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The Ficus Ruby Plant
Ficus ruby care is all about keeping your adorable tri-coloured plant healthy, happy and looking really good. Ficus Ruby (or Ficus Elastica Ruby) is a variegated rubber tree plant. It is native to tropical India and Malaysia.
This ficus can be confused with the ficus tineke, especially if you are colour blind. The tineke has variegated leaves in green and cream or pale yellow, while the leaves of the Ruby have a bright coral or pink colour.
Ficus Ruby Care
Light
Ficus ruby care is similar to the care needed by other elastica. However the ruby, with its attractive three-coloured variegation does need more light than others (such as Burgundy) to allow the plant to maintain its colours.
Nevertheless, you should not give your plant too much direct sunlight or you will risk scorching the leaves. Consequently, mine is on my filing cabinet, just out of direct light.
Water
When it comes to ficus ruby care, we find more damage is done to this plant by overwatering than under-watering. Indeed over-watering can lead to serious issues for your plant, including fungal infections and root rot.
Therefore the best way to proceed is to poke your finger into the top 5cm of soil. If it feels wet, do not water!
Also water less during winter or the ‘dry season’ in the tropics.
Humidity
To provide the best ficus ruby care it is recommended to keep humidity at between 40% to 60%. When choosing a spot for this ficus, keep it away from air-conditioners, heaters or other devices that may dry-out the air.
Fertilising
In the tropics, we fertilise monthly, with an organic liquid fertiliser during the wet season (summer) and not at all during the dry season (winter).
As the plant is in dormancy during the winter months, it is pointless to fertilise it. Indeed, it can even be counter-productive to do so, as you may burn the roots of the plants by fertilising during this time.
Ficus Ruby Care FAQs
This plant can be poisonous to pets. It can cause stomach upsets if eaten. It can exude a sap (if it gets a cut) that can irritate eyes and skin if you don’t wash it off quickly. So keep your plant out of reach of pets and kids. To be clear, the plant is safe to touch, just avoid that milky sap.
The ficus ruby is also known as ‘ficus elastica ruby’ and the ‘variegated rubber tree’.
The ficus ruby originated from the tropical regions of India and Malaysia.
Good luck with your ficus ruby care and keep growing.
Other Indoor Ficus Plants
- Ficus Audrey
- Ficus Bambino Care
- Ficus Benjamina
- Ficus Burgundy Care
- Care of Ficus Melany
- Ficus Shivereana Care
- Ficus Umbellata
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