Rubber Plant

Common name: Rubber plant
Scientific Name: Ficus elastica/Ficus Robusta(now)
Indian name :

Ficus elastica is found naturally in north-eastern India (Sikkim, Assam), Burma (Myanmar), northern Peninsular Malaysia, and in Indonesia (Sumatra, Java). It occurs naturally in areas with temperatures of 8-33°C and an annual precipitation of 1750-3750 mm without a marked dry season.Its common name is derived from its thick, leather like, dark green leaves that contain rubber like latex.

Maintainance

Benefits

This plant is easy to grow and is especially effective at removing toxin such as formaldehyde. Of the ficus plants tested to date, rubber plant is best for removing chemical toxins from the indoor environment.

• In dry centrally heated air, it is susceptible to attacks by scale insects, spider mites and thrips.
• Feed fortnightly during spring and summer with diluted fertilizer

Repotting and propogation

• Re-pot once the roots have become pot bound or every year when the plants are very young, and then once every 3 years after the plant has matured.
• These can be quite tricky to propagate by stem tip cuttings, but you can succeed. Take a cutting (few inches long) and allow the sap to dry for 1 hour. Before potting the cutting in soil use rooting hormone and then provide the bottom of the pot some heat

Where to plant it?

• It is very much favoured by architects and designers for its aesthetic value and ease of growth.
• It is toxic to cats and dogs, so keep away from them