I’ve had my rubber tree for 5ish years and only in the last few months have I learned how to actually care for plants. Now that I’m finally watering correctly etc, there is constant new growth on every branch! However, so many of the bottom leaves have dropped over time and the bottom stems are all bare and not very sturdy. Any idea how to help?
Possibly some silica to fortify the stems. More light can also help if the weak stems are from elongation from lower light. You could try scoring the lower nodes and using a keiki paste to promote some new leaves
2 Likes Thank you for the tips! I will be googling all of those things 😂
1 Like Lol no worries. To give you a spot to start. The silica i use currently. The paste is also called cloning paste or gel. I've seen people just spread it on and it's worked, but wounding the node makes it more effective.
This is so helpful, really appreciate! How often to give silica compared to fertilizer?
2 Likes I use it every time I water. But this bottle will go a long way as it's like maybe less than a tsp per quart
2 Likes Thanks!
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Keiki paste I got off Amazon. They are about the same.
Thanks!
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you could propagate from one of the taller stems and plant it in with the rest to sort of cover the bare stems! that’s what I plan on doing
0 Likes Could you describe that in more detail please?
0 Likes sure! you can cut a portion off the top that has at least one node and then place in water to grow some roots, once it’s rooted you can plant into the same pot and as that branch grows it will hide the bare stems at the bottom. there are more in depth instructions online about the best way to propagate a rubber plant but from what i’ve heard it’s pretty easy!
1 Like Thank you!!
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+1 for keiki paste. I’ve used it my ficus and pothos plants before. A little bit goes a long way. Apply a small amount with a qtip by the nodes. May take 3-4 weeks before you start to see sprouts. Just note that full branches will grow from the sprouts so keep that in mind.
0 Likes Oh I’m so excited to try! Thanks for the input
0 Likes Thanks for all the recs! Check out my new growth!! 🥹
