the plant outside (if you can) and tie it down by pulling the top as far down as you can to expose the barren limb. you can simply place bamboo poles in the pot as an anchor for tying. Make sure it can get good light and over time leaves will sprout, the pictures I took start date 6/13/23 last 10/12/23. So it took 4 months. I saw a TH-camr demonstrate this ("Secret to force rubber plant branch out without pruning, by Gardening Upbeat) I tried this on my Elastica and Ficus Audrey, they nearly doubled the amount of leaves produced.
I think I saw that video too
No sabía eso! Muchísimas gracias!
Does it have to be outside or just bright light because my guys in bright light every day and flourishing is just that it's going vertical instead of horizontal
This is awesome information, especially considering I just bought 5 ficus plants in the past 2 weeks! Always appreciate your time, good sir!
Great to hear! Good luck with your new friends 😁
that's it. I'm subbing. I like being told what to do by this dude.
Just ordered a moisture meter and now I need a rubber tree plant coz you've convinced me thay I cant kill it! You have the most informative videos and just so simple. Keep it up! Aloha from Hawaii! 🤙
Aloha! Thanks for watching 😁
@@SheffieldMadePlants I literally just got a Burgundy rubber tree plant from home depot today and it has lots of red ants 😭 I had to repot it I hope it won't die. I didn't see it when I was checking it from the store, but as I was cleaning and watering it they started to come out the soil, it was nasty. I hope I did the right thing.
@@jofrecia wow can’t believe that 🤯
I am very proud of my fig elastica. 30+ years old and about 1.5m high and wide (5 feet). It has had bad times and better times. One of the best ideas was to put it outside one summer. The leaves unfortunately got scorched, but the tree thrived on it. (Southern Finland.)
And about the moisture meter. Here I found it under the brand name “Nelson Garden” and it cost only 7.90€ in a store chain called Jula. Some places take double that price.
I grow mine outside in a hot climate slowly having introduced it to sunny areas outside it is now in full sun
I have a 8 foot tall rubber tree that I got when it was about 6inchs tall I still have the leaves on 90% of the trunk but it gets lots of even light. Also I slap my tree around a lot ass they get taller without stress from wind they grow weak over the years. Note you can also use a fan( fans also help to battle sober mites
Hello gloomy Sheffield from wet, grey Wales ! Your channel is so well presented: clear, to the point and it is ultimatly very helpful especially if you live in the UK and not Florida ! Thank you for your down to earth, concise approach.
Wow, thank you!
One note I would add is: more light---> more water, less light--->less water. Each plant different and requires different amounts of light and water but this is a good overall general rule of thumb from experience with many hundreds of plants.
Especially with house plants here in four season climate. During summer I can bring rubber trees outside and acclimate them to higher amounts of sun and their roots can stay wet most of the summer and be super happy, but in the winter they come inside and get much less light and I water very little, and they don't grow much if at all during this time but also show no signs of stress or ill health.
I concur 😁
@@SheffieldMadePlants I guess I should have watched the whole video before commenting... You DID touch on this point. Great job with valuable content!
@@SheffieldMadePlants Hey do you know the podcast "In Defense Of Plants"?
If you don't it's terrific and I hope you enjoy it!
I water mine 2 a week! It gets to dry because it is in a terracota pot! She is thriving and happy! ;)
Same here in south Florida. I use terracotta to alleviate my tendency to overwater. The ones that love water get plastic pots
I recently purchased a rubber plant. I KNOW I over-watered my first one which killed it 🪦. These tips are greatly appreciated.
Great, thanks for watching
I have three old multistemmed rubber plants. They prefer to be in a small pot...a little rootbound...but I have to check the soil and water them more often.
I had leaf drop from a mealy bugs infestation on one of the larger plants, but I made an Ivory soap solution and sponged it on all parts of the plants...and also the top of the soil...and got rid of them. The soap solution didn't hurt the leaves, but left a slight film on them, which I will hose off when the weather gets warm enough for me to do it outside.
Thanks for the tips 👍 I agree about the rubber plant preferring a snug pot
I bought a gorgeous tall rubber plant, within 5 months it was a stick with 3 leaves on, I tried watering a bit more/ a bit less nothing helped. It was dropping leaves on a weekly. I have never been this stressed about a plant before and I have a dramatic calathea as well
That's a shame. Was it in a bright spot?
My rubber tree dropped almost all its leaves, but they were not brown or anything. I had mine in a spot with too little light, so I put it out on the patio for now and she's sprouted several leaves 🍃
They love lots of light for sure
I also had to get friends with my rubber tree. Now after 5 years, new branches appearing on the spot where the tree dropped leaves. So one branche has 5 new branches, it's gonna be bushy 😊.
Greetings from the netherlands
Sounds great 👍
I'm very glad you mentioned pests since I did find one of these for really cheap at a grocery store lol
Thank you so much! Very helpful! My rubber tree plant was about 6 feet tall and leaning over a tiny bit. I'm going to take a before and after picture, hopefully to be able to share with you
Cool 👌
Just sharing something I do that works for me. I use a Himalayan salt lamp for my light source for my succulents. I have them on a shelf in my bookcase. The plants are placed around the lamp and they have been thriving very well over the winter,including new growth and propagating is mostly successful. Ever heard of this before.
I have never heard that. Plants responds to it then 🤔
I live in an apartment with central heating, it’s a pain trying to protect the plants from the overdrying in winter. I’ve started covering the tops of the pots with moss to prevent excessive evaporation, we’ll see how it goes… anyway, thank you for excellent tips!
Thanks for watching 👍
I live in North Central Victoria, Australia and recently planted two rubber figs in my food forest. They are both less than a foot tall but I know they’ll grow!
There are massive ficus trees, either rubber figs or Moreton Bay Figs, outside of Bendigo Railway Station. They must be about 100 feet tall and are developing buttresses. Bendigo is quite a hot and dry climate and they do just fine there, and don’t seem to get any extra care whatsoever! There is also a massive and ancient Moreton Bay Fig at Geraldton, in West Australia, it is so big that my father (deceased, born 1930) used to play in its huge branches when he was a boy. Once again, Geraldton is very hot and dry and often receives no rain for 5 or 6 months at a time!
Wow those trees sound awesome!
Great watch so appreciated,burgundy really happy..Belize lost four lower leaves due to lack of water..you live & you learn..
So true!
Thanks to you I may save my plant!!!! Great video, easy explanation!
Glad it was helpful!
i changed my rubber plant from soil to leca !! Its doing well
Thank you for the fungus gnat sticky trap suggestions (they are amazing!!!) and the water conditioner (aquarium) suggestions for better watering. Hugely helpful!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching
I didn't see those parts. You can use aquarium water conditioner for your plants water?! Cool!!!
"Overwatering causes the cells of the leaves to burst."
That sounds so violent that I feel I should apologize to my rubber tree.
I find my rubber tree does do well in terracotta as well helps the soil dry out evenly
👌
My Dad had a huge fucus elastica in our living room
Mine struggles and I already lost a few 😢 but I don't give up and I bought 3 different ones today
Hope you get more success!
When using the moisture meter, should I stick it all the way to the bottom of the pot? I live in Arizona, so the first 2 in are always dry even when but the bottom of the pot is still wet.
Into the bottom half yes. The top being dry is fine
I can only recommend bottom watering pots with a thick cotton wick going into the saucer and up under the root system; it consistently keeps all my plans alive, regardless of their water needs. Works on cacti, works on Monstera, works on rubber-trees, works on cressulas. Never had happier plants and no leaf-drop ever!
I tried those pots with LECA and it was a disaster. The water level never changed. Does it work better with soil?
Thank you for sharing about the Robert Plant and bugs
What advice would you have to get the rubber plant to branch more instead of only growing straight up?
just love what u do man. so much good info on this channel
Marvelous, thank you very much 😁
Love your videos! I have several rubber trees and in my experience they love being outside in the summer and can even handle several hours of direct afternoon sun. I live in Michigan so I'm not sure if that would work in Florida lol! Definitely found out the hard way they don't like low light or overwatering😊
Thank you and thanks for sharing! Just gotta be careful of bugs when we bring them back in.
@@SheffieldMadePlants yes, another thing I've learned the hard way😂😂
@@lizbailey3439 in arizona we can plant them outside! a house down the road from the nursury i work at has one in the front yard that’s literally taller than the house!
@@stonergoat that's incredible!!
@@lizbailey3439 I am also in Michigan and have never put any of my Ficus outside - how many hours of direct sunlight does yours get when you have it outside?
Mine is perfectly healthy but I’m glad this popped up on my suggested because mine was BONE dry when I just checked haha
Mine is also in an east facing window! I’m in Texas too. She loves that morning light
Cool 👍
Great talk on water and light, infestations but where is the info about “bushy-ness”? Title doesn’t seem to match the content.
Thanks for this video, I really appreciate what you do. That being said, my problem isn’t leaf drop, what happening to my plant is that the leaves get a big black spot and then it spreads till the entire leave is black and then I take if off
Hmm have you considered a disease or maybe even a pest? I've not seen what you describe before unfortunately
This is the exact thing that I have, did you manage to find the cause?
@@xShadowTorrentx - I had that happen to a leaf. It was a few drops of water that were not dried. They pooled up on the leaf and the leaf turned black and stiff. I plucked it off the plant and threw it away. I've been very careful now to dry all the leaves well after washing them.
Mine's been a bit abused, and is still beautiful. It goes in the sink for an overnight soak every now and again. Next, to prune it.
Chop chop chop
I had my rubber plant placed near south facing window and it was doing fine but once I moved it to north/east window it started growing new branches on the bottom and new thick leaves on top and it became more deep green and glossy.
That’s weird
I moved it in the summer because I felt that it was too hot and too sunny there, its leaves were dull and it didn't grow as I expected, which surprised me. The new place, cooler and more shaded, seemed to bring relief to the plant and revived it. @@SheffieldMadePlants
I got that moisture metre on your recomendation, simple & handy
Game changer 😁
@@SheffieldMadePlants Absolutely
Thank you for this video. I have 5 ficus trees. It's my first time to watch this
Welcome!
Thanks for the vid! This happened to my rubber tree and I also forgot to water it so maybe that’s the problem 😂
Also I hope you get to 100k soon! You really deserve it!
Thank you, you're a ⭐️
Thank you mate this is a great video I needed this Iv had a rubber plant for a while now and it just doesn’t look as good as I know it can Iv tried repotting it to a bigger pot and changed the soil to miracle grow and other stuff any ideas?
Thanks! What’s wrong with it?
You guys all NEED the new rubber tree color the Shivereana Moonshine! I think it might be favorite out of 150 plants. Top 5 easy. The variegation is so unique this mint smoothie color with peach growth points and veins. It's different from the regular Shivereana, which I have on my wishlist too lol but that one is more sectoral chunky variegation with red growth point.
My gosh you're right. Feel free to send one my way 😂
@@SheffieldMadePlants lmao I would if I were in Europe and had an extra! Mines still a baby but it's been growing faster than my other larger plants in other colors. It came in sphag/perlite and the roots were too little to pull it out when I got it so I left in that and it seems pretty happy actually in that mix I've been watering about once a week when it's dry :) can't wait till the leaves get full size.
Great info again. The pointing finger into the soil up to the 2nd knuckle is an amazing tip. Have you heard of wiping the leaves with milk? I was told they like it years ago, and do it, and they appear to like it.
Thank you 😊. Not sure about the milk but if it’s working for you then 👍😁
I can’r explain the science behind it, but milk allegedly is an effective fungicide against powdery mildew.
Excellent timing for this. Thank you
Perfect!
Recién me suscribí al canal, no entiendo muy bien el inglés, tu contenido es de gran ayuda, por favor podrías subtitular en español, saludos desde Aguascalientes 🇲🇽
do you put your plant meter all the way down to the bottom of a 5 or 6 or 7 inch pot? When you test moisture with your finger you only test maybe an inch or inch and a half below the top of the soil. what are we supposed to test?
Bottom half of the pot
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I appreciate it very much.
Glad it was helpful!
This plant is happy being outside in full sun all day every day. I live in Israel, these are just regular trees here that grow to huge proportions, just being outside in full scorching sun. That includes ficus benjamina and fiddle fig. They need as much light as you can give them, and then some more.
Nice one thanks
I just bought my first rubber trea
2 actually one is named sofia the other elize i belive… its pinkier and the other is green looking beautiful 😇🐳💙
My rubber plant leaves are curled inward only a few. And I can't figure out what is causing this issue. Can someone please help,I use a moisture meter and have grown light on my plants. So what am I doing wrong? Please help. Thank🪴 you
I'm a rubber tree lover! Thanks!!
My pleasure 😁
How far into the soil do you like to stick the moisture meter? Does the depth matter depending on the type of plant like a tropical plant, cactus, fern etc?
At least half way in
Hi, can I plant my ficus in the ground, in sunny Florida sun?. Thank you
Might need some protection initially
My Rubber plant, green leaf kind has thin stems. It's young but will they thicken out. I see how thick yours are. Any ideas?
Yea they will over time with good light. Pruning them back helps thicken them too
Any suggestions for pruning a rubber tree. I'm a newbie here.
@@donnamiller4095 th-cam.com/video/5E9GEQ6aqgk/w-d-xo.html
Love and Peace.
Hi could you tell me why you went with the XLUX Soil Moisture Meter? Did you try other meters too? Thanks
Seemed like a good one at the time and it’s not failed me
Lifesaver thank you so much,I’ve just had exactly this happen. Great advice
Glad it helped, thank you.
Every summer in Ontario Canada where I live I bring my rubber tree outside. It's done great it's actually got 3 ft tall and it was only a foot when I got it it has three main stems in not sure why the lady did that but I brought it back to life putting it out every. But this year I made a mistake before bringing it in I always spray my tropical plants with a solution that works for all insects scalemates you name it it's always worked. This year instead of using Castile soap I use castor oil by mistake and now my leaves are super oily😢 again I've done this to all my tropical plants not just my rubber tree but I'm wondering if you think too much oil will clog the pores?? I did wipe off as much as I can, but I feel like I should take a little Dawn soap and water and wash the backs because I can see oil spots on the back of the leaves please help I know it's a lot that I said but hopefully you made it to the 🤞
Yep I’d give it a thorough wash down with a spray to get rid of the oil
I have a 6 year old rubber tree it’s my favourite plant I own I refuse to give up on it but I need some help please. I lived in a house with damp and I sadly lost every single leaf when I moved in into my new place it’s now started to re grow it has 12 new leaves at the top and it has grown to be a 48cm tall! But it looks funny with no leaves on the branch is there any way that I can get some to re grown on the stick?or is it going to look like sticky for life
You can try notching
Hello and thank you for teaching us , Please tell me how to change the soil for my rubber plant it seems dry and white at the surface and roots are out of the soil THANK YOU
Just to mention that it is a big size pot 😊
I really enjoyed your videos. thank you!
Great stuff. Thanks for watching 😁
My rubber plant has these really weird things growing right above the dirt I don't know if they're roots and I should bury them or if they are supposed to be above the dirt but they are long kind of thick sneaky looking things any advice would be so appreciated❤
What do they look like?
Is it okay to propagate or cut in half right now? Like right at the beginning of growth season?
Yep perfect time
I was hoping you might discuss how to make your plant grow vertically. I have a plant with many stems coming from the soil and they fall sideways and grow outward. And new stems keep coming from the soil. Probably up to about 6 of them. 4 are about 3 feet and the others about a foot. With new ones still
Coming. Wow😮
I’ve not seen that growth pattern before on a rubber plant. Normally one dominant stem
Could it be a ZZ? Zanzibar gem. Their leaves are waxyish too and all stems come from the soil. Rubber fig is a tree.
How long does it take for the new leaf to unfold?
I've never pruned the roots of my plants and my rubber plant is about 6 years old, so it miiiight be in need of some pruning xD
Thanks for all the information! Hope my poor baby will be happier once I check everything you said in the video.
Thanks for watching
Good video. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, will do!
I just bought a small tineke. It came in a self watering pot. I'm assuming I need to repot it asap?
Not necessarily! Self watering pots can be good
@@SheffieldMadePlants I guess I may be confused with how they work. It won't cause it to have wet roots? I know my Calatheas love being in them because it also helps with a little extra humidity (I am in the desert)
@@ashleigh_ann nope the soil stays moist but not wet which is fine
Looks like you notched your tree.. How did you go about it? Plus do you have any video that show sthat.. Im so scared to notch mine
I've tried lots of times but it's never worked for me
@@SheffieldMadePlants thanks so much for replying. My ficus is getting leggy and it’s currently about 3ft tall but the leaves are not as densely populated as most. I don’t know if I should do prune. I’m looking to get the tree look. One thick trunk then stems at the top but I don’t know how to achieve that
@@honeybadjah007 prune it. It’ll be fine
Thank you!
I'm an avid watcher of your channel. I've started a ficus elastica from a single leaf. It took quite a while but it now has relatively extensive roots (I have it in a clear plastic pot with plenty of drainage holes and bottom water it per your directions). I'm just wondering how soon can I possibly expect a stem? Or any new growth other than roots. Trying to be patient here but it's been almost a year.
You might not get one sorry to say. Ficus leaf props grow roots but that's it. They need a bit of stem to grow a new one.
is moving it around OK? Like, can I move it to the balcony during the day and bring it back at night?
They tend to get a bit fussy about that. I’d rather find a spot and let it be
@@SheffieldMadePlants thank you, that helps
I just got a ficus burgundy and it’s like a stick with all the leaves at the top. Maybe 5 leaves. Will leaves grow towards the bottom or should I cut the plant down and repot or leave it alone?
You can try notching it lower down to encourage branching. I've not been successful but lots of folks have
I've just bought a meter from your amazon site. Thanks.
Hope you enjoy it!
One of the hardest plants i tried to grow.Water/no water etc but still lost all leaves on the bottom of four rubbee trees.I just gave up on them.
Sorry to hear that
Can I put it outside in the summer? How much sun does it like outside? I live in Pennsylvania
I’d keep it in the shade outside. It will like it
Hi. Thank you for your videos, so helpful.
Any advice on stem health, I have single stem that’s chucking out a lot of leaves, but I don’t think bark looks too great…. Has had thrips but treated before got hold seems to be ok now. Took off damaged leaves, using sticky yellow paper to monitor. Wiping leaves both sides etc
What's up with the bark?
Hey I have removed the white small roots thinking it's fungus while propagating in water 😢😢😢 will the roots grow again or I hve destroyed my cuttings 😢😢😢 pls reply
Should do yea
@@SheffieldMadePlants 🥲🫶
I’ve had this rubber tree for 10 months, and it hasn’t grown ONE leaf! It’s not dying, dropping leaves or nothing! It simply hasn’t grown! It had the sane amount of leaves it had the day I purchased!😵💫
Is it somewhere bright?
I have a rubber tree with one stem. I want to cut it to encourage the growth of more than one stem from the cut. Its still Winter where I live, so I am going to wait for the Spring to do this operation. I wanted to ask your advice: (1) When do I do the cut? Before I water the plant or after I water it. If after watering, how long do I wait before I do the cut? If the answer is before watering, how long do I wait after the cut, to water the plant? (2) How much light do i give the plant after the cut operation, the same as before or more light? Do you advise that I place the plant after the cut outside? If yes, how much sun should i give it.
I really value your opinion and watch your videos many many times over. Thanks in advance for your help.
It doesn't matter too much when you water it. Keep it in the same place after you prune it. No need to change. There will be a LOT of sap when you make the cut so be ready for that. Maybe wear gloves
Sorry I don’t remember exactly but I recall you saying to cut off the hardened dark stem of the rubber tree.. sorry if that’s not what you said or meant. But my rubber tree has new growth on the top but the stem has hardened and is all brown. I thought that now it’s on its way to being dead. Is it still alive you’d say if the leaves are still popping but the stem is hardened and brown? Appreciate your feedback
Is it black?
@@SheffieldMadePlants no not black. Just dark brown like the bark of a tree but new leaves growing on the top and the old leaves along the stem and leaning downwards but there are leaves all along the stem.
@@Forescity sounds like it’s fine
I just got a 20+ year old 6 ft tall rubber plant given to me and it started doing some serious leaf drop as soon as i watered it for the first time. I may have overwatered, as the previous owner said he hadnt watered it in a while. We checked the bottom of the pot and it appears to have no drain hole in it.. should i remedy that, even though its probably been in that pot for a good few years?? Also, its more the upper leaves closest to the (south facing but middle of dreary PNW winter) window that are dropping the most.. thanks for any suggestions :)
I’d have a look at the roots and change the soil if it’s not been done in a while. Is it sat in the sun and is that a change for it? Might be stressed
Hey my plant is not growing well there are no leaves at the bottom 16 inches then there are few on the top only. The pot is around 14 inch which is big I think.. I water it once a week, a medium size water mug, it is growing in normal soil no cactus mix etc etc. plant is indoors need your advise how to improve the plant and make it grow ......
Lack of growth is normally a light problem. Try notching to get it growing lower down
Hi mate thanks for the response much appreciated. I did tried to notch on the lower side but did not help much .. although I had it on a 14 inch diameter pot..I have now shifted it to an 8 inch diameter pot with fresh soil.. so it can concentrate on growing upwards rather then trying to grow roots. I will give it few months to see what the results are and it's it is giving positive outcome I would give it few notches again.... your thoughts....... thanks
I do mine evry two weeks depending how hot it is, colder days i prob do 1x every 3weeks or 1x month just depends
Thank you for this video. I do have a couple of questions though. My variegated rubber plant has not looked happy for a little while now. First, I thought it was getting too much sun, because it was in a west facing window, so I moved it. I'm also trying to not over water it, which I think I tend to do to most of my plant babies. The plant has droopy leaves that are slowly falling off and the central stock is wrinkly, if that makes sense. Any advice?
Also, what are the yellow things in allot of your plant pots?
Thank you
Sounds like your plant is in a bad way sadly. Have you checked out the roots? Normally west facing is good because they like lots of light. They are fungus gnat traps
I see in all your examples that you have one plant in a pot. I took a few cuttings from my rubber tree and now that roots have been established, could I put them in a single pot to create a grouping or will they not like the company?
You can group them if there is enough space
@@SheffieldMadePlantsI recently bought a gigantic Ficus tineke rubber plant! It is 6 seperate stalks, in one big pot, all sharing the same root ball. From home Depot.... it was drenched in water so first thing I did was use paper towel to dry off all the leaves. There was a large amount of dust and dirt caked on the leaves.... I wonder why 🤔
I was scared after watching your video about buying "senior" plants that don't like change.
It's been 2 weeks, no leaf drop. Pray it continues to grow 😅
Thank you so so much Mr. Sheffield 😊
@@mik569 fingers crossed!
Hi, I have had a Ficus Tineke from Planterina. It has a very small leaf node but in 6 months it has not budged? Keep it in right light and water.
They stop growing in the winter. Give it lots of light and it should start to move. If not then you could cut it off to wake it up
@@SheffieldMadePlants thank you for your quick reply. I’ve been watching several of your videos and enjoying all of them.
@@judyluce3141 love it 👍
So I got given my rubber plant (due to allergies).
I’ve had it now for 2 months ish, in the start it lost leaves, and now hasn’t for a while, so i figured it was good now, but it’s dropping so badly… I checked the roots, it was extremely root bound, so I just re potted it. Its roots were fine, no rote, water is like every 2 weeks ish.
Do you think it’ll come back!?
Also it has 3 long thick stems that go out wards, not straight, I really don’t like that, why?
Now that you’ve repotted it should improve hopefully
I dont know yet, only re potted it yesterday!
I have a yellow green ficus that is one tall trunk that needs to be pruned. The last 10 or 11 leaves have come out small and wrinkled. My plant is getting propper light and i only water once its dry. Whats happening?
How are the roots?
@@SheffieldMadePlants I re-potted it about a year and a half ago. There are a few roots coming out of the bottom hole but none showing at the surface of the dirt. I also have a small humidifier running next to it.
@@GumpterCrayon the problem might be in the soil/roots. Is the soil nice and free draining?
@@SheffieldMadePlants I think I just used multipurpose potting soil. Should I report in cactus soil?
@@GumpterCrayon if it’s got good drainage then yes would be a good shout
My rubber tree is tall but the branches are not strong & tall. They flop out away from the center. Any tips? Is it a lost cause?
You can try cutting it back. Should thicken the trunk. Give it lots of light
I have a bad habit of neglecting my plants in the winter. Now that spring is coming I’m paying more attention and my rubber plant is looking a little worse for wear. I’ve repotted it in good soil since it was originally in straight coco coir when I bought it, but after some time the stem is still really wrinkly and the leaves are all still droopy, do you think it still has a chance of bouncing back by summer or will it always look wrinkly and sad? Am I better off trying to propagate it and/or cut it back and try to start over? It’s stopped losing leaves but it looks so pitiful.
I’ve found that once the leaves droop it’s hard to get them to bounce back. I’d wait until summer and if it’s still looking sad consider cutting it back.
Thanks for this video! I noticed that in this video you water your rubber plant by pouring water in the tray rather than directly on the soil. Is there a reason for that?
I like bottom watering. I’ve got a video coming out soon about why
@@SheffieldMadePlants Lovely, can't wait to check that out. :)