A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Rubber Plant help needed (in a hot climate...)

In the past 3 years I have moved from Europe to Asia. I have always had rubber plants as household plants and now have a very tall one on my roof terrace. The climate here is averaging 35 degrees and very high humidity. Each day is very similar (it goes light and dark at the same time, the temperature is pretty constant the only difference is it rains a monsoon style rain daily between November and January) I am struggling with my plants in this heat. They were purchased here but I love rubber plants and need help / guidance on how to salvage mine.

I bought the first rubber plant about a year ago when very small. I have repotted it twice as it grew and at the moment has three stalks and is about 6 foot tall. The only issue is that every couple of months, leaves go floppy and fall off and the stems are just bare stalks up to about 5 foot. I have been trying to keep it a bit shaded by putting it next to / under the leaves of a 7 foot palm, however, i am noticing the leaves are going floppy and leaves are no longer a lush green. From reading other pages in here I know it's too much direct sunlight. Thing is its so hot out here i don;t know where to put it as I only have a roof terrace at the moment.

My questions are as follows:
a) I have a conservatory area next to the roof terrace, its still exceedingly warm but out of direct light. My Yucca plant is in there and seems to be ok. Should I move the rubber plan inside too even though it gets unbearably warm in there (sometimes 40 degrees)?

b) Can I cut the tree right down to saw 3 feet and nurture some new branches or will this kill off the plant?

NOTE: The country I reside in is very cautious about mosquitoes and as a result it is against the law to have standing water, therefore no plan trays are allowed outside as mosquitoes would breed easily in this climate.

Your guidance very much needed...

Have you considered creating artificial shade for your plant?

Your plant might do alright in the conservatory if you have set it up so that the air is circulating via fans. (Don't have the fan directly blowing on plants)

Rubber plants are fussy about any environmental changes. Irregular watering, moving the plant, and temperature changes can each cause leaf drop.
Here is a forum topic addressing Ficus leaf drop.

Rubber Plants

Rubber Plants can be cut back and you can root the top. Side shoots will then grow from the nodes where the leaves previously grew. The best method for propagating Rubber Plants is by air layering(This page talks about Dieffenbachias but still applies)

Comments.
Information On What Causes Rubber Tree Plant Leaves Falling Off

The following may contribute to rubber plant leaf drop:

Light change....from indoor to outdoor or from summer to fall when light level change.

Pests...such as scale bugs. If present, treat with insecticide

Humidity...rubber plant need higher humidity.
Since standing water is against the law, the next best thing to do is to mist the leaves daily.

Air drafts...susceptible to cold air. Move rubber plant away from windows and doors.

Bill already addressed air circulation and irregular watering. Add Over fertilization. Rubber plants need very little feeding.

Ok thanks for your comments. Its appreciated. Te rubber plant has been inside now for a few months, and only periodically goes outside when it rains.

Can I snip half way through the stem to create a branch in certain places? Will that propogate new branches to grow out? If possible I would like to create new branches further down without cutting it down from the top...

I would love to show you a picture of my plant so you can see what I mean. How do i load a picture in here?

You can propagate Ficus elastica [rubber plant].

by air layering

from http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/ornamentals/airlayer/airlayer.html




also as described at
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/cgi-bin/ubb/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=64;t=000080;p=0

Info about posting photos at
//www.agardenersforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/297514#Post297514