1. It's hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12, where rubber tree usually grows between 25 and 30 feet high and wide outdoors. Top Questions About Rubber Tree Plants. Leaving the tree standing is more beneficial to the environment ! Jungle rubber is essentially old secondary forest, strongly resembling the primary forest. What can I do to it? Rubber trees are hardy and versatile houseplants, which leads many people to wonder, “How do you get a start of a rubber tree plant?” Propagating rubber tree plants is easy and means that you will have starts for all of your friends and family. Rubber Tapping is not damaging to the forest, as it does not require the tree to be cut down in order for the latex to be extracted. Cut off any shoots that seem to be sticking out excessively in order to shape the outer perimeter of the rubber tree plant. You can propagate a new rubber tree plant from a cutting. Q. The simple answer is to trim your rubber tree … This will allow a … Q. Once you know how to care for a rubber tree plant and it is growing well, you can begin the propagation of indoor rubber tree plants. Trees must be approximately six years old and six inches in diameter in order to be tapped for latex. If you left the rubber tree (Ficus Elastica) alone, it could reach a height of around 100 feet, which isn't exactly optimal for a house plant. A classic houseplant, the rubber tree plant (Ficus elastica) grows up to 100 feet tall when grown outdoors. Rubber tree plants can grow quite large very quickly. Cut the upright stems back to about 4 inches above ground. I water it about once per week and I… Q. How to Trim a Rubber Tree Plant. If you cut through a trunk, you see several layers. Rubber Plant: Growing Tips for this Easy Care Indoor Tree In my horticultural book, the Rubber Plant is the easiest of the ficus trifecta to maintain and keep alive. In order to promote new leaves on a current rubber tree houseplant, cut a slit in the node where a leaf fell off. Keep reading to learn how to propagate a rubber tree so that you can give your friends a free rubber tree plant. Rubber Tree Plant - My Rubber tree was a little branch and now it's growing and falling sideways. The problem with their rapid growth is that they cannot support the weight of their own branches when they get overly long. Rubber Trees have a tendency to bleed a lot of sap when they are cut, so I would recommend that you have some Roottone® or Hormonex® handy to cover the fresh wounds. Now, there are only a few leaves left, and they are all at the top. Although it's native to Asia, it will grow outdoors in the warm climates of U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 10b and 11. In order to promote new leaves on a current rubber tree houseplant, cut a slit in the node where a leaf fell off. The branches of your husbands Rubber Tree can be cut back to an appropriate length, using a sharp clean knife, or very sharp pair of pruning clippers. 17, 2007) We had a sweet gumball tree in the backyard that was basically pooping all over the lawn and cutting our yard in half (doesn't sound very 'sweet' to me). Let us see how the trunk of the rubber tree is made. It’s been slightly pushed aside and I think now’s the time for the Ficus elastica gets the attention it deserves. yes its good for the earth too. (Apr. On the outside is the bark, I want to trim my rubber tree because it is too tall, but many of the leaves have fallen off. make a good cut; harvest the latex well; harvest the latex at the right time. Propagation of a Rubber Tree Plant. Believe it or not, there is an easy way to cut down high tree branches (we’re talking 30 feet plus) without training to be an acrobat, buying climbing equipment or paying a professional hundreds of dollars. A classic houseplant, the rubber tree plant (Ficus elastica) grows up to 100 feet tall when grown outdoors. No trees are killed to harvest rubber. Click on links below to jump to that question. Rubber Tree - My plant is one stem 6 feet tall. "How to Cut Back a Rubber Tree … Because of its large, glossy, tropical-looking leaves and ease of growth, rubber tree (Ficus elastica) is a popular houseplant that grows 2 to 10 feet tall indoors.