How can I have a happy rubber tree plant?

[astro]

I got this little baby the other day from a local florist shop business and real estate package I was showing to some clients. I have named it “Maurice”.

Due to HVAC hijinks or possibly the fact that my office is haunted by the ghost of dead cows (our office was previously a Golden Corral restaurant before we crushed it) my office is very cold. Like 65 degrees cold. I don’t want Maurice to die, so what things can I do to preserve his life in this cold office re water, pots, care, draining, re-potting etc.

How can I have a happy rubber tree plant?

[Chez_Guevara]

Would your rubber tree plant be a rubber tree (hevea brasiliensis) or a rubber plant (ficus elastica)?

[Tuckerfan]

I’d make sure you put out ant poison.

[Polycarp]

Don’t let ants with high hopes try to move it!

[Tuckerfan]

@Polycarp

Don’t let ants with high hopes try to move it!

Beat ya by three minutes!

[astro]

It’s the big, stiff, glossy leafed kind.

What would ant’s do to Maurice? He not a food plant… is he?

[t-keela]

Is there an outlet available? If so, there are various grow lamps you could setup that might help. I have a greenhouse that I use different types of bulbs in. It costs too much to keep it “hot” so on the plants that require more heat than others I will use a directed flood light to make specific areas warmer than others.
A couple of “track lights” aimed at the plant with 100wt bulbs would probably keep it warm. If there’s a window available use it. Move it away from AC vents… keep the soil loose and water it with warm water and soluable plantfood. Put it in a corner if there’s no window available. On a table if the plant is small enough, warm air rises. Maybe some of this’ll help. Good luck…t/k

[astro]

Aww… s**t! Gah! Whoosh and double whoosh you F*$%(#! :o :smack:

[astro]

@t-keela

Is there an outlet available? If so, there are various grow lamps you could setup that might help. I have a greenhouse that I use different types of bulbs in. It costs too much to keep it “hot” so on the plants that require more heat than others I will use a directed flood light to make specific areas warmer than others.
A couple of “track lights” aimed at the plant with 100wt bulbs would probably keep it warm. If there’s a window available use it. Move it away from AC vents… keep the soil loose and water it with warm water and soluable plantfood. Put it in a corner if there’s no window available. On a table if the plant is small enough, warm air rises. Maybe some of this’ll help. Good luck…t/k

If my office light is off while I am out on the road and sometimes during weekends should I provide an alternative light source, and if so what kind of light?

How can i tell when I should water it? Should the soil be “wet” moist or just “lightly damp” moist?

Should I re-pot it out of the greenhouse pot?

Assuming the soil in the pot has limited nutrition (plantwise) what kind of plant food should I use?

[t-keela]

heh… what’d the cap’n say? Double dumbass on you.

BTW good looking plant. I liked the superheroes too.
Yeah I think I’d put it in the corner on a short stool maybe. Then buy a lamp, maybe a hanging lamp with the cord and chain that you could hang over it from the ceiling. Nothing huge and tacky but it’d be easy and out of the way. A simple grow light should suffice. You can insert a thermometer into the soil to keep up with the temperature. I’d recommend 70 degF or better. Leave the lamp on all of the time.
Get a pack of plant food stakes. They’re cheap, I think Jobe is what I use. Also a small bottle of soluable plant food. Water it twice a week, mondays and fridays would probably be good. You want the soil to be moist but not really wet. If you’ve got a mister/spray bottle that be great. Spray it just a little bit every day. Actually it’d be better to spray it really good twice a day and forget watering the pot at all. Stick a couple of plant food stakes in the soil every couple of weeks.

What about the pot it’s in now? Type, size etc.

[t-keela]

Usually the florists provide an adequate plastic pot that’ll last at least through the year. You’re gonna have to repot it eventually and I’d get a large planter with “handles” (or a place to grip anyway) I build my own out of old lumber. Then I take an old styrofoam cooler and insert it into the planter. It helps airiate sp?the soil, is watertite and inexpensive. I find 'em on the road all the time
A bag of good potting soil will do fine. I make my own but you only need a small bag for this and that’ll probably not be for awhile yet. I wouldn’t worry about the temperature too much if it stay above 60f. The grow light should be more than enough. Check the soil temp and if it stays in the 60’s you should be okay. Wipe it down from time to time and water it with warm water.

BTW Here’s a fair site to check out.

What was it Astro used to say? Ruh-row…

[spingears]

@astro

I got this little baby the other day from a local florist shop business and real estate package I was showing to some clients. I have named it “Maurice”.

Due to HVAC hijinks or possibly the fact that my office is haunted by the ghost of dead cows (our office was previously a Golden Corral restaurant before we crushed it) my office is very cold. Like 65 degrees cold. I don’t want Maurice to die, so what things can I do to preserve his life in this cold office re water, pots, care, draining, re-potting etc.

How can I have a happy rubber tree plant?

Call maintenance and have them FIX the HV/AC system!
My guess is 75 deg F would be nice.

[BrainGlutton]

[beavis & butthead]

heh-heh . . . heh-heh . . . He said “happy rubber”!

[/beavis & butthead]