Rubber plant small leaves are a typical problem in this type of indoor plant.
And it's got more to do with the care than anything else.
If you don't take good care of your plant, it will start showing these signs in a few weeks or months.
But is there any fix to this problem?
Thankfully, you can resolve this Rubber plant issue, and I have shared a few tips in the following guide that will help in getting back the bigger leaves on the plant.
So, let's see how you tackle this problem.
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Why Does My Rubber Plant Have Small Leaves?
Before we get to the tips, you need to understand the root cause of small leaves on your Rubber plant.
So, why do you see such small leaves on the plant suddenly?
There are many factors that play a role in this type of issue.
Here's a list of some of those factors -
- Lack Of Sunlight
- Lack Of Nutrients In The Soil
- Underwatering
- Pot Size
- Environmental Conditions
- Bacterial or Fungal Attack
Regarding the environmental and bacteria/fungus factors, these are not really in your hands.
And in very rare cases, you will see small leaves on the Rubber plant because of these two issues.
So, you don't have to worry a lot about it.
You should only focus on the other factors, which directly affect the growth of the leaves.
In the next section, let's learn the tips and tricks to solve this problem in your Rubber plant.
6 Tips To Fix The Rubber Plant Small Leaves Problem
Here are the tips for you -
1. Keep Your Plant Near A Window
As you know, the lack of sunlight can be the main reason to see such a problem in your Rubber plant.
When the leaves don't get enough sunlight, they tend to produce less food for the plant.
In return, the overall growth of the plant remains stunted.
And this affects the leaves too.
When the new branches don't get the required amount of food, the fresh leaves grow smaller in size as compared to some of the older leaves on the plant.
But the Rubber plant is a low-light plant, right?
Well, that's not true at all!
Yes, it can grow indoors, but it does require sunlight to maintain the standard growth rate.
And more importantly, there aren't many plants that don't require light for their life cycle.
If you want to solve the Rubber plant small leaves problem, you should provide sunlight.
Keep it near a window where it can receive some partial or direct sunlight.
It will do well in partial sunlight as well.
But again, don't plant it in a dark place!
2. Provide Enough Water To Your Plant
Water is another essential element that plays its part in growing the plant.
If you water less, the plant will not grow properly.
Water not only helps in creating food for the plant but also acts as a medium to transfer nutrients from the root to other parts of the plant.
Hence, you must water your Rubber plant if you want to see steady growth over the period.
How much water does this plant require?
It depends on the size of the plant, really.
If the plant is relatively small, you can add water once every 10-15 days.
However, if the plant is bigger in size, it will need more water.
You can water such plants every 5-6 days depending on the dryness of the soil.
Note: You will also need to make changes to your watering schedule as per the seasons.
The plant will not require a lot of water during the winter season.
3. Prune The Rubber Plant
If you only see small leaves on the plant, you can make use of the pruning technique.
Pruning helps in forcing the plant to produce new vigorous growth in terms of leaves and branches.
So, this should fix the leaf issue in your Rubber plant.
Having said that, the soil should have a good amount of nutrients in it.
Without them, you will not see much improvement in the size of your plant's leaves.
Also, don't perform pruning too often.
It's one of those things that you should perform twice a year or so.
And that, too, depends on the growth and size of the plant.
If the plant is small, you should not perform pruning for a couple of years.
This period will allow the plant to grow naturally.
4. Add Fertilizers To Your Rubber Plant
As I mentioned above, the plant needs nutrients for its steady growth.
When it doesn't receive the full quota of these essentials, the size of leaves and branches starts decreasing.
And eventually, it makes the plant weaker, which is not something you want to see happening with your favorite houseplants.
So, use some of the Rubber plant fertilizers available on the market.
You can also use nitrogen-based fertilizers for this type of issue.
These fertilizers prove to be effective in bringing back larger leaves to the plant.
As for the usage, you can add them every 2-3 months.
It's a heavy-feeder plant, so it won't mind a regular supply of fertilizers for sure.
Don't forget to read the instructions shared on the package of the fertilizers, though.
5. Check The Pot Size And Repot The Plant If Needed
Has your Rubber plant grown a lot over the period?
If that is the case, you must consider the repotting option.
It's the best way to rejuvenate your plant, and the whole process doesn't even take a lot of time.
You just have to change the soil and trim some of the unwanted roots off the plant.
Once that's done, you can either put the plant back in the same pot or move to a bigger pot.
Depending on the issue, you can take this decision after performing a thorough inspection of the leaves and branches.
If there are too many small leaves on your Rubber plant, transplant it into a bigger pot.
And yes, make sure you add fertilizers to the fresh soil mix.
It will definitely work for the growth of the plant, and you should be able to see perfect leaves in a few weeks.
6. Wait For The Leaves To Grow Big In Size
Sometimes, we become impatient and expect a lot from the plant.
It happens with almost all gardening enthusiasts, as we love to see our plants growing with perfect shape and size.
If your plant has small leaves, you can just wait for a week or two more.
The plant may require more time to grow its leaves for some reasons.
So, it's better to wait to see the expected growth on the leaves.
If you still don't see any growth after this period, you must look at some of the other options shared in this guide.
These suggestions should help resolve this problem for you.
In the following section, you will find the answers to the FAQs related to this topic.
Have a look at them if you have any similar questions in your mind.
FAQs
As suggested above, you can use the pruning method to promote new growth on the plant.
You may also need to apply fertilizers to the plant, which boosts the overall growth as well.
And finally, do provide sunlight and water to your Rubber plant.
If you can work on these things efficiently, the plant will surely get better at producing fresh leaves and branches.
When you overwater your Rubber plant, the bottom leaves start to turn yellow.
Ultimately, these leaves turn brown or black and fall off.
If there is too much water in the soil, you will see this happening with more leaves than just a few ones at the bottom.
Along with the leaves, the stem, and roots will begin to rot due to excess water in the soil.
It can take up to 3-4 weeks for Rubber plants to produce new leaves.
However, it depends on a lot of factors.
For e.g.,
You will see more growth in the spring season than in winter.
Also, if the plant is undergoing some sort of stress, it won't produce any new leaves for a few weeks.
So, you will have to consider all these factors before expecting new leaves on the plant.
No, the indoor varieties do well without direct sunlight.
But if you don't have any other option than to place the plant where it receives direct sun, you can keep it there.
The plant will not mind it at all.
The only downside of providing direct light to this plant is the leaves will get a lighter shade of color.
And you won't see the peculiar dark-colored leaves on it.
So, try to provide indirect or partial sunlight to this plant if possible.
You can spray some water and vinegar solution to clean the surface of your plant's leaves.
This will surely make them look shiny for a few days before the new dust sets on them.
Do not use any harsh cleaning soaps or liquids on the leaves, as it may cause burning issues.
You should also avoid cleaning them with something like milk and olive oil.
Both these ingredients are not very beneficial to your favorite houseplants.
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