When to Repot Rubber Plant

My Burgundy Rubber Tree was getting big. So much so that I questioned whether it was time to repot it. It had been in the same pot for about three years. This particular plant has seven stalks and they have grown quite big compared to the eight-inch pot it was in. As you can see in the picture below it's looking a bit top-heavy. Follow along if you want to know when to repot rubber plants. I'll answer what are the signs and how to do the repot.

When to Repot Rubber Plant?

Rubber Tree Roots are Showing

This is why I am repotting my Rubber Tree. When was the last time you repotted your plant? Rubber Trees grow on the slower side so you can go several years between repotting them. While some fast-growing plants may need to be repotted every year. The roots could be visible from the top of the soil or growing out of the bottom of the pot. I just tipped my pot over for a peek at the drainage hole(s). If roots are growing out, your plant could probably use a repot.

Unhealthy Rubber Tree

Unhealthy could mean a lot of things. Some of the lower leaves have been yellowing and eventually falling off of my Rubber Tree too. This doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong. In fact, it can be completely normal for some older leaves to die off. However, I started to notice leaves falling off more frequently and that contributed to me wanting to check the roots and ultimately lead to me realizing I needed to repot. If your Rubber Tree leaves are curling, check out my post on that.

If your Rubber Tree isn’t growing as much as it used to, that can also seem unhealthy. Two things to note here are 1) is your Rubber Tree dormant 2) Rubber Trees grow slowly. So, if it’s not growing but ital also winter, that just means your plant is dormant, which is normal. If growth really has stalled you may need to repot or do a better job fertilizing. If you pull your Rubber Tree out of its pot and the root ball has completely filled in the pot, then it's time for a repot. If not, then check your nutrients. The best way to check your soil fertility is with these rapitest soil test strips. They measure the main plant nutrients (n-p-k) nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and pH. This kit also provides the ideal levels for hundreds of plants so you can check your results against the list.

Soil Dries too Quickly or Not Quickly Enough

If your Rubber Tree soil dries out too quickly, that could mean that the roots have replaced most of the soil (which is what holds water) and so your plant does not have access to enough moisture. The water may even run straight through the pot and not soak into the soil. In this case, you want to up pot your plant to give the roots more soil which supplies nutrients and holds water. If your pot is staying wet too long, then you might need to downsize your pot. If you're iffy about soil moisture, I have used a cheap soil moisture meter for years with great success.

If you are potting up to a bigger pot, the general recommendation is to go two inches in diameter bigger. If you need to downsize, then you should get a pot that is about 1 inch in diameter larger than the rootball. Any pot you use must have drainage holes.

Repotting Rubber Plants

Remove the Rubber Tree from the Old Pot

My Rubber Tree is pretty big and it actually took a lot of work to get it out. I prefer to lie it down flat and work the pot off horizontally the plant is this big. Sometimes it's easy enough to just grab the plant close to the base of the trunk and wiggle it out, but that wasn't going to work for me this time. I used a spackle knife to wedge between the soil and the pot and went around, kind of like you do with a cake in a cake pan. After I did that it still took a lot of wiggling and coaxing to get it out.

Inspect the Roots

Always inspect the roots, even if you don't suspect there was a watering issue. When else do you get to look at the roots closely. They can tell you a lot about your plant. Make sure they are free from pests and are not mushy. Loosen up the root ball a bit so the roots are able to grow out into the new soil.

I noticed something kind of different with my roots. They are very concentrated at the base of the root ball. That means my soil is really well-draining and the roots are following the water toward the base of the pot. It looks like maybe I could have even repotted it a little sooner judging by the abundance of roots there.

Repotting your Rubber Tree

Now it’s time for your new pot. Make sure you pick something with drainage holes. It's my number one rule for healthy plants. I like to cover my drainage holes with a small piece of paper towel. It keeps the potting mix in while still allowing water to flow freely out of the pot. The paper towel trick gets more important the big your pot is because the drainage holes get pretty huge with big pots.

For soil, I typically add additional perlite to most potting soil mixes at a ratio of about 1:4 to help increase drainage. Place some potting soil in the base of your new pot. You want just enough soil to have your root ball sitting at the height you want it in the pot. Next, just backfill the soil around the root ball and slightly above the root ball to cover the roots. You don’t want to add much soil to the top as that can cause moisture issues on the trunk.

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