Rubber Plant Tineke Care

The sprawling, shiny, evergreen leaves of the Rubber Plant make it an attractive addition to indoor gardens. In addition to simple care instructions, the Rubber Plant is a hardy plant that can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and conditions. They have all the charm and elegance of a bonsai, minus the sensitivity and difficulty.

A Brief Overview of Rubber Plant Tineke

The variegated rubber plant is known for burgundy and oval leaves that can overhaul the interior decor of most homes.

You can also opt for the Ficus Tineke plant if you want more vivid colors ranging from pink and white to green and coral. The best thing about the variegated rubber plants is that they are extremely easy to look after.

It is worth noting that the Rubber tree can be toxic to both humans and pets, much like any other plant in the Ficus family. Bear this in mind before you bring one, and plan accordingly.

Let’s go over the care instructions for Rubber plants. Note that most of the care instructions will overlap for different members of the Ficus family, including the Ficus Elastica Tineke and Ficus Elastica Ruby.

General Care Instructions for Rubber Plant Tineke

The Rubber plant is native to the rainforests of Asia, with notoriously high humidity and temperature conditions. Mature Rubber plants can grow up to 30 feet tall in outdoor gardens. They may only reach a maximum height of about 10 feet in indoor environments. The average height for most Rubber plants is about 2 feet tall.

Soil Conditions for the Rubber Tree

To improve the growth rate of Rubber trees with colorful foliage, try mimicking the plant’s soil conditions as found in the rainforests of Asia. Rubber plants grow best in well-draining soil with plenty of moisture throughout the year. The plant isn’t finicky when it comes to the potting mix.

As long as you provide Rubber plants with well-draining soil, the plants should thrive. Keep the soil acidity levels in the neutral to slightly acidic range. For the most part, the plants aren’t finicky about soil type. They will do well in all soil types, including clay, loam, and sandy.

You can also use cactus mix, a blend of various inorganic materials such as sand and gravel, to rubber trees. This will provide the plant with adequate holes and ensure proper drainage. A tried and tested solution is to mix peat, perlite, pine bark, and normal soil in equal ratios.

Try to use more than one potting media to prepare the soil mix and ensure optimal aeration and drainage. The organic matter in the soil can also act as a slow-release fertilizer, which can keep your ficus tineke well-fed even if you don’t fertilize it.

Try to make sure that the soil is moist at all times. Allowing the soil to get dehydrated will increase the plant’s stress levels and may cause it to die.

Ideal Temperature Range for Variegated Rubber Plant

Rubber plants get their healthy foliage from living in temperatures above 55°F (with a max of 80°F). Keep the plant away from heat sources, vents, and cold drafts. Extreme fluctuations in temperature are not good for the plant. Prolonged exposure to extreme temperature conditions will affect the color of the foliage and may even stunt its growth.

The plant is particularly vulnerable to frost damage. Cold can damage the plant at a cellular level and may even kill it. In most cases, the cold damage is irreversible, and you may have to prune away the affected foliage to make room for new leaves.

Bring the variegated rubber tree indoors in the winter months to protect them from cold spells, especially at night.

Soil Acidity for Ficus Elastica

The ideal pH value for the soil is between 6.4 to 7.3. These are ideal conditions for Rubber plants and will help them absorb nutrients from the soil. Try not to go beyond this range because extreme acidity and alkalinity will disrupt the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients. Your plant will let you know of a pH imbalance by showing droopy, yellow leaves.

In this case, the best course of action is to bring the soil to appropriate pH levels instead of adding more fertilizer. Most beginners confuse a pH imbalance with a lack of nutrients in the soil. Adding more fertilizer may provide more nutrients to the soil, but it will do little to the soil.

So if you see yellow leaves on rubber plants, it may be time to bring your pH meter. Insert the pH sensor into the soil for accurate results. You can also use a pH test kit to monitor the soil. This method may be less accurate because you will be given a range of pH values instead of an accurate number.

In case of low pH value (highly acidic soil), apply a mineral that contains lime. Most gardeners use agricultural limestone to restore the soil’s pH value. The amount used varies depending on the soil’s needs. In the case of alkaline soil (a high pH value), you may add sulfur. Just make sure to mix the sulfur well with compost.

Note that adding sulfur can damage your soil. This is why you should always use sulfur and compost together. Inspect the soil’s pH value to help you calculate the amount of sulfur to be added.

Watering Requirements

A characteristic feature of Ficus Tineke is that they require less water. The plants are highly susceptible to root rot, so you should avoid overwatering at all times. Water the plant only when the first few inches of the soil is completely dry. You can check the soil moisture level with a simple finger test.

Insert your finger about two inches into the topsoil. If the soil feels completely dry, it’s time to water the plant. And if the soil feels moist, you should wait until it gets drier. Most varieties of Ficus elastica grow in hot and humid environments that are usually deprived of water. So they are not accustomed to excessive moisture.

The thick and glossy foliage of rubber trees retains a lot of moisture and will tolerate a few days without water. Rubber trees grow well when the entire root ball becomes moist. You know that the plant has received enough water when it is flowing out of drainage holes.

For excessively dry climates, you might want to increase the watering frequency to prevent the plant from wilting. The plants generally require water every week in the growing season, which is the spring and summer months. Space out the watering sessions at greater intervals in the winter months because the plant becomes dormant and its transpiration rates drop.

Humidity

Rubber plants thrive in high-humidity conditions. The plant needs a minimum of 50% humidity so it grows at a reasonable pace. There are several ways of increasing the humidity, the most cost-effective of these is misting. Try to mist your rubber tree every day. If this sounds like too much work, consider placing a humidifier near your plant.

Falling leaves and stunted growth are signs of low humidity. If you don’t maintain the plant at appropriate humidity levels, it may start to wilt.

You should never increase the humidity level beyond 80% because it would result in condensation on the leaves. This would create the perfect conditions for mold and open the plant up to bacterial infections and pests. Buy a hygrometer to measure the humidity levels of the room.

Fertilizer for Rubber Plants

Rubber plants do not require fertilizer for growth. However, fertilizer is encouraged if you want healthy growth with variegation. It is recommended to fertilize the soil every month or two. Fertilization may be needed if the potting mix is depleted or organic matter. Water-soluble fertilizers are ideal for indoor rubber trees.

The best time to add fertilizer is in the growing months, which is the summer season. Avoid fertilizing in the winter months because the Rubber tree enters a dormant state. Try using a liquid fertilizer that has been diluted to about half its strength. Apply the soil directly to the soil instead of the leaves.

How Much Light do Rubber Plants Need?

The Ficus Tineke plant doesn’t have as much chlorophyll in its leaves compared to other plants. This makes it difficult for the plant to achieve photosynthesis in low light conditions.

For the most part, Rubber plants are not finicky about light. They thrive in both well-lit and dimly-lit rooms, including direct (but filtered) sunlight. If you want to plant your Rubber trees outdoors, provide them with a spot where they can receive direct sunlight throughout the day.

The plant does reasonably well in low light conditions, but its leaves will have less variegation on them. As a rule, the more bright indirect light your Rubber tree receives, the better the foliage. Like most houseplants, placing the rubber tree plant in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time will scorch the leaves.

Repotting and Propagating Rubber Plants

Rubber trees often grow at a slower pace, so repotting would largely depend on the size of the foliage and its growth rate. If you notice that the roots are breaking out of the pot, or if the soil seems to be falling out of the pot, then it may be time to find a new home for your plant.

The new vessel should be no more than two inches larger in diameter than the original pot. This is because a larger pot may shock the rubber tree. It would find it harder to adapt to the new environment. Use a well-draining potting mix that isn’t clumpy.

Rubber trees, like most ficus varieties, can be propagated by making cuttings or air layering. The process is laborious and requires patience, but it will encourage new root growth and colorful foliage. Always use sterilized gardening tools when making cuts.

The following steps outline air layering:

• Select a healthy stem about one foot from a shoot tip
• Remove any leaves in the immediate area.
• Use sterilized shears to make a cut around the stem.
• Make a second cut below the first cut.
• Now make a third cut that connects the previous two cuts.
• Remove the ring of bark and scrape the exposed surface to clear any soft tissue.
• Apply rooting hormone on the exposed surface (to encourage new roots).
• Cover the exposed surface with a handful of moist sphagnum moss and wrap it around with clear plastic.
• Secure the plastic wrap with twist ties.
• Now it’s a waiting game. New roots should appear in a few weeks’ time. Once a new root system has developed, cut the step below the twist tie. Now pot the rooted stem in a well-draining soil.

Pest Control and Diseases

Rubber trees are vulnerable to pests such as fungus gnats, mealybugs, spider mites, and scale. They are also prone to fungal diseases such as Anthracnose. It isn’t uncommon for these plants to form brown spots on the leaves.

Your rubber tree may develop brown spots if it:

• receives too much sunlight
• receives too much salt from over-fertilization
• has an environment with low humidity deprived of water

There are several remedies to help you deal with a pest infestation. The easiest is to gently spray water on the leaves to knock off certain pests, like mealybugs, off of the leaves.

In case of more severe pest infestation, you might want to use an organic insecticide. Good candidates are neem oil and cinnamon oil. Neem oil, in particular, does fairly well against all kinds of pests, including spider mites, by drowning them and killing their eggs. You should quarantine the plant to prevent the spread of diseases and pests.

It is highly recommended to wipe the plant with a damp cloth to remove any dust that may have collected on the leaves. Too much dust can prevent the leaves from breathing.

Wrapping Up – Ficus Tineke Care

So there you have it, an in-depth look at Rubber Plant Tineke care for beginners. This houseplant is a fast grower, and you can expect them to grow by about 2 feet every year. Indoor rubber trees can reach a height of up to 10 feet. They can grow even faster in outdoor environments.

As long as you take good care of your Ficus Tineke rubber plant, it should live for several decades. The colorful houseplant has been known to live for decades.