13 Reasons Why Rubber Plant Leaves are Drooping with Solutions

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Rubber Plant leaves may droop due to overwatering, underwatering, root-rot, pests, poor lighting, wrong temperatures, poor feeding, wrong soil, low humidity among others.

Rubber Plants are the easiest of the Ficus varieties for indoor growing. Rubber Plants prosper in bright light with 4-6 hours of direct sunshine, average warmth of 15-28⁰C, moderate humidity of 50-55% and moderately moist, fertile, well-drained, all purpose potting soil coupled with monthly feeding in the growing season. Read more on how to grow and care for Rubber Plants (Ficus elastica).

If you do not provide the right growing conditions, your Rubber Plant leaves may begin to wilt and droop. If you fail to carry out timely corrective measures the plant may continue to deteriorate and die.

We have herebelow discussed 13 reasons why your Rubber Plant leaves are droopy. Keep reading to learn more on these reasons and how to fix them.

13 Reasons why Rubber Plant leaves are drooping and their Remedies

1. Too Little Light

Rubber Plant requires bright light with 4-6 hours of direct sunshine to make food that is required for energy and growth. Insufficient light implies that the plant cannot make enough food for energy and growth.

In an attempt to save energy, the leaves begin to die and this begins with wilting and drooping leaves. This way, the energy available is saved for the plant's vital functions inorder to keep it alive.

Solutions

Move the Rubber Plant to a brighter spot where it will receive bright light with 4-6 hours of direct sunlight. A spot infront of a brightly lit window which receives 4-6 hours of morning or late afternoon sunlight is ideal for the plant.

If you do not have adequate lighting in your home, consider investing in grow lights to supplement it. Check out these full spectrum grow lights on Amazon.

To ensure that the plant absorbs enough light through the leaves, regularly clean the leaves by damp wiping with a soft cloth. Rotate the pot every so often to make sure that the plant receives light on all sides. Check out this guide on understanding light for houseplants.

2. Overfeeding

Overfeeding your Rubber Plant will cause the roots to die due to fertilizer burn. When the roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves. Since the water loss in the leaves is greater that the replacement, the leaves begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Take care not to overfeed your Rubber Plant. Feed it monthly during the growing period with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer and follow the instructions on the label.

Do not feed in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time therefore, the plant does not need it. Feeding the plant at this time may result in fertilizer burn and death of the plant.

Occasionally flush out accumulated salts from the soil by running a stream of water through the soil until it comes out through the drainage hole and repeat the process several times.

3. Underfeeding

Underfeeding your Rubber Plant implies that the plant is not getting the nutrients need for growth and energy. Inadequate nutrients in the actively growing tips causes nutrients to be withdrawn from the older lower leaves which begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Feed your Rubber Plant at least once monthly during the growing season with a balanced, liquid fertilizer for lush growth. Take care not to underfeed and follow the instructions on the label of the plant food. Read more on how to feed indoor plants.

4. Root-rot Disease

Rubber Plant is prone to root-rot which is prevalent in soggy soil (too wet soil). The disease is characterized by wilted, discolored leaves, corky swellings under the leaves, drooping leaves which eventually drop.

When the soil is soggy, the oxygen concentration in the soil is drastically reduced which causes the roots to die. Once the roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves. The leaves begin to wilt, droop and eventually drop.

Solutions

Carefully, slip your Rubber Plant out of its pot and inspect the roots. Brown-black mushy roots indicate root-rot, trim them off and treat the healthy roots with a fungicidal solution.

Disinfect the pot with the fungicidal solution or use a fresh pot to repot the plant in fresh, well-drained soil. Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole to prevent the soil getting soggy.

Do not water the plant immediately and keep it dry for a few days before you can resume watering. Learn more on how to treat root-rot in houseplants.

5. Poor Quality Soil

Poor quality soil does not drain easily and therefore it easily becomes compacted or soggy which can negatively impact the growth leading to drooping leaves. Rubber Plant requires loose, free-draining soil that does not hold excess amounts of water. Soggy soil can lead to root-rot and droopy leaves.

Solutions

Repot your Rubber Plant in good quality soil that is loose, free-draining and rich in organic matter. All purpose potting mixes are good for this plant.

6. Pest Infestations

Rubber Plant is prone to mealybugs, aphids, spider mites and scales which attack the new growth from where they suck the plant sap. These sap sucking insects are favored by dry conditions and they will cause the plant to be dehydrated which will result in wilting and drooping leaves.

Solutions

Regularly inspect your Rubber Plant for these pests and take timely control measures. Isolate the affected plant and treat it with neem oil or insecticidal soap as per the manufacturer's recommendations.

To discourage pests infestation, raise the humidity to discourage pests, by setting the pot on a wet pebble tray or by use of a cool mist humidifier. In addition, regularly clean the leaves by damp wiping with a soft cloth and keep it properly pruned. Learn more on how to prune houseplants.

7. Root-bound Plant

If your Rubber Plant is root-bound, the roots have filled the pot and there is very little soil to hold water when you water the plant. Therefore, there is no water for the plant to take up to the leaves. The leaves loss their stiffness and they begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Check the bottom of the pot for roots growing through the drainage hole. Repot the plant into a pot one size larger than the current one. Confirm that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is loose enough and well-drained. Use a heavy pot as the plant can become top-heavy and topple over. Take a look at these ceramic pots with a drainage hole on Amazon.

8. Repotting Shock

Repotting your Rubber Plant will cause it some shock which may lead to some leaves wilting and drooping before it can adjust the new growing conditions.

Solutions

To minimize repotting shock, water the plant thoroughly one day before repotting as a well hydrated plant experiences less shock and establishes faster. Do not make too many changes at once. For instance, after repotting, maintain the plant in the same location until it is well established before moving it to a new location.

9. Overwatering

Overwatering your Rubber Plant will result in excess water in the soil (soggy soil). Too much water in the soil will reduce the oxygen concentration in the rootzone which can cause the roots to die.

When roots die, they cannot take up water to the upper parts of the plant including the stems and leaves. These parts lose their turgidy (firmness), therefore, the leaves begin to wilt and droop downwards.

Solutions

To avoid getting soggy soil, ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is loose enough and drains easily. In addition, decrease watering in the cold season to maintain the soil barely moist as growth is minimal at this time.

10. Underwatering

Underwatering your Rubber Plant means that there is too little moisture in the soil. As such, there is no water in the soil for the plant to take up to the leaves and other parts. Therefore, the water lost by the leaves cannot be replaced as fast as it is lost. Thus, the leaves lose their turgity, become floopy and droopy.

Solutions

Immediately, thoroughly water your Rubber Plant when you realise it is drooping and it should perk up. Thereafter, water the plant liberally during the growing season while allowing the top 2-3 inches of soil to dry out between waterings. Cut down on watering in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time but do not allow the soil to dry out completely. Learn more on how to water indoor plants correctly.

11. Extremely Hot Temperatures

Rubber Plant requires average warmth of 15-28⁰C to thrive. Extremely hot temperatures (above the upper range) will cause excessive loss of water from the leaves which results in wilting and droopy leaves.

Solutions

Keep your Rubber Plant away from hot drafts like hot surfaces, hot vents and other hot areas to prevent extremely high temperatures. Maintain an average temperature of 15-28⁰C. Usually, a room temperature that is comfortable for you is ideal for the plant. Check out this guide on understanding temperature for houseplants.

12. Low Humidity

Though your Rubber Plant will grow in ordinary room humidity, a humid environment is necessary for lush growth especially where the temperatures are very high. Too little humidity for your plant will lead to dehydration which will cause the leaves to lose their turgidity and begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

To increase humidity, set the pot on a wet pebble tray or use a cool mist humidifier. You may also grow your Rubber Plant in the moist areas in the home like a well-lit bathroom, kitchen and laundy area. Check out these techniques on how to increase humidity for houseplants.

13. Accumulation of Salts in the Soil

Excess soluble salts from the water or excess feeding means that there is a very high concentration of salts in the soil. Since plant roots absorb water by osmosis, the high concentration of salts in the soil will prevent water moving from the soil into the plant system. Therefore, since the water loss in the leaves is greater than the replacement, the leaves lose their firmness, they begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Flush out the salts from the soil regularly by running a stream of water through the soil until it comes out through the drainage holes and repeat the process several times.

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