Rubber plant care: watering and light
The rubber plant (Ficus elastica) has thick, glossy leaves, deep green or variegated. It grows tall easily and forgives mistakes better than its cousin, the fiddle-leaf fig.
Rubber plant needs water roughly every 6 days in summer and every 9 in winter (east-facing window, in a 16 cm plastic pot with a drainage hole). Before watering, always check with a finger in the soil: if it’s still damp, wait.
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Ficus elastica
- Also known as
- Rubber tree
- Preferred light
- Medium indirect light
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Tolerates drought
- No
- Tolerates shade
- No
- Where it lives
- Indoors
Where to put it
It prefers bright indirect light, near an east-facing window or a south-facing one with a sheer curtain. In low light it gets leggy and drops its lower leaves; variegated ones lose their colour. It likes to stay in the same spot.
How to water
Water when the top half of the soil is dry. The thick leaves handle a little thirst well, but not too much water. In winter, waterings get much further apart.
Common mistakes
Lower leaves yellowing and falling usually mean overwatering or too little light. Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth: they shine more and work better. To make it branch, snip the tip in spring — a milky sap comes out, best kept off the floor and your hands.
How many days between waterings, spot by spot
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| South- or west-facing window | 5 days | 8 days |
| East-facing window | 6 days | 9 days |
| North-facing window | 9 days | 15 days |
| Hallway or corner with no window | 13 days | 21 days |