Garden: Rubber Plant Care

I have always loved rubber tree plants. I bought over the years I can't even count how many, and it never failed, they all died. They would start dropping leaves like mad till they were nothing but a spindly stick. I researched and did everything to the letter according to every set of directions I could find. Nothing worked. I tried putting it in every spot I could find in the house, watering more, watering less, feeding more/less, everything. Still they all died.

About 4 years ago, I decided to try again and bought a small one about maybe 18 inches tall. It had lots of beautiful leaves and even a bunch of leaf buds on it. I got it home and sure enough, within a week, the leaves were dropping like flies.

I mentioned it to my niece and she told me to start putting it outside in the spring after the last frost, and leaving it out there till just before the first frost in the fall. I did that and now that same plant is almost 5 feet tall and full and beautiful!

It was amazing! I didn't do anything else different to it. For that matter I even forget to water it out there a lot of times! But it is so pretty now, and stays pretty through the winter when I bring it in.

Source: Thank you, Robin!

By Cricket from Parkton, NC