Rubber Tree Plant - Ficus Elastica

Rubber fig

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Moraceae
Tribe:	Ficeae
Genus:	Ficus
Subgenus:	Urostigma
Species:	F. elastica
Binomial name
*Ficus elastica* Roxb. ex Hornem. 1819 not Roxb. 1832 nor Roxb. 1814 (the last one not validly published)
Synonyms^[1]
Ficus clusiifolia Summerh. 1929 not Schott 1827 Ficus cordata Kunth & C.D.Bouché 1846 not Thunb. 1786 Ficus elastica var. belgicaL.H.Bailey & E.Z.Bailey Ficus elastica var. benghalensis Blume Ficus elastica var. decoraGuillaumin Ficus elastica var. karet (Miq.) Miq. Ficus elastica var. minor Miq. Ficus elastica var. odorata (Miq.) Miq. Ficus elastica var. rubraL.H.Bailey & E.Z.Bailey Ficus karet (Miq.) King Ficus skytinodermis Summerh. Ficus taeda Kunth & C.D.Bouché Macrophthalma elastica (Roxb. ex Hornem.) Gasp. Visiania elastica (Roxb. ex Hornem.) Gasp.

According to Wikipedia, Ficus elastica, the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of plant in the fig genus, native to East India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China (Yunnan), Malayia & Indonesia. The it has become naturalized in Sri Lanka & the West Indies.

This is a large tree,usually grow outside but can adapt also indoor with bright light. Nowadays, rubber plant is a common houseplant.

Rubber tree plant is added to my houseplant collections. It is a Variegated Rubber Tree Plant, bought in Plant shop at Atwater Market... I had this plant before given by a neighbor but sadly died when my 4 yrs old baby pee on the plant many times //but that's okay.

By the way, the information on the right side is from Wikipedia, I duly recognized & give the credits to it.

Rubber tree plant is one of my favorite houseplant thus, I've been looking & searching where to buy fortunately, I found it in the Atwater Market after searching all the plant shops out there. I was stunned the beauty of it. I remember the one I had was very green but this new plant I have has white on the leaves & they call it Variegated Rubber Tree. I'm so happy!!!

So, now how to keep Rubber Tree plant alive? For me, it's really challenging because of my little one who keep on killing my plants. He don't do it in purpose though, he just like to play, cutting the leaves with scissors or just picking them. I have to constantly watching him & keep on reminding him not to touch.

Well so much for that, according to the information I gathered online, rubber tree plant doesn't like to sit in water, so make sure to re-pot it in the well-draining soil & good aerated potting soil.

How much light does this plant need? Most of the plants wants light for sure & so this Rubber plant, she loves very bright light, some info tells not to expose in the direct sunlight but mine I put it in the window where the sunlight hit directly to the plant but I do make sure that it watered enough.

When do you water & fertilize this plant? It really depends, but for me I always touch the soil, if it is dry I water it with lukewarm water. I never use cold water to my plants except my mini-orchids. Lukewarm water is the best to water my plants.

You can choose to re-pot the plant right away or wait until the plant settled & use to the new environment. Some says, if you don't re-pot the plant it will not grow, maybe true but in my case it's not true because until now I did not re-pot, it's growing. But that doesn't mean, I will not re-pot at all. I just don't have time to do it.