A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Rubberplants

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone had some good advice on rubberplants.

I bought a rubberplant about 3 years ago. It was nice and straight, but when we moved house it wouldn't fit in the car. For this reason I cut the top half off.

This resulted in the plant growing to branches out to one side (horizontally). After some inital placing issues, the plant has a new place outside and seems to love it, as the 3 existing branches are happily growning (one straight up and two horizontally to one side). By now the plant looks like it will soon just fall out of the pot, as it is so lopsided.

Does anyone have some advice on how to encourage growth on the other side (I've turned it and all that without a result)?

If I cut one of the horizontal branches off, is it possible to grow a new plant out of the cut off branch? How do you go about it?

I'm looking forward to hearing some creative ideas. Thanks heaps

Duckandgoose.
Very cute name by the way...

I just wanted to let you know I was going to move your post into the HOUSE plant SECTION..

I think you'll get a few more responses into
that section there better...

Take a peak around, ther'es lot's to do here,
thru every season.. so, just jump right on in..

it depends..cutting to horizontal growth will just start more but this may help. "piching the tips" is where you pinch of the little part of the top of the stem where the leaves come out. doing this with crate more hgorizontal growth which will result in a bushier well rounded plant as long as you keep up with the pinching. However i have no experience wioth this plant so im sure someone more experienced on the rubber tree can help you! good luck

if this is a ficus elastica (typically called a rubber plant or rubber tree) then you can make new plants out of any end piece (as long as there are 2 leaves on it) you cut off. to make it grow vertical again, i'd cut it back hard and let it fill out for it's new environment.