How To Force Side Shoots On A Rubber Tree

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Prophylactic plants are a popular indoor house constitute. They're typically medium-sized but, if given time and space to grow, can become the size of a small tree. Condom plants typically do non need much in the way of pruning. Be sure to remove expressionless and dying leaves, and clip your rubber constitute so it grows into the shape you'd similar it to have. Earlier you commencement pruning, consider if you'd like your rubber plant to accept a slim, vertical wait or a lower, bushier appearance.

1. i

   Remove dead leaves and branches at any fourth dimension of year. Equally with whatever indoor plant, remove any leaves and branches from your rubber institute that appear to be dead or dying. This will better the overall appearance of the rubber constitute, and keep the plant in good health. Yous tin can remove expressionless leaves in whatever season using your fingers.^[1]

   • You may need to use a pair of pruning shears to snip off dead branches.
   • Dying leaves will exist yellow in color, and may announced saggy or wilted. Dead leaves will be brown, and often shrunken and blackness.

2. 2

   Do any major pruning in late spring or early summer. Rubber plants are by and large hearty and will probably not suffer ill effects if you clip them in a different flavour. However, for the sake of the plant'due south health, do most of the pruning around early summer. Major pruning includes whatever pruning that goes across removing already-dead leaves and branches.^[2]

   • If you demand to clip a safety constitute in winter or fall, restrict yourself to making minor pruning cuts.

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3. iii

   Wearable gloves when pruning. The sap of the rubber plant is sticky, and will start to period from the cuts you make when pruning the branches. To forbid the viscid sap from getting onto your fingers, clothing a pair of gloves while pruning.^[3]

   • Sheet work gloves would suffice, as would rubber dishwashing gloves.

4. 4

   Cut the safety plant branches but above the nodes. Nodes are the locations where a smaller stem branches out from the side of a larger chief stalk. And so, if yous're pruning a master stem, make the cut just above where a smaller stalk branches out.^[4]

   • This way, you tin can avoid dissentious the small leaf-bearing stems.

5. 5

   Clip the rubber plant with a sharp pair of pruning shears. These will easily snip through the rubber plant's branches, and prevent the stems from ripping or trigger-happy.^[5] If yous have a young rubber plant with thin stems, you lot could too trim it using a pair of precipitous household scissors. In a pinch, you can use a sharp kitchen pocketknife to prune the found.

   • Unlike other types of plants (like roses) whose branches need to exist pruned at an angle, you lot can cut safety constitute branches straight across.

6. 6

   Don't over-prune the safety found. If you clip abroad too many of the safety found's leaves and branches, information technology won't exist able to photosynthesize and may die. So, make sure that you always go out at least 2-iii leaves backside. Besides continue in mind that it's easier for the plant to regrow leaves than to regrow branches.^[6]

   • Avoid removing more 5 or half-dozen living branches in a single pruning session.
   • If you have a large rubber plant, you may demand to leave as many every bit 6-7 leaves behind after a thorough pruning.

7. seven

   Repot your rubber plant to allow its size to increase. If y'all'd like to requite your rubber plant's roots more room to expand, repot it in a larger pot. Each time you repot your condom constitute, move information technology into a pot that's only about one inch (2.5 cm) larger than the previous pot. Besides remember to ever plant your safe plant in a pot with holes in the bottom for drainage.^[seven]

   • Go along in mind that, in one case its roots have grown, the rubber plant volition showtime growing taller as well.

8. viii

   Propagate your rubber plants with cuttings. If you lot'd like to beginning a second condom plant in a dissever pot—or if a friend or family fellow member wants to start a rubber plant of their ain—yous can do so with a cutting. Snip off a generous cutting, similar a big, healthy leafage or a medium co-operative. Allow the wet sap dry, and insert the sappy end of the cut about 2 inches (v.one cm) deep in soil.^[8]

   • Help the cut have root by placing a warm heating pad under the pot for the first week.

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1. 1

   Decide on a shape for your safe plant. Rubber plants can have 1 of 2 shapes: tall and thin, or short and bushy. Based on the space in which you're keeping the plant, and your own personal taste, choose which shape you'd like the constitute to take.^[9]

   • For example, if you have the safe plant on a shelf without much room to abound upwards, you may want the plant to develop a short, round shape.
   • Or, if you take the establish in a large room with high ceilings, the plant may look better with a tall, slender shape.

2. 2

   Trim unruly or unsightly branches to keep the constitute looking tidy. Since condom plants are kept indoors, you'll want the institute to look presentable. If any branches are growing in a strange management or at a very rapid footstep, clip them to enhance the overall appearance of the condom plant.^[10]

   • You can also prune branches or leaves to continue the safe plant from looking as well dense or cluttered, according to your personal preference.
   • Always discard the trimmings into a trash can.

3. 3

   Cutting the elevation off of your plant when it reaches the desired height. Once your safe plant has reached a height that you lot'd similar to proceed it at, prune the top leaves from the establish.^[11] This will preclude the rubber establish from putting out whatever more vertical chutes, and encourage it to grow more horizontally. So, if you'd like a low, bushy safe plant, try cutting the pinnacle off when it's near 4–five feet (1.two–1.5 m).^[12]

   • Be aware that if you do not cutting the top leaf or leaves off of your safety plant, it volition continue to grow. Rubber plants tin can grow up to 10 anxiety (3.0 yard).^[13]

4. iv

   Prune branches often if you'd like a bushier plant. Whenever you prune a branch of the rubber institute, the establish will produce 2 or more new branches from the stump.^[fourteen] This makes information technology easy to make your rubber plant thick and bushy. Keep pruning branches on the side of the plant until it'south become as thick and bushy as you'd like.^[15]

   • But, if you want your rubber found to remain tall and thin, only prune branches when strictly necessary.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Tin I cut the top off my rubber plant?

  

  Ryan Glynn is a Plant Specialist, Interiorscaper, and the Founder of Chicago Plants, LLC. He specializes in houseplant care, interior plant-scaping, and gardening. Ryan and Chicago Plants have been featured in several media outlets such every bit TimeOut Magazine and the Chicago Tribune. Ryan holds a BBA and Main's caste in Accounting from The Academy of Wisconsin-Madison.

  

  Plant Specialist & Interiorscaper

  Expert Respond

  Certain, simply know that this isn't the kind of plant that you necessarily need to clip. It'due south a ficus establish and information technology can kind of just grow wild and be quite healthy similar that. Pruning is normally more than for aesthetic purposes in this example.

• Question

  How do you prune a gangling safety plant?

  

  Ryan Glynn is a Plant Specialist, Interiorscaper, and the Founder of Chicago Plants, LLC. He specializes in houseplant intendance, interior establish-scaping, and gardening. Ryan and Chicago Plants have been featured in several media outlets such as TimeOut Magazine and the Chicago Tribune. Ryan holds a BBA and Master'due south degree in Accounting from The University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  

  Establish Specialist & Interiorscaper

  Expert Answer

  Usually, people practice what we call "topping", where you chop off a healthy branch on the top. As a result, information technology volition branch out, giving the plant the opportunity to shoot out new growth and potentially having two branching directions where previously there was only one.

• Question

  How do I terminate the white sap from dripping at present that I accept pruned my rubber found?

  

  Information technology should end dripping on its own eventually, as the latex sap of a rubber plant dries at room temperature. You don't need to practise anything additional to stop the natural catamenia of the sap. If yous're having problems with the sap dripping indoors or getting on things it shouldn't, place plastic mats down on the ground effectually the plant to forbid mess.

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• If yous don't trim its top, a safe constitute will proceed to grow as long as its roots have room to expand. Then, if you lot want to limit the height of your prophylactic plant, keep it in a small pot not larger than 8 inches (twenty cm) beyond.^[16]

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Things You lot'll Demand

• Pruning shears
• Gloves
• Kitchen knife (optional)
• Trash can
• Larger pot (optional)
• Cutting (optional)
• Heating pad (optional)

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Article Summary Ten

To prune a condom plant, take hold of a pair of gardening shears and prune off any dead leaves and branches, which will keep your plant in good health. If you demand to do some major pruning across removing dead material, do it in the tardily jump or early summer, since pruning live branches out of season can weaken your plant. When pruning, cut just to a higher place the nodes, or the places where smaller stems co-operative out from the side of a larger stem. Brand sure to wear gloves, every bit the sap from safe plants is very sticky and can be tough to get off your skin and clothes. For more tips, including how to shape your rubber establish by pruning information technology, read on!

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