Question
Hello Will, am I going mad?  I was woken early yesterday morning to find the whole house thick with grey smoke.  After initially running round the house to see what was on fire, I eventually discovered the fire was coming from my rubber plant..  Not the actual leaves, but the earth within the clay pot.  The earth was glowing red and smoking profusely, and the actual pot  was extremely hot when I touched it in disbelief.  Now the plant itself we've had from  a baby (around 5 years now) and has grown to about 7ft tall.  Recently we trimmed two of it's branches and covered the cut ends to stop the rubber oozing out.   It's been in the same pot (about 1ft wide) with the same commercial plant pot compost for two years.  Astonishly, the plant itself doesn't look affected at the moment - even though its roots must be burnt - however I'm very twitchy about its safety especially as the smell of burning rubber is still detactable throughout the house.  Have you ever heard of such a thing happening before?  If you could throw any light on this extraordinary occurance I would be very grateful.  Thank you for your time.

Kim

Answer
Hi Kim,

That is indeed bizarre! I was wondering what that strange smell was! It sounds like something from Greatest Home Movies.

Certainly the plant itself is not the source of the heat, smoke, and fire. You mentioned that you were using compost. Compost does generate heat and smoke, as well. For that and other reasons it is not a good idea to use compost indoors. A good indoor potting mix is peat-based and soil and compost-free.

I suggest that you put on your insulated, fire-retardant gloves and remove the offending soil while outside and replace it with a non-compost mix.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.
  
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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

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