Question
Dear Will,

My boyfriend bought me a lovely rubber plant for my birthday which was really healthy looking and growing quickly. Recently the leaves have really wilted and the leaves around the back have begun to get little patches of yellow. Despite this it still has buds growing (although these are fewer)and most of the leaves are still glossy but they are all droopy.

I was watering it too much and the roots were sitting in water. When I realised this I emptied all the water and stopped watering until I thought the soil was dry. Despite this the soil still feels damp to the touch and there is what looks like white mould growing on the roots which are visible at the top of the soil.

Further info: It is about 1 metre high in a pot that is around 30cms. It is positioned about 3 metres from a window and isn't in direct sunlight. I was watering it every few days but now not for several weeks at a time. My flat is rather damp and I have the curtains closed during the day while I am at work.

Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated as I really don't want to loose this plant.

Thanks,
Sally

Answer
Hi Sally,

I'm afraid that the combination of not enough light and too much water has doomed your Rubber Plant. That combination also explains the mold growing on the soil.

Rubber plants must be within a few feet of a sunny window that is uncovered throughout the daylight hours. Yours was too far from the window and the window was covered a good part of the time thereby delivering a double-whammy. Without enough light, nothing else you do will make a difference.

The top quarter of the soil has to dry out between each watering otherwise the roots will rot. Allowing a plant to sit in water for more than a week or so is a sure way to cause the roots to rot. There is no cure for root rot.

I wish I had a way to save your plant, but I don't. For the future, it is best to get information on a plant at the very start rather than after it has started to deteriorate. All plant problems can be prevented, but many cannot be cured.

I have written articles on watering and on Rubber Plant care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to HorticulturalHelp.com

Regards,
Will Creed
Horticultural Help, NYC
Cell: 917-887-8601

Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com