Rubber Plant Indoor Care

Rubber Plants have thick glossy leaves that vary in color patterns. It's no wonder they are a well-liked house plant that you can find at many big box stores and plant nurseries. Their unique beauty makes them popular, and they are relatively easy to care for. In this post, I'll go over the basics of Rubber Plant indoor care.

Rubber Plant Indoor Care

Rubber Plants can be easy houseplants once you know their specific needs. They are a little slower growing compared to other houseplants. That can make some people question whether they are giving their plants the best care or not. The Burgundy Rubber Plant pictured above is one of my oldest plants. I got it at a Home Depot when it was maybe a foot tall and now is over three feet! For those of you looking for the quick basics of Rubber Plant indoor care, it can be found in the table directly below. Later in this blog, I go into more detail for each category as well. One other note is that Rubber Plants are not safe for your pets to ingest, so be mindful of where you place them.

Rubber Plant Light Requirements

Rubber Plants like the sun, but not direct sun. Ample sunlight helps Rubber Plants to produce leaves that are vibrantly colored. If your Rubber Plant is growing leaves but the leaves are not the color that you expected, then your Rubber Plant may not be getting enough light. For example, if your Burgundy Rubber Plant leaves are green and not reddish then there may be a light problem. In addition, adequate light will help your leaves grow big. If your leaves are small or getting smaller then your plant needs more light.

Rubber Plant light requirements are pretty simple. They do well next to a window. In an east or west-facing window, they will get adequate light. A south-facing window may give light that is too intense, which can burn your Rubber Plant's leaves. However, I have successfully kept mine in a south-facing window for years. In fact, it noticeably took off once I put it in the southern window. Windows facing south receive the most direct sunlight if you are in the northern hemisphere.

If you're not sure which direction your windows face, use a map app on your phone. In addition, there are also plant monitors that can help you determine which window gives the best light. I really like this plant monitor. It has an app, so you can just stick it in the soil and it will measure the light accumulation by the hour, which gives you more than enough information to compare different spots in your house for light suitability. I have an extensive write-up on this tool here.

Rubber Plant Watering

Rubber Plants are pretty easy in terms of watering. They don't droop very dramatically like some other houseplants when they need water though, so it's important to monitor the soil moisture closely. I prefer to keep my plants on the dry side. I do this for two reasons, 1) I try to stick to a schedule and 2) to prevent fungus gnats who really love moist soil. My Rubber Plants have taken pretty well to being watered on a schedule once I figured out how much water to give each week.

The general rule you will hear for watering is to wait for the top inch or two of soil to feel dry before you water your Rubber Plant. I'm not a fan of sticking my fingers in 50ish pots to test the moisture, so I use a soil moisture meter. I highly recommend one, it's easily my most used plant tool. It has definitely made me better at knowing how often to water and how much water to give to each of my plants. Over time you learn how quickly the plant is drying out. If you're having issues with your Rubber Plant leaves turning yellow. The first culprit is a watering issue. Check out my blog on yellowing leaves if you think your Rubber Plant is having watering problems.

Rubber Plant Fertilizer

Indoor Rubber Plants can be fertilized about every two to four weeks from spring to fall. I tend more toward every four weeks. As I mentioned before, Rubber Plants are slow growers so they aren't particularly heavy feeders. Your Rubber Plant might actually grow a new leaf during the winter; however, you don't want o encourage that, and that's why you don't fertilize in the winter. They don't get enough sunlight in winter and so you do want to help them grow, you want to help them sleep.

Rubber Plants do just fine with an all-purpose balanced fertilizer. A balanced fertilizer is one that has even, or very close to even, ratios of the three nutrients n-p-k. N-P-K is nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. Nitrogen covers healthy foliage growth, phosphorous helps with blooming, and potassium is for overall health. In addition, if you suspect you have Rubber Plant fertilizer issues, you can test for each nutrient and ph using soil rapitests.

Rubber Plant Soil

You do not need a specially formulated soil mix for Rubber Plants. The most important thing to have for a potted plant is a well-draining soil mixture. I usually use regular potting soil and then I also add a little extra perlite to help encourage drainage. Perlite is the little white stuff you find in most potting soil and it helps with drainage. I typically use a 4:1 ratio of potting soil to perlite.

The pot is as important as the soil. It must have drainage holes to allow water to flow freely out of the pot. Using a pot without drainage is asking for trouble. If you're looking into soil, you may be interested in repotting your Rubber Plant. I have a step-by-step tutorial on repotting one of my Rubber Plants. These plants can grow pretty slowly, especially indoors though, so you really only need to repot them every other year or so.

Have questions about Rubber Plant indoor care? Let us know in the Comments section below.