🌿 HOME JUNGLE: Rubber plant 🌿

Ficus elastica, the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South Asia and southeast Asia. It has become naturalized in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and the US State of Florida.

Rubber plants are attractive indoor trees that make an eye-catching statement, with their large, glossy leaves ranging around a foot long and 5 inches across. The standard Rubber Plant’s leaves are solid green, but you also have choices in the various cultivars that pump up the color on the foliage.

When it comes to preferred light conditions for the best growth, where you place your Rubber Plant depends on what type you are growing. Those with solid green leaves can take lower indoor light conditions than variegated types.
To keep the colors at their best, place variegated Rubber Plants in a location that receives bright, indirect light. Placing it in a location with low light conditions will make the plant lose some of the color on its foliage.

To keep your Rubber Plant performing at its peak, make sure to soak the roots thoroughly when you water. This calls for watering until you see it coming out of the bottom of the pot’s drain holes. However, you don’t want to let it sit in water for too long or you might end up with problems with root rot. After about 30 minutes, empty the bottom tray of any water that’s accumulated. During the growing season, you’ll probably have to water the Rubber Plant once weekly. However, in winter when the Rubber Plant goes dormant (growth slows), you’ll probably only have to water every other week.