Other Names:  Rubber Tree, Rubber Fig

Description:

A lovely indoor accent plant. producing glossy, greenish-burgundy leaves with a contrasting, light pink sheath that protects the new leaves; has a neat compact habit and narrower, smaller leaves; position in bright areas away from drafts

Features & Attributes

Melanie Rubber Plant's attractive small glossy oval leaves emerge burgundy, turning dark green in colour with hints of burgundy throughout the year on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen houseplant with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture stands it apart from other indoor plants with finer foliage. This plant can be pruned at any time to keep it looking its best.

Planting & Growing

When grown indoors, Melanie Rubber Plant can be expected to grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 50 years. This houseplant will do well in a location that gets either direct or indirect sunlight, although it will usually require a more brightly-lit environment than what artificial indoor lighting alone can provide. It does best in average to evenly moist soil, but will not tolerate standing water. The surface of the soil shouldn't be allowed to dry out completely, and so you should expect to water this plant once and possibly even twice each week. Be aware that your particular watering schedule may vary depending on its location in the room, the pot size, plant size and other conditions; if in doubt, ask one of our experts in the store for advice. It will benefit from a regular feeding with a general-purpose fertilizer with every second or third watering. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soil. Contact the store for specific recommendations on pre-mixed potting soil for this plant. Be warned that parts of this plant are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so special care should be exercised if growing it around children and pets.

There are many factors that will affect the ultimate height, spread and overall performance of a plant when grown indoors; among them, the size of the pot it's growing in, the amount of light it receives, watering frequency, the pruning regimen and repotting schedule. Use the information described here as a guideline only; individual performance can and will vary. Please contact the store to speak with one of our experts if you are interested in further details concerning recommendations on pot size, watering, pruning, repotting, etc.

-- THIS IS A HOUSEPLANT AND IS NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --