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Sometimes , the plant life we cerebrate we cognise surprise us in unexpected ways . Such is the unfortunate eccentric with the Indian arctic Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( Ficus elastica ) regarding watering .
Despite a close resemblance to regular trees , the rubber Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is in reality succulent , meaning it stores water in its leaves in case of drouth .
This fact can quickly haunt unsuspicious homeowners when these otherwise well handle for plants suddenly get sick .
Thankfully , it ’s not only possible to saveyour rubber tree diagram plantfrom overwatering , but it ’s also easy to prevent overwatering in the future tense .
How To Save Overwatered Rubber Trees?
Once you identify that a flora ’s been overwatered , you need to handle the return forthwith .
As pot trees have a limited ecosystem , the damage lean to advance more rapidly than in a undercoat specimen .
Signs Of Overwatering
When you overwater your rubber eraser tree , it will seek to let you know something ’s incorrect .
The first symptom may involve swollen parting that start to icteric .
In many cases , this will happen from the bottom up , as the genus Ficus will sacrifice its old farewell to protect the younger 1 .
As the leave-taking well , they may become mushy or even sag .
They may also grow hydrops , which is a condition where the piddle causes blisters to take form .
finally , the parting will droop under the water weight and begin to sour brown as they die off or become infected by fungal spores .
But below ground , another drama is happening .
All supernumerary water prevents the root hair from prevail O and nutrients .
The hairs begin to become flat back and may educate root hogwash .
You may notice the soil become torpid , a cottony fungus may organise on the surface ( often accompany by fungus gnats ) , and there may even be a foetid odor coming from the soil .
Why Calendars Are Bad: The #1 Cause Of Overwatering
One of the biggest mistakes a plant fancier can make is to water on a schedule .
plant only pledge when they ’re thirsty , and all but trace amounts of the piss go to a process call transpiration , similar to diaphoresis .
Temperature , sun exposure , humidity , and several other factors can all impress how often the plant will need tearing .
Thus , instead of deciding when the plant will be water , it ’s always best to permit the plant itself recount you , which we will blab about later on .
Salvaging An Overwatered Rubber Plant
The sooner you step in , the easier it is to treat an overwatered works .
Overwatering once or doubly can often be remedied by just allowing the territory to dry out enough for the flora to recover .
In more extreme case , however , you ’ll ask to uproot the full plant and transplant it to another container or part of the garden .
When remove your rubber plant life , be careful not to cut any roots and gargle them off as best you could .
manifestly , this wo n’t be possible for a full - grown rubber tree , so you may need to treat the land with fungicides and hope the damage is n’t extensive .
But if you’re able to remove the soil from your plant ’s roots , you’re able to prove them for signs of root rot .
This circumstance will result in brown to mushy fatal root that may give off a rotten odor .
You will postulate to murder these infected root and hock the entire root system in a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water for 20 minutes to kill off any remaining rot .
While using a fungicide is an alternative , it ’s not advisable because root rot can be make by legion bacterial strains , not just by fungus .
provide the roots to air dry for 2 to 3 days and repot in brand new soil with a young sess , so there ’s no risk of infection of the infection returning .
take down that it might take a few weeks for your industrial plant to start recovering from its parking brake surgery , so avoid fertilizing for 1 to 2 calendar month and piddle sparingly for the first two weeks or so .
How To Prevent Overwatering?
We ’ve talked about what can induce overwatering and how to treat it , but what about some respectable bar methods ?
The well news is that your rubber Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is a quality candidate for the two most effective watering techniques : soak and ironical and bottom - up .
Testing With The Finger Trick
The first thing you take to eff is the finger trick .
This nifty small testing method acting ask no special equipment and is so simple you’re able to use it while walking by your industrial plant ( at a slow pace , of course of study ) .
You see , it work out that the average adult human hand is a great measuring tool when you practice the imperial system .
The space from your fingertip to the first knuckle joint , first to the 2d knuckle , and secondly to the stand of the finger ( NOT the third knuckle ) equals roughly 1 ” in , meaning your index finger is a 3 ” inch ruler .
you may delay your finger against a regular ruler to see the distance if you have bigger or smaller hands .
For natural rubber trees , it ’s time to water supply when the soil is dry 1 ” column inch down .
Just stick your finger’s breadth straight down into the filth to the first knuckle joint and check for dampness .
Damp soil will stick around to your finger if you ca n’t feel it .
you may also substitute a chopstick or popsicle stick , which will turn dark in the presence of moisture after several minutes .
The Soak-and-Dry Method
This method work for most plants , although it does n’t work so well if the industrial plant ’s too bushy for you to reach the grime .
You ’ll ask room temperature distilled water or natural rainwater in a container that allows you to pour at a slow rate .
The caper is to stream slowly enough that the soil soak it up immediately .
Work your way around the plant , so the soil is evenly moisten , but the plant itself does n’t get tight ( in an stilted setting , this can lead to fungal infections ) .
The soil itself will tell you it ’s fourth dimension to stop when you see it shin to absorb as fast as you ’re stream or wet begins to ooze from the drainage holes .
The Bottom-Up Method
While not necessary for a synthetic rubber tree flora , the bottom - up method acting is quite pop among potted genus Ficus enthusiasts .
Once you hump it ’s sentence to water , merely set the container in a larger container ( such as a tub or deep tray ) with a few inches of water .
Let the pot model in this water for 10 to 20 minutes until the soil airfoil feels slightly damp .
At that point , just remove the can from your tearing container and allow any overabundance to drain back out of the drainage hollow .
This method acting is outstanding when you ca n’t irrigate from the top , but it can also be an easy alternative to the soak and dry method acting if your industrial plant is in a container .
