Topic: Poorly Rubber Plant

[wahaj]

Hey,

I bought a variagated rubber plant from Tescos for £1 a few months ago. it wasn't watered well so i bought it home and repotted it....as it seemed very pot bound.

When i repotted it....it was homemade compost that i bought from the council. even though i watered the plant well, the soil had no water retention quality. so straight away i took all the soil off and planted it in multi purpose compost and it sits but the window. it doesn't get direct light at any time of the time....but has plenty of light....the window is west facing.

now after all the tlc i've given it....the plant is pretty much dead. the leaves haven't gotten brown or anything like that.....but the bottom half of the trunk has gone brown and is shriveling up a bit.....there hasn't been any new growth on it for atleast 2 months and all the leaves have completely drooped over. they have surprisingly kept their colour.....but yea....just flopped right over. and it's been like that for about a month now.

i know it's probably too late to save it.....but i fear i'm not looking after them right as i have a couple more rubber plants....which seem to be doing fine.

[Mrs Ava]

As I seem to remember, they don't like drafts, so a windowsill isn't a good home.  I believe they also like to be misted - altho my nan had one for years and it grew up to the ceiling, and then along some before she hacked it back, and I don't think she gave it much tlc.  Overwatering could also be a problem.  It is a common thing that people overwater houseplants, but suprisingly a lot of them really do like to dry out almost completely before watering again.  I shall have a looksie in a couple of my houseplant books to see what I can find.

[Mrs Ava]

Okay, according to my book, they don't like direct sunlight through glass as it can cause scorch, they appreciate having their leaves sponged (bless) and you should water them with tepid water, but don't overwater during the autumn and winter.

[wahaj]

hmmm....interesting. i mean i do mist it everyday like all my other houseplants. and i haven't watered them in weeks....i just mist the top of the soil surface so it stays moist.

and the window it's by, i don't open it. to be veyr honest....where it's sitting, there's no draughts coming from anywhere.

the way the trunk looks....it looks like it's been over watered....so you must be right. i just thought once a fortnight was a light enough watering.

[Mrs Ava]

It may have been on the way out when you brought it wahaj.  Sometimes if they have been neglected by the store, they never recover and plants can  mostly come back from underwatering, so long as you get there in time, but it seems they rarely get back from being waterlogged.  A shame. 

[wahaj]

yea i guess. it's a shame because it's such a beautiful plant.

oh well.

thanks for the advice. :)

[Georgie]

EJ may well be right that you just got a duff plant but can I offer a bit of hope?  First of all, you need to change your watering regime.  Giving plants a regular 'misting of  the top of the soil surface so it stays moist' is really bad news.  That means that water doesn't get to the roots properly and it encourages the roots to move towards the surface of the soil.  Far better to give it a good watering once the soil on the top of the surface feels dry and let the pot drain well. Secondly, indoor plants tend to slow down their growth in the winter months so there is nothing unusual there.  And finally, rubber plants are easy to strike from cuttings.  Forget all that 'air-layering' malarkey. If the plant tip still looks healthy come April then cut off the top six inches, take off all but two leaves and the growing tip and put it in a five inch pot of compost in a warmish room. Do this carefully because the plant will leak a white liquid everywhere there is a wound but will soon 'heal'.  Good luck.   :)

G x

[wahaj]

EJ may well be right that you just got a duff plant but can I offer a bit of hope?  First of all, you need to change your watering regime.  Giving plants a regular 'misting of  the top of the soil surface so it stays moist' is really bad news.  That means that water doesn't get to the roots properly and it encourages the roots to move towards the surface of the soil.  Far better to give it a good watering once the soil on the top of the surface feels dry and let the pot drain well. Secondly, indoor plants tend to slow down their growth in the winter months so there is nothing unusual there.  And finally, rubber plants are easy to strike from cuttings.  Forget all that 'air-layering' malarkey. If the plant tip still looks healthy come April then cut off the top six inches, take off all but two leaves and the growing tip and put it in a five inch pot of compost in a warmish room. Do this carefully because the plant will leak a white liquid everywhere there is a wound but will soon 'heal'.  Good luck.   :)

G x

oooh ok that sounds kewl. it seems that the whole thing is drooping over...but hopefully it might make it through to april and them i'll try that way of taking the cuttings.

yea i realised my error in that of watering a few days back so i'm gonna be watering them properly now lol.

[Rosa_Mundi]

Actually, tip cuttings are quite easy - I've done quite a few  ;D
I really don't like these droopy leaves - are they papery or still flexible?
They like decent light, all the more so if they're variegated, but don't need a windowsill. Georgie is quite right about the watering - many plants like the equivalent of a storm, followed by a period to dry out.

[wahaj]

yea ive read a lot of gardening books over the xmas period, and all of them suggest it's over watering. it's suffering from bad stem rot.

the leaves are still very flexible so when i get home (ive been away for a week) ill try and take a tip cutting.

thanks :)

[Tee Gee]

I think I would double my chances by firstly setting it  up now  to take an air layer, then later say early summer, I would go for tip cuttings.

I did air layer one once and found it quite easy, bit fiddly wrapping it up but once done it was just a case of allowing it to root.

I used a plastic freezer bag to wrap it in, in hind site I would use cling film if I did it again.

I don't have much on growing them, the one I had (I gave it away when it got too big) thrived on neglect .


These are notes from my diary;

http://tinyurl.com/ykfmm4

[wahaj]

thanks for the advice on that one. but i've already thrown it out as it had died a couple of weeks ago.