Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica
Toxic to cats and dogs
Glossy and architectural. Let the top of the soil dry between waterings; wipe leaves to keep them shining.
Toxicity
Toxic
Toxic
Source — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, toxic and non-toxic plant list; read from this species' own page
Pet-safety information is a general guide from the ASPCA's toxic-plant database and covers cats and dogs only. "If eaten" summarises the symptoms ASPCA lists for that plant; how an animal actually reacts depends on how much it ate and on the animal. It isn't exhaustive, isn't veterinary advice, and individual animals vary — never rely on it as the sole basis for a decision about your pet. If you think your pet has eaten a harmful plant, contact a vet immediately.
Care
- WaterEvery 7–12 days
- LightBright, indirect
- HumidityAverage humidity
- Temperature16–27 °C
The same interval the Sabz app schedules reminders from. In autumn and winter the app stretches it; see houseplants in autumn.
Common problems
Rubber plant yellow leaves dropping
Lower leaves going yellow and dropping one after another is overwatering — a rubber plant wants to dry out a good way between drinks, every seven to twelve days in summer and far less in winter. Let the compost dry, check the pot drains, and expect the drop to stop within a few weeks once the roots have recovered.
Rubber plant leaves drooping and curling
Leaves that droop from the stem and curl inwards along their length are thirst: the compost has dried out fully. Soak it thoroughly, let it drain, and it recovers within a day or two. If the compost is wet and the leaves still droop, the roots have rotted and it needs to dry out, not drink.
Rubber plant leggy
A tall, bare stem with leaves only at the top is a rubber plant that has been reaching for light. Move it to bright, indirect light near a window, and if the shape bothers you, cut the top off in spring — it branches from below the cut, and the top roots in water or compost.
Similar plants
- Fiddle Leaf Fig toxicFicus lyrata
- Weeping Fig toxicFicus benjamina
- Air Plant safeTillandsia
- Umbrella Plant toxicSchefflera arboricola
In the app
Add a rubber plant to Sabz and the watering interval above becomes a reminder, the toxicity verdict sits on the plant's own page, and when a leaf turns, the Check-up reads what you have actually logged to say why.
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