Question
Hello,
I have rubber tree plants. In 2003,I rooted 2 cuttings from a very old tree at work; they were then approx 20" tall. The 2 stems have always been growing together and I have them in a south facing window (my windows only face south & I live in Toronto, Canada).

I re-potted these plants from a 8" pot to a 10" pot a couple of years ago AND I added very young rubber plants from a 4" pot. The young ones have been doing really well - growing & growing. The older 2 have seemed stagnated, so late last summer I removed the younger ones from the 10" pot.

Since lats summer, the 2 older plants (they are now 37" tall) have only opened 1 new leaf each, and all of the leaves seem lighter green in colour and slightly translucent. They used to be dark green and opaque. My other, younger plants' leaves are dark green and opaque. I give then about a cup of water every week and I fertilize with organic fertilizer once a month.

I think the 2 older plants are not happy. What can I do now?

I would greatly appreciate your suggestions and am looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
Justyna

Answer
Hi Justyna,

Yours is a bit of an odd situation. Translucent leaves are unusual. The light appears to be fine, so I can only assume that the problem is root related.

I suspect that the 10" pot is too big for your rubber plant. When plants are in pots that re too big, they often put their energy into filling to pot with roots at the expense of new foliage growth. Pots that are too large also increase the risk of root rot.

In addition, a cup of water per week for a 10" pot is not sufficient. The top quarter of the soil should dry out in between waterings. If the soil is allowed to get that dry, then it would take more than a cup to re-saturate the soil. So either you are not letting the soil dry out sufficiently or you are not providing enough water.

What is the organic fertilizer you are using? What is the dilution or concentration that you use?

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions. If you would like to e-mail me some photos, I may be able to provide some additional insights.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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