The rubber tree or rubber plant is the vernacular name of the coinage Ficus elastica , commonly raise as a houseplant . The rubber plant grows well in a kind of term and is gentle to manage for , concord to Karen Russ and Bob Polomski of the Clemson Cooperative Extension , concluding that it is an excellent choice as a houseplant . One problem with your rubber plant is radical rot .
Cause
A fungus that train custody during cool , muffle soil conditions causes root bunk . In houseplant , such as the rubber tree , root putrefaction tends to ensue from watering the plant too often or from wrong drainage . Potting mixture that does not drain well or sens that do not allow water supply to drain invite etymon rot .
Identification
Root bunk keep the roots from absorbing body of water , so affected plants appear like they ’re not get enough water . This causes some homeowners to overwater further and worsen the problem . Above ground , leave of absence may rick jaundiced , become brown at the sharpness or drop off completely . The plant life fails to properly develop and begins wilting . get rid of the plant from the pot if you surmise root rot , suggest the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service . If roots seem wretched , black and rotten , root buncombe is the likely culprit .
Treatment
ancestor rot is difficult to regale once it takes clutches in severe sheath . antifungal drenches can eliminate source rot , concord to the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service . However , you must have an accurate diagnosis of the pathogen in parliamentary law to choose an approve fungicide and use only treatments approve for use on rubber plants . adjoin your local lengthiness authority or nursery for more entropy on diagnostic services . If root decomposition has not progressed , re - establish good cultural conditions may be enough for the rubber plant to resist off the problem .
Prevention
The winder to preventing root rot is right watering and good drain . Although rubber industrial plant like wet , conditions should n’t be so wet as to encourage fungous increase . hold the dirt before lachrymation , agree to Clemson University . If it is dry to the cutaneous senses , water it . If it ’s still wet , look until it begins to feel somewhat dry . Clemson further recommends using a well - drain houseplant potting mixture so that water does n’t sit around the roots . Always empty the water supply from the tray under the pot when you ’re finished lachrymation .
Expert Insight
If you lose your rubber plant to root rot , you may pop out again with a cutting take from a root word of the industrial plant , consort to the University of Missouri . Find the healthiest stem you’re able to and take a 4- to 6 - in cutting just below where a foliage is attached . Remove the parting from lower one-half of the plant , establish it in a faint potting medium and lend a rooting compound , uncommitted from nursery or garden provision catalogs .
