Rubber plants are native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia. They are a common choice for homeowners looking for a low-maintenance indoor plant.
Although rubber tree plants require minimal maintenance, they have specific demands that must be met to remain healthy.
If you cannot provide these conditions for your rubber plant, it may show signs of displeasure through drooping leaves.
Do you want to learn more about the causes of rubber plant drooping and possible solutions? Keep reading!
Rubber Plant Leaves Drooping — Causes and Solutions
Table of Contents
Here are a few common reasons behind rubber plant’s leaves drooping and the possible solutions:
Underwatering
Underwatering is a common culprit behind many issues with rubber plants — drooping leaves being one of them. Water is critical for plants to undergo photosynthesis, a process through which they convert the energy from the sun into food.
Lack of water affects a rubber plant’s ability to create energy, leading to drooping leaves. Inadequate can also make your rubber plant’s soil too hard.
When you water a rubber plant with hard soil, you will notice the water sits at the top of the soil instead of getting absorbed immediately. This prevents your rubber plant roots from being able to receive the water and oxygen they need to survive.
Solution
One of the best ways to avoid underwatering is to create a healthy watering schedule depending on your plant’s water requirements. You can also download free applications like Waterbot to help remind you to water your rubber tree.
Moreover, your rubber tree may require more frequent watering during summer. So, watch your rubber plant’s soil as the seasons change. Water every time the first two inches of soil become dry.
Overwatering
Overwatering is a major cause of fatalities in rubber plants. Many plant owners may not be aware of this. However, an overwatered rubber plant is less likely to survive than an underwatered one.
Overwatering exposes your plants to potentially deadly diseases such as root rot. Your plant’s roots will begin to decay due to this condition.
Decaying roots are unable to absorb nutrients and carry out their function properly. Therefore, if you fail to catch this condition early on, your plant will eventually die due to a lack of nutrition.
Solution
Routinely inspect your plant for signs of overwatering. Yellow or droopy leaves and mushy stems are common signs an overwatered plant may exhibit. Catching these signs early on can help you save your rubber plant from significant damage.
If you notice signs of water-logged soil or root rot, immediately re-pot the plant and change out the old soil particles for fresh soil. Also, inspect the root system for rotten roots and cut off the damaged roots with a clean knife.
Furthermore, ensure everyone in your home knows your plant’s watering schedule to avoid accidental overwatering. This is even more important for households with children since they may be tempted to water plants more than needed.
Lastly, always choose a pot with enough drainage holes to ensure the excess water can drain out. Also, drain water from your plant’s saucers regularly to save your plant from drowning in the water accumulated within the saucer.
Lack of Nutrition
Underfeeding is another reason behind drooping leaves in rubber plants. A lack of nutrients in the growing foliage might force a rubber plant to drain nutrients from older leaves, causing drooping due to nutrition loss.
Solution
Maintaining a healthy fertilization schedule can help you keep your rubber plants in optimal health. Fertilize every two weeks from Summer to Spring since these are the growing seasons for rubber tree plants. However, fertilize less often if you have placed your rubber plants in areas with lower light.
Heat Stress
Proximity to west-facing windows or temperature-regulating appliances like heaters can cause heat stress in rubber plants. Heat stress is a significant cause of drooping rubber plant leaves.
Rubber plants flourish in bright indirect light. However, many plant owners may be unaware of this information and make the mistake of placing them in areas with direct sunlight.
Another symptom of heat stress is a flaccid stem. This occurs due to the plant becoming dehydrated and losing water due to heat exposure.
Besides drooping leaves, your rubber plant may exhibit stunted growth and permanent wilting symptoms due to excessive heat stress.
Solution
The simple solution to rubber plant leaves drooping due to heat stress is to keep your rubber plants away from appliances that blow in heat.
Moreover, placing a light curtain or blinds between a window that brings in direct light is a great way to filter out the sun’s harshness.
Excessive Humidity
Rubber trees prefer humidity since they originate from rainforests that have ample moisture. As a result, whenever the air around rubber plants isn’t adequately humid, their leaves start to dry up, which causes drooping leaves.
This is because all plants lose moisture via the pores within their foliage. As tropical plants, rubber plants prefer a humid atmosphere with a humidity level of 40 to 50%. Rubber plant owners must ensure they create that environment within their homes to prevent problems like droopy leaves.
Solution
If you live in an area lacking moisture, investing in a humidifier is a great way to enhance humidity in your rubber plant’s environment. If you don’t have access to a humidifier, you can also place the plant pot on a pebble tray filled with water.
This will help you provide ample moisture to the plant. However, ensure the plant does not come in contact with the water.
Insufficient Humidity
Although humidity is critical for a thriving rubber plant, excessive humidity can harm the plant and lead to droopy leaves. As humid air gathers around a rubber plant, it may get saturated with excessive moisture, preventing the plant from undergoing transpiration.
Excessively humid air loses its ability to absorb more moisture. This leads to the disruption of necessary chemical processes throughout the foliage, inducing drooping.
Solution
Increase the airflow around your rubber plant as a simple remedy for locations with insufficient humidity. You may accomplish this by opening a few windows.
Pest Infestation
Rubber plants are not highly prone to pest infestation. However, they may occasionally become infested with spider mites, aphids, Mealybugs, or Root-Knot Nematodes. Some of these insects suck the sap, causing the plant to become weak and droopy.
Solution
The easiest method to eliminate pests on your spider plant is to rub them off with a damp cloth or hot pepper spray. If the pest infestation is severe, you may also have to treat the rubber plant with an insecticide.
Store-bought insecticides can contain harmful chemicals. Therefore, experts recommend sticking to natural insecticides like neem oil.
Fertilizer Burn
During the growing season, you can fertilize your rubber tree plant at least once every 14 days. However, sometimes plant owners make the mistake of fertilizing too often or not diluting the fertilizer properly.
This may lead to fertilizer burn. The soluble salts in fertilizers may suck the moisture from a rubber plant’s foliage and cause drooping leaves. Excessive fertilizer can also burn a plant’s root system, leading to permanent wilting or death.
Solution
A fertilization schedule is a great way to avoid issues like fertilizer burn. Moreover, when fertilizing your rubber plant, read the instructions and stick to using slightly less than the recommended guideline.
Additionally, avoid fertilizing your rubber plants in the dormancy period, which lasts from Fall to Winter.
Salt Accumulation in Soil
A rubber plant can accumulate high concentrations of salt from fertilizers or water, which may affect its root’s ability to absorb water. When this occurs, the rubber plant can become dehydrated and suffer malnutrition leading to a lifeless and droopy rubber plant.
Solution
If you suspect your rubber plant has accumulated excess soil, run tap water under your plant to flush out the soil. Make sure the plant pot has sufficient drainage. Repeat this numerous times until the soil is clear of the excess salt.
Transplant Shock
When you re-pot your rubber plant, it can go into transplant shock. When this occurs, the rubber plant’s leaves may droop, and the plant may also lose some leaves.
Solution
Transplant shock is a common occurrence and should not be a cause of concern for rubber plant owners. All you have to do is place the plant in a warm and humid area and provide optimal lighting conditions and air circulation.
As the plant adjusts to its new pot, it will slowly come back to life, and you will witness the droopy rubber plant leaves go into recovery mode.
Improper Potting Mix
Like any other species of plants, rubber plants have specific requirements for potting mixes. These plants demand an organic, airy, and light soil mix. The potting mix must retain moisture and have well-draining properties to help dispel excess water.
Planting rubber trees in poor-quality soil may affect the plant’s ability to retain and drain water, resulting in issues like waterlogged soil or root rot, all contributing to drooping leaves.
Solution
If you suspect poor-quality soil is the reason behind your drooping rubber plant leaves, the best solution is to re-pot the plant in an appropriate potting mix.
You can either use a commercially sold potting mix made specifically for rubber plants or make your potting medium by mixing the following ingredients:
60% soil mix made from organic compounds
10% perlite
30% coco coir
Exposure to Cold Air
Drooping leaves on rubber plants can also signal issues like temperature shock. Since rubber plants are native to tropical regions, they prefer warm temperatures. Therefore, the plant may become unhappy when exposed to colder temperatures.
Solution
To avoid your rubber plant from getting exposed to cold temperatures, bring the plant indoors when the winter season approaches and the temperature drops. Keep the plants at a distance from air conditioning or drafty windows.
Chemical Exposure
As discussed above, store-bought pesticides and fertilizers can have high concentrations of chemicals. These chemicals can significantly damage a rubber plant’s root system and lead to issues like dry, brittle, or droopy leaves.
Solution
Going organic with pesticides and fertilizers is the best way to prevent chemical exposure. Kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and eggshells can all fertilize your plants. Furthermore, neem oil and or garlic spray can serve as helpful tools for pest control.
Bottom Line
Pest infestations, chemical exposure, improper watering, transplant shock, fertilizer burn, and excessive or lack of humidity can all cause droopy leaves on rubber plants.
Once you have determined the possible reason behind your rubber plant’s drooping leaves, you can use the above solutions to help the plant recover.