Help! Rubber Tree Leaves Curling

I have a pretty big Burgundy Rubber Tree. When I was watering it recently I noticed one of the branches had put out some leaves that are curling. In an effort to help anyone else who might be experiencing this problem, I decided to write about it. Why are your Rubber Tree leaves curling? How do you fix and prevent it in the future?

Reasons for Rubber Tree Leaf Issues

Moisture Issues

Moisture issues for Rubber Trees can present in several ways. Aside from curling, these are some other signs that you may have a moisture issue. The leaves may begin to turn yellow or brown. Or the leaves may become droopy. If the leaves are changing color from the tip of the leaf or becoming crispy.

An overwatered Rubber Tree can display all of the symptoms listed above. Although, the leaves are unlikely to dry out before you see yellowing or drooping if that makes sense. How do you tell if you have overwatered your Rubber Tree? You can stick your finger in the soil to see if it feels wet. Make sure your pot has drainage holes that excess water can escape through. You may also carefully lift your plant out of its pot to examine the soil and roots. This is how you will really assess the damage of an overwatered plant. If the roots have begun to rot, which is evident by dark and squishy roots, then you will need to root prune, repot, and cross your fingers. If you need more pointers, I have a post on salvaging an overwatered plant.

An underwatered Rubber Tree can also show the same symptoms as I mentioned above. How helpful, overwatering and underwatering look the same. I'll try to help more. Just like above, you want to check your soil moisture. You can do that with your finger or if you want to be more specific use a soil moisture meter. Check the soil moisture before you water this will help prevent you from overwatering, but will also give you a better idea of how quickly your plant is drying out to prevent underwatering as well. To fix underwatering, try soaking your plant in the sink or tub and then monitor the soil moisture diligently from there.

The final water issue could be a matter of humidity. In fact, I believe humidity is my current problem or was. As you can see from the picture above I have two leaves on the end of the branch pictured that are curling or wavy. When the air is very dry it can prevent the leaves from emerging from the sheath once they are developed. Since we just came out of winter, I believe the air was just too dry in my house when these two leaves were trying to come out. Low humidity can be addressed with a small humidifier near your plants.

Nutrient Issues

Fertilizing issues can also cause your leaf problems. If you have fertilizer issues, some visible signs you might see from your Rubber Tree will be yellowing leaves or deformed leaves. Both over-fertilizing and under-fertilizing can cause issues

Most plant fertilizers contain different ratios of the macro-nutrients n-p-k, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Most fertilizers will show on the back what the ratio is. Nutritionally, nitrogen primarily promotes leaf growth, phosphorus promotes root development and budding/fruiting, and potassium is for overall health. If you're experiencing leaf issues it may be that you are deficient or too abundant in nitrogen. Depending on your issue and the severity you may need different ratios of fertilizer to fix the issue. You can find high nitrogen fertilizers, low nitrogen fertilizers, and balanced fertilizers.

It's difficult to tell whether you have been over or under-fertilizing. The first thing to check is whether you have been following the fertilizer instructions exactly. There should be very specific instructions on dilution, dosage, and frequency of fertilization. The only real way to know is to test your soil though. These soil rapitests are convenient for that. They are relatively cheap and give you a definitive answer about your soil nutrients. Over-fertilization can be addressed by flushing the soil with water and under-fertilizing can be addressed by using fertilizer as instructed.

Pest Issues

Pest issues may also cause your Rubber Tree leaves some problems. Damage from pests will show up as leaf discoloration, typically yellowing, but it will be more splotchy. Generally speaking, pests feed on plant matter so you might notice small spreads of yellow dots. If pests are feeding on your Rubber Tree you might also see leaves drooping or even small holes in leaves. If you see actual bugs or tiny webs, you definitely have a pest problem.

A number of pests can attack indoor Rubber Trees. The most common pests are aphids, spider mites, scale, and mealybugs. Look under your leaves for aphids, scale, and mealybugs. Spider mites make small webs and often collect around the petiole, leaf tip, and underside of the leaves. I've successfully battled spider mites on a different Rubber Tree, which you can check out here.

If you notice or suspect that you have pests, you should move your plant away from any other plants as soon as possible. All of these pests are good at hopping plants. Next, do your best to remove the pests you can see. For aphids and spider mites, you can spray your plant off with a hose outside or in the shower. Scale and mealybugs have to be removed more manually. You can use alcohol on a cotton swab to do so. Next, you should treat your plant with some kind of pest control. Organic solutions like neem oil work as well as non-organics like insecticidal soaps. The key is to follow the instructions, which may seem like overkill, but it's important to treat your plant for weeks because the pest's eggs often hatch and reinfest your plant.

What Happens After You Fix the Problem

The great thing about Rubber Trees is that they are a pretty resilient plant. They do grow slowly though so it may take time for you to see results. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do to fix the leaves that are already curled though.