I think this is a rubber plant. It’s been in my north facing office at work and I’m planning on bringing it home for some sun. Could I split these two or should I repot them together and see what happen? Also there is moss that seems to have grown on the soil, is that normal?
if this were my plant i would prune it back and root the bare sections of stem, then repot all of them together. you may also want to consider removing the old soil from the roots (gently) and refreshing it with a thoroughly aerated mix, most houseplants are sold in soil that is way too dense. if there is moss growing on the soil, it’s likely it’s been staying wet for too long as moss likes consistently moist soil and humid conditions. if you’re using the self-watering feature on this pot that is probably why. i find the soil stays wet too long in self-watering pots, i avoid them as much as possible
1 likeIt definitely was wet for too long!! I dumped all the water out a few weeks ago and am just regularly watering them. Spot on there!
0 likesPrune it meaning cut those two branches off completely? There is a tiny leaf on one. Maybe I can save it somehow!
0 likes yes! the bare leafless nodes, when placed underwater or in some sort of media will grow new roots out of necessity, using the remaining leaves to support photosynthesis while it does so. it’s a somewhat risky process but i love propagating since i always end up with either more plants or a fuller plant, and i’d probably have to prune them at some point anyway, so might as well use the cuttings :-)
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So there are rubber tree plants which are ficuses and then there are “baby” rubber plants or American rubber plants that are peperomias. I think you’ve got the latter. Their needs are pretty similar (let them dry out between watering, bright indirect light), but just an FYI since there might be some slight care differences that aren’t coming to me off the top of my mind. I don’t know if I’d place either ficus or peperomia in a self-watering planter though since they like to dry out and are somewhat drought tolerant.
1 likeThanks! I’m going to repot!
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