Rubber Plant Losing Leaves

Plant: Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)

How long have you had the plant? 1 to 2 years

Concerns:

I’m getting dropping leaves – about 1 per week:

The plant is outside getting several hours of direct sun.

How do you determine WHEN to water: I follow the schedule I was told/researched for this plant – twice a week

Describe HOW you water: Fully soak the soil, letting excess drain away

Fertilizer? I have always used fertilizer

Soil situation:

Darryl

Thanks for providing your photos and care info. A rubber plant’s leaves would normally be more upright but it seems that ALL of your leaves are flaccid, which indicates that your plant is not taking up enough water. If you are indeed watering but the plant still looks like this, it means there’s an issue with the root system. The problem is the soil.

I can’t tell if this urn has drainage holes (they typically do not) but just from looking at the soil itself, it appears too dense for this type of plant. Rubber plants need soil with drainage material such as perlite or bark chips.

Unfortunately, looking at the severity of the wilting of all these leaves, I’m not sure if repotting now would allow the plant to recover but it doesn’t hurt to try.

Good luck!

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Rubber Plant Losing Leaves

Concerns:

Darryl

Tired of your houseplants dying on you?

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