How to grow rubber trees so that their leaves are bigger, greener and more shiny (how to make rubber trees grow strong and lush)

Understand the characteristics of rubber tree growth

The rubber tree likes warmth and fears cold. The suitable temperature for its growth is 18~26°C. The temperature in winter should not be lower than 5°C, so it needs to be moved to a greenhouse to overwinter.

It can tolerate partial shade and can also be exposed to the scorching sun in midsummer. It likes a humid environment and cannot tolerate drought in the potting soil. It can tolerate dry or slightly moist soil.

It likes fertile soil conditions. During the vigorous growth period, there should be sufficient fertilizer. Apply liquid fertilizer or compound fertilizer 1 to 2 times a month. The rubber tree will grow more vigorously, with bright and thick leaves, which can greatly enhance its ornamental value.

Maintenance tips for lush and compact rubber tree leaves

If you want the rubber tree to grow more leaves, it is necessary to prune it once a year. The leaves of the rubber tree grow vertically to the stem, or at a 60-degree angle, so that it can increase the area exposed to light.

Moreover, this angle is proportional to the light. The darker the light, the smaller the angle between the leaf and the stem, and vice versa.

Because the leaves of the rubber tree are large, the evaporation of water is also large. It likes moisture and dislikes dryness. If the pot soil is dry, the leaves will lose water and fall off. In addition, long-term maintenance in a dark environment will also cause leaf fall.

How to grow rubber trees so that their leaves are big and bright

1) Choose loose and fertile soil

The rubber tree should be planted in loose, fertile and well-drained slightly acidic loam. For home potted plants, you can mix humus, garden soil and coarse river sand in equal amounts to make the culture soil, and apply decomposed poultry manure to the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer.

2) Apply sufficient fertilizer during the growing season

In the vigorous growth period of rubber trees in summer and autumn, in addition to applying sufficient basal fertilizer when potting, you can apply nitrogen-based fertilizer 2 to 3 times to help it grow bright green leaves and luxuriant branches and leaves. However, the fertilizer should not be too concentrated or too much, and it is better to apply thin fertilizer.

3) Water supply should be appropriate

Rubber trees like moisture. The yellowing of the leaves at the base is mostly caused by the soil in the pot being too dry, or the indoor environment being stuffy and unventilated.

Especially in the hot summer, rubber trees kept indoors should pay more attention to strengthening ventilation, spraying water on the leaves, and increasing the humidity of the ambient air to facilitate its growth. This will reduce the shedding of old leaves.

If there are still leaf buds at the base of the old leaves, place the potted plant outdoors in a semi-shaded, ventilated and humid place for maintenance, and apply fertilizer in time, and the rubber tree will grow new leaves.

However, during the winter anti-freeze and warm-keeping period, you should pay attention to keeping the potting soil relatively dry. Do not water too much or too frequently. If the potting soil is often too wet, it will cause water accumulation in the pot, root rot and leaf fall.

Therefore, it is necessary to avoid root rot due to waterlogging in the potting soil, which will cause the leaves of the rubber tree to turn yellow, lose their green color and luster, and in severe cases, may even cause its leaves to fall off.