A gorgeous plant to have around, the pink rubber plant is relatively easy to care for and a great opportunity to level up your plant care skills, if you’re looking to do so.
So, get a nice big pot and plenty of soil, and get ready to fall in love with this ficus.
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A Pink Rubber Plant Is Good for Homes and Offices
Native to Southeast Asia and Asia, the pink rubber plant is a member of the ficus family, which we recognize as fig trees. While it grows up to 130 feet tall in the wild, it will top at about 8 feet indoors, which is still a big plant.
It has long, wide, oval-shaped leaves that can grow up to 15 inches long on newer plants. Older plants will have smaller leaves. The leaves are variegated in shades of green and strawberry pinks. The stems that run through the middle of the leaves can be an even darker shade of pink.
As a bonus, the pink rubber will clean the air in its direct environment, so it might be a great choice for a corner of your bedroom.
Are Pink Rubber Plants Good for the Feng Shui Flow of a Room?
As if that wasn’t enough, the pink rubber plant also offers excellent feng shui energy. The thick, wide, glossy leaves encourage wealth and prosperity, so maybe you’ll want to have it in your office. Indeed, you might want one in your bedroom and one in your office! It can’t hurt to have two.
For those interested in learning more about feng shui practices, check out this master class article on how to use feng shui.
Are Pink Rubber Plants Easy to Grow and Maintain?
The pink rubber plant is not the easiest plant to grow and maintain. In fact, it is a bit picky, but it is not impossible to keep alive. It just takes a little extra love and attention.
How Do Pink Rubber Plants Grow?
The pink rubber plant grows exceedingly well in bright, indirect light and with plenty of water with dry spells in between.
What Kind of Soil Does a Pink Rubber Plant Need?
Make sure you plant your pink rubber plant in indoor houseplant soil with plenty of bark and/or perlite to break it up, so it doesn’t hold water.
How Much Light Does a Pink Rubber Plant Need?
The more bright, indirect sunlight the plant gets, the brighter and livelier the variegated ruby leaves will be. At the same time, you don’t want to let the plant sit in direct sunlight at all, which could burn the edges of the leaves.
How Much Water Does a Pink Rubber Plant Need?
For the pink rubber, like any ficus plant, you’ll want to water the soil thoroughly until the water runs through the soil and out the bottom holes of the pot. Once you’ve watered the plant, make sure you wait until it dries out completely before watering it again.
You’ll be able to tell when your plant is ready when you stick your finger into the soil and the top 2 inches are dry. If the soil still feels moist, you can leave it for a couple of days before testing the soil again.
For more information on watering plants, check out my other article for signs, tips, and tricks to avoiding watering mistakes.
Other Conditions that Are Important to a Pink Rubber Plant
The pink rubber plant is also used to plenty of humidity, so keep it in a room where you can run a humidifier regularly. Furthermore, while this ficus is not especially prone to pests or bugs, you may find them in your plant if the soil gets too soggy.
If you do notice pests in your plant, like mealybugs or whiteflies, you can spray the plant liberally with neem oil. Spray it every few days for several weeks until the pests are gone. Wipe the pests off with a cloth each time you spray the plant. Once the pests stop coming back, you can stop spraying the plant.
Pink Rubber Plant Decorating Ideas
Because it is such an interesting-looking plant on its own, with colors ranging from green to pink, the best option for a pot would be to choose a tall, wide one with neutral colors, like gray, white, or black.
Keep the pink rubber plant in a big, open corner in your bedroom, living room, or office where you can run a humidifier and where it can get plenty of bright, indirect sunlight.
Because it will grow up to 8 feet tall, avoid suspending anything above it, but you can place other, smaller plants around it.
Do Fake Pink Rubber Plants Look Real?
If, in the end, you find the pink rubber plant is just too much to care for, you can always opt for a fake version. A high-quality, artificial pink rubber plant will look just like the live version, and it can still bring you positive feng shui energy and stand as a great conversation piece.
And if you’re wondering if artificial plants are even in style, check out my piece on whether artificial plants and flowers are tacky.
Whether you opt for real or fake, you’ll be so glad you brought the pink rubber plant into your home or office.
What do you think? Do you have a pink rubber plant in your home or office? What do you think is important to know about it? Let me know in the comments. I love to hear from my readers.
