Rubber Plant Pests

With careful pruning you can shape your rubber tree to be exactly as tall as you want.

Rubber plant pests.

Pests pests are another common reason for rubber tree plant leaves falling off. In particular rubber tree plants are susceptible to being infested with scale bugs and these pests will cause the leaves to drop off until the plant is treated. Our guide looks at common pests on indoor plants and helps to identify aphids mealybug red spider mites scale insects sciarid flies fungus gnats slugs snails and springtails. However if weakened by overwatering or dark conditions they can be afflicted by several illnesses.

Rubber tree ficus elastica is an impressive plant with huge shiny leaves but this cold sensitive plant survives outdoors only in very warm climates for this reason it is usually grown indoors. Pests are rare because the rubber plant is so resistant to them. In its native jungle habitat in india and malaysia the plant can grow up to 100 feet tall. Even the best house plant owner will come across pests.

Mealy bugs mites scales and aphids are a few common bugs that can find a home in your rubber plant. If you re new to plant parenting a rubber tree is the plant for you. If caught early you can remove these bugs by wiping them with a warm soap and water solution or an insecticidal soap. Mealy bug scale and mites are common pests that like to cause this ficus tree problems.

White raised dots on my rubber plant. View on amazon popular plants. In it s natural habitat it grows over 30 metres tall however the varieties grown indoors are a much more manageable height. In its native environment it s normal for a rubber plant to grow to over 100 tall.

With its glossy leathery leaves and upright form it s a striking addition to almost any room in your house. The rubber plant ficus elastica is a popular ornamental plant from the ficus genus. However you can still expect spider mites and scale insects to drop in from time to time. Armored and soft scale bugs are tiny insects that attach themselves to the stems or leaves of a rubber plant and remain in the same spot throughout their lives feeding on the plant juices.

Due to its need for balance in all forms it s easy to make your rubber plant unhappy if you stop paying attention to its needs. Southern blight caused by the fungus sclerotium rolfsii southern blight is an easily preventable moisture related infection found in rubber trees during the summer months. They might look like pests or a disease but these dots are actually perfectly normal and no treatment or special care is needed. Don t worry though as a houseplant rubber plants usually get to around 8 10.