Also known as the Fiscus Elastica, this house plant is revered for its glossy oval-shaped leaves. It’s a true statement piece that brings a tropical vibe to any room it’s placed in. Rubber plant care is easy, plus there are so many rubber plant benefits when you have one of these in your home. From purifying the air to containing healing properties, rubber plant care is a truly rewarding experience!
These stunners are popular for their amazing looks and low-maintenance lifestyles, which certainly make them a desirable statement piece! Keep on reading and find out our five favourite benefits of having rubber plants indoors and why you should definitely consider having one of these houseplants.
What is a Rubber Plant?
Rubber plants are native to Asia and are a member of the Moraceae family. The reason for its name is that the leaves and the stem both contain a white rubber-like sap from which rubber is made! It’s a plant that really loves to grow. It’s a beautiful tree that can grow up to 60 metres in the wild. But don’t worry, this plant will only typically grow up to 2 meters indoors (but only with with proper rubber plant care!), so it won’t take over your house!
Top 5 Rubber Plant Benefits
1. May Purify The Air
The rubber plant has very thick broad leaves with a large surface area. Because of the large surface area, it’s perfect for purifying the air. Proper rubber plant care is thought to produce plants that pick up pollutants and chemicals, absorb them and turn them into harmless compounds.
Another way the rubber plant is believed to purify the air is through the roots. As the plant is watered, the air is thought to be drawn down from the upper plant body, allowing impurities in the air to be drawn down into the soil. And this soil is rich in microbes, which break down the harmful pollutants into either harmless compounds or even work as a nutritional source for the rubber plant. Research shows that these are just some of the benefits of having a rubber plant indoors!
Another potential rubber plant benefit is the removal of carbon dioxide from the air, improving the air quality you are breathing. When a rubber plant sits in a room it is thought to soak up the carbon dioxide that we exhale and convert it into oxygen. It's what makes having rubber plants indoors such a popular choice! A noticeable difference in the freshness of the air.
Another of the greatest air-purifying benefits of having a rubber plant indoors (yes we saved the best till last) is that it is actually thought to reduce the chance of respiration allergies, i.e asthma! How it is believed to work is the rubber plant reduces the humidity within the room, which prevents pollutants from turning into dust. Anyone with asthma will know, dust is not your friend. How's that for an air-purifying super plant? Proper rubber plant care has all kinds of air-purifying advantages!
2. It’s Low Maintenance
The rubber plant is one of the most forgiving houseplants out there. Well, maybe the cactus is the most but the rubber plant is a close second. Trust us, rubber plant care is so easy! It's very low maintenance no matter how much you neglect it. It can adapt to the light conditions, so even if it's shaded or gets little light it will still be okay.
Rubber plant care isn’t hard. Rubber plants don’t need a lot of watering and they hardly need fertilising. In other words, the rubber plant is great to place in your home in those places where conditions aren't ideal. It's also great to give as a gift to a loved one who hasn't caught on to the whole plant thing.
Come on, we all know one or two people who don't own a single houseplant. A rubber plant indoors is a perfect way to help them start their journey!
3. The Healing Properties
Yes. We know, we know, they look amazing. But that's not what we are talking about when we say 'benefits’! The thing with having a rubber plant indoors is that the leaves are thought to have healing properties. These work in two ways...
The leaves of the rubber plants are known to have natural anti-inflammatory properties. That means these leaves are thought to help ease skin rashes when applied to the affected area. The roots are also believed to help with rheumatic diseases. Rubber plants contain natural analgesics, thought to alleviate any gum or tooth inflammation when stewed in a cup of water, letting it sit for a few minutes then gargling the mixture. Not bad ey’?
Bear in mind, however, that the sap of the rubber plant can cause allergic reactions, which is why products based on rubber plant sap are usually found in pharmacies and should be used with care! That’s why proper rubber plant care is so important.
4. Allergies? No Problems!
We all know some houseplants can cause allergic reactions, and that’s just not what we want in our homes. The rubber plant is brilliant because it produces no pollen. So not only is it not giving off any unwanted pollen grains that make you sneeze, but it’s also purifying the air around it as well. In other words, you can breathe better!
5. It’s Easy To Propagate
As we all know, some house plants can be expensive. The great thing about rubber plant care though is it’s so easy to propagate. Here's a quick step by step guide so you can see how easy it is.
How to Propagate your Rubber Tree Plant:
Take a roughly 15cm piece of the rubber plant (generally the tips work best.) Remove all the leaves and wash them until you can see the sap is oozing. Then get a fresh pot with soil and plant the washed stem or tip. Make sure the pot is in a warmer place than where you previously grew it. Use gloves to avoid a skin reaction!
Another propagation method is to cut the rubber plant's stem and put a toothpick in the hole. Wrap a little damp moss over and then cover it with cling film so it stays on the toothpick. When the roots begin to emerge you can cut the branch and plant it in new soil.
Let's leaf it at that!
So there you do. There are so many benefits to having a rubber plant indoors. It truly is a wonderful plant that will thrive even when you don’t have the ideal conditions… It’s a plant that is not only beautiful to look at but also has so many other benefits that will do wonders full your well-being. As mother nature intended!
Boombox Club UK has several varieties of rubber plants available, too! With proper rubber plant care, these beauties will be scrubbing your air and looking delightful for years to come. Some examples include the Ficus elastica Belize and the Ficus elastica Tineke. The rubber tree “Cloe” is also an absolute classic- simple but elegant!