Rubber Plant

following advice a while ago I removed an extra shoot that had grown on my rubber plant. This new plant is doing quite well, but since removing it, the main plant has lost all its lower leaves and the trunk/stem (?!) has gone from green to brown and the brown is moving up - have I killed it?!?!

[ 06. January 2006, 11:38 AM: Message edited by: maxine ]

 

No, the brown is probably just the wood ripening, this tends to happen with rubber plants, they become bare at the base and unless they are in very bright conditions I dont think there is much you can do about it.
Even when grown in full sun they lose their lower leaves, but then they tend to branch. You can cut back woody, lanky plants but not now, wait till spring.

 

Unfortunately it died! Fortunately the new plant is doing fine!!!!

 

Ah well, sometimes they do bounce back

 

Ah well, got it wrong there sorry. :(

 

Maxine (or anyone else that knows!),

How did you get the new shoot to root?

I have one of those 'lanky' rubber plants referred to above and when I looked up in gardening books how to propagate/rejuvenate it, air-layering was suggested which I thought was far too much effort so I haven't done it yet.

If I can get a new plant from my old one I'd be very happy, even if it does mean sacrificing the old one. Call me sentimental (I have had the plant at least 10 years), but I just haven't the heart to chuck it away and buy a new one!

If anyone has any ideas I'd be very grateful.

 

We use those Thompson and Morgan Gel pots to root Rubber plants with success every time. Just use a small cutting and follow the instructions. Used it for other things aswell, always handy to have.

Can't find a link for Thompson and Morgan ones but we do get ours from them, these people also sell them.
http://www.twowests.co.uk/TwoWestsSite/pages/product/product.asp?prod=PRG2RPR&cookie%5Ftest=1

[ 06. January 2006, 07:53 PM: Message edited by: lisa0307 ]

 

I had a look at your link but, as I try to garden organically I'm not sure about using these.

Maybe I'll take a chance and chop off one of the lanky tips, stick it in a pot with some organic rooting powder (if I can find some) and hope for the best!

 

Anne Marie, you could cut the old plant back pretty hard and let it shoot away from the base.