Rubber

Made By :- Deepti Jain

The rubbe r p lan t (F i cu s robus ta ) was named one o f th e top 20 p lan t s by Dr . B.C. "Bi l l " Wolv e r ton ' s "Eco Fr i end ly House Plan t s . " The rubbe r p lan t adds humid i ty , r emove s b i o e f f l u en t s , r emove s chem i ca l t ox ins and suppr e s s e s a i rbo rne m i c robe s when added to a room. Rooms f i l l e d w i th rubbe r p lan t s and p lan t s su ch as dwar f da t e pa lms , Eng l i sh i vy o r sp i d e r p lan t s can he lp r edu c e a i rbo rne mo l d s and bac t e r i a by 50 to 60 pe r c en t .

Rubbe r p lan t s a r e i d ea l ha rdy housep lan t s tha t can sur v i v e and th r i v e i n l ow - l i gh t c ond i t i on s . The rubbe r p lan t can eas i l y g row up to 6 f e e t ta l l i ndoo r s . The p lan t can be p runed to ke ep i t s s i z e und e r c on t ro l . Leave s o f th e rubbe r p lan t measu r e b e twe en 8 to 12 in che s l ong and a r e o va l i n shape . The l ea v e s a r e tough , g lo s sy and rubbe ry .

When you hav e a rubbe r t r e e hous e p lan t i t n e ed s b r igh t l i gh t , bu t i t p r e f e r s i nd i r e c t l i gh t tha t i sn ’ t t oo ho t . Some peop l e r e c ommend put t i ng i t n ear a w indow tha t has sh e e r cu r ta in s . Th i s a l l ows p l en ty o f l i gh t , bu t no t too much .

The rubbe r t r e e p lan t a l s o n e ed s th e r igh t ba lanc e o f wat e r . Dur ing the g row ing s eason , i t n e ed s to be kep t mo i s t . It i s a l so a good i d ea t o w ipe o f f th e l eav e s o f your rubbe r t r e e hous e p lan t w i th a damp c l o th o r sp r i t z i t w i th wat e r . If you wat e r th e rubbe r t r e e p lan t too much , th e l ea v e s w i l l tu rn ye l l ow and b rown and fa l l o f f .

Rubber t r e e p lan t s a r e su s c ep t i b l e t o co l d a i r and wh i l e your home may be th e r igh t t empe ra tu r e f o r rubbe r t r e e p lan t , c o l d d ra f t s f r om w indows o r doo r s i n your home may be h i t t i ng the p lan t and caus ing th e rubbe r t r e e l eav e s t o fa l l o f f .

Move the p lan t away f r om any d ra f t w indows o r doo r s tha t may be l e t t i ng a d ra f t i n when i t opens .

In o rd e r t o p romot e new l ea v e s on a cu r r en t rubbe r t r e e hous e p lan t , cu t a s l i t i n th e node whe r e a l ea f f e l l o f f . Th i s w i l l a l l ow a new l ea f t o g row qu i cke r .

There a r e a coup l e d i f f e r en t me thods f o r c r ea t i ng new rubbe r t r e e p lan t cu t t i ngs . The s imp l e s t i s t o take a sma l l b ranch f r om a hea l thy t r e e and pu t i t i n good po t t i ng so i l o r wa t e r and l e t i t r oo t .

Pes t s a r e ano the r common r eason f o r rubbe r t r e e p lan t l ea v e s fa l l i ng o f f . In par t i cu la r , rubbe r t r e e p lan t s a r e su s c ep t i b l e t o be i ng in f e s t e d w i th s ca l e bugs and th e s e pe s t s w i l l caus e th e l eav e s to d rop o f f un t i l th e p lan t i s t r ea t ed .

Treat s ca l e o r o the r pe s t w i th an in s e c t i c i d e .

Rubbe r t r e e p lan t s n e ed h ighe r humid i ty . House s can be d ry , e spe c ia l l y i n th e w in t e r when the h ea t i s on . Th i s l a ck o f humid i ty can caus e l ea ve s fa l l i ng o f f rubbe r t r e e p lan t .

To co r r e c t th i s p rob l em , m i s t th e rubbe r t r e e p lan t da i l y o r s e t th e p lan t on a t ray o f pebb l e s f i l l e d w i th wat e r .

Rubbe r t r e e p lan t s a r e f r equen t ly k i l l e d w i th k indne s s f r om the i r owne r s . One way th i s happens i s tha t a rubbe r t r e e owne r w i l l f e r t i l i z e th e p lan t t oo o f t en and th i s caus e s a rubbe r p lan t to l o s e l eav e s .

Rubbe r t r e e p lan t s on ly ne ed to b e f e r t i l i z e d onc e i n awh i l e . They ne ed v e ry l i t t l e f e e d i ng .

Anothe r way tha t rubbe r t r e e owne r s can o v e r ca r e f o r th e i r p lan t i s by ov e r wa t e r i ng the p lan t . When a rubbe r t r e e p lan t i s o v e r wat e r ed , i t can shed i t s l ea v e s .

Only wa t e r th e p lan t when th e t op o f th e so i l i s d ry .

The t r e e s o f t en g row i n a r eas whe r e t r op i ca l ra in f o r e s t s we r e l ogged and c l ea r cu t t o make room fo r rubbe r t r e e p lan ta t i on s . Some o f th e f i r s t rubbe r p lan ta t i on s f o rmed i n Java , Singapor e and Sr i Lanka a f t e r th e Br i t i sh ca r e fu l l y sh ipped th e s e ed s t o th e s e coun t r i e s i n th e 1890s . The t r e e s a l so g row in a r ea s i n c lud ing sou the rn Thai land , South Amer i ca , Malays ia , Indone s ia , Ind ia and a long Af r i ca ' s Ivo ry Coas t .

Rubbe r t r e e s g row be s t i n sun o r par t i a l shade i n we l l - d ra in ed so i l . The d rought - t o l e ran t t r e e s th r i v e i n ho t , humid wea the r whe r e th e so i l d r i e s ou t be twe en wa t e r i ng . In the U.S. , th e t r e e s g row in hard in e s s zone s 10 and 11 . The t r e e s a l so g row we l l i n con ta ine r s o r abov e -g round p lan t e r s .

The sap f r om the rubbe r t r e e i s made i n to numerous produc t s , i n c lud i ng t i r e s , b e l t s , i n su la t i on f o r e l e c t r i ca l w r i t i ng , g l o v e s and gaske t s . A va r i e ty o f t oys and wat e rp roo f c l o th ing a l so a r e made f r om the va luab l e sap . The t r e e s wo rk we l l i n th e land s cape when us ed as s c r e en s o r s i ng l e sp e c imens . The t r e e s a l so p ro v i d e shade f o r a pa t i o o r d e ck . Some peop l e g row rubbe r t r e e s i ndoo r s .