My favorite plant: Ficus Elastica (Rubber Plant)

9 years ago

I can't think of a single plant in my home that pleases me more than this one.

Long ago, about 15 years ago in another yard, I planted one in the yard in bright shade, and another was potted in my home. Back then, roses were my favorite plants and these two barely got a glance....

Fast forward to now, and rubber plants are hands-down my favorite ones. I like the look of it, yes -- but also how easily they grow and forgive. I have a China Doll plant that grows more beautifully than this one, but that one hasn't shared the wealth with other families like this one has so far.

It's tortured in terms of my taking cuttings and distributing parts of this plant to people -- and not intentionally, really. I'll pot some cuttings up for myself to have another one, and someone will come over and comment on the plant. "Want one?" will immediately lead to them taking the one I had potted.
So far, in the 2+ years I've had it, there are three other homes that have cuttings grown from this.

Cuttings in Pro-Mix:
{{gwi:104413}}

That plant is now owned by my mother, who took it with her on her last visit to my house.

And then, the basal stems (and I learned what they were called from Al!) are so prolific on this plant. I've made many little pots -- gave some away and kept some which are like miniature rubber plants. Either they stay this way, or I'll have to be 250 years old for them to be full-size.

It was recently repotted into a larger pot because the small pot I had it in earlier kept on toppling over. I didn't have any bark on hand at that time, so it's just in Pro-Mix but happily producing new growth at every single cutting location. It only gets watered every 2-3 weeks right now....with the AC going some of the time and rather decently warm weather (instead of crazy 100s!), it takes about that long for me to truly feel like the soil is moderately dry.

I love this plant. LOVE!!

Grace

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Comments (5)

summersunlight
9 years ago
I am quite fond of rubber tree plants too!

I have had a variegated one for about 4 years now. It has survived very well despite periods of neglect. It is nice that a plant that is so beautiful can also be very rewarding and easy. I bought mine as a very small plant but the last couple of years it has been growing at a pretty steady pace.
Photo Synthesis
9 years ago
Ficus elastica "Burgundy"

This plant is also one of my favorites. Back when I first moved out on my own, well I moved in with a couple of my best friends into our bachelor pad, lol. By splitting the cost, we could afford a really nice high rise apartment. Well, one of my friends had a really big rubber tree plant. I still remember helping him trying to move it into the elevator and up into our apartment. This past Spring, I seen them for sale, and seeing them brought back many good memories. So I had to buy one for my own. Since then, it has already grown quite considerably. I think that I may have to repot it next Spring into a bigger pot.

These plants really are very forgiving. One (all- natural) trick that I use to keep the leaves nice and shiny is to clean them with lemon juice. This works great for removing water spots, dust, etc. :)
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beatlesfan
9 years ago
My rubber plant is one of my favorites, too. I just love the waxy, dark green leaves. They look so "leafy", if that makes sense!
Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
Original Author
9 years ago
Tommy, amazing how these memories stick with us. Everytime I see a fern, I think of my grandma. :)

Beatles: yup. They're "beefy" and got substance haha.

Summer, I think I'm going to buy a few more -- including a variegated one. I also want to try one outside by the front door facing due east....it's still blazing hot come summer but it would just be an experiment. :)
Photo Synthesis
9 years ago
I can't speak for the variegated variety, but I grew my "Burgundy" outside all summer long in full sun facing South. Just as long as I kept it well watered, it seemed to grow like a weed. You could practically see its growth from day to day, sending out one leaf after another. But now that the temps are dropping, its active growth seems to have slowed down and stopped for the time being.

Since I first bought it, up until now, it has more than doubled in size. It was small to begin with, but still. I was worried about it getting sunburned, but this little plant thrived in it, growing much faster than I anticipated. Which is why I may have to repot it next Spring.