Question
hi. i have a rubber tree plant that i bought at a garage sale about 8 months ago. it was doing fine and the lady said she just set it outside and watered it like a cactus. its (or was) about a foot and 1/2 tall w/ several stalks. i had it in the corner on a speaker (in between a bay window and a regular window) and it didnt get much light but it looked happy. all of a sudden its bent in half. i water it about 1/3 of a plastic cup when i remember....oops. luv this plant plz give advice. another plant i have no clue what it is. its in the bay window (closed blinds all the time) and its tree-like....it has skinny arms and the entire thing is spiney.thats the only way i can think to describe it...thick but skinney spines....they all grow in one direction like hair kind of but look thick enough to be plastic. if i had a pic i could place it. had it and stumble through watering (dont know how much it needs) and one side of it is starting to get hard and brown. whats going on with this? the one in the store had more light and was huge! i dont really have a lot of light. keep blinds closed because of close neighbors...plz help! send pix if you can so i can find out what the silly thing is and start to care for it. have another one dying - very skinny arms in hanging pot...very tiny small leaves that turn and drop constantly. have one inside and one outside. neither one are happy. help!

Answer
Hi Crystal,

It is best if you only ask one question at a time on this site.

Your rubber tree needs more water. When you water, always water thoroughly so that the entire rootball is saturated. That would be more than 1/3 of a cup of water. And it must be done whenever the top quarter of the soil feels dry. Indoor plants do not get rain so they are entirely dependent on your remembering to water them on a timely basis. If you are forgetful, the plants will suffer.

Your description of the other two plants are not specific enough for me to identify. Try to find a way to email photos to my address below so I can identify them.

No plant is going to survive if the nearby window is covered. Whatever the plant is, it is suffering from lack of light. Artificial light will not be enough, so you are going to have to find an uncovered window for your plants if you want it to survive.


Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

Visit my web site at www.HorticulturalHelp.com

If you would like to e-mail me some photos, I may be able to provide some additional insights.