Ficus ‘Tineke’

rubber tree
The variegated rubber tree has eye-catching foliage with cream-white margins around grey-green variegation. Pink new growth. Prune to maintain size.
height 5–50ft
width 5–50ft
tolerates Heat, Pots
water
needs		 Low – Moderate
water
info		 This plant wants water when the top of the soil is dry, but you can still feel moisture just below the surface. This plant will often fall into a once-a-week watering cycle, but remember that your watering should be based on the moisture left in the soil, which will depend partly on the moisture in the room and the weather outside. The soil surface goes a bit deeper for larger pots; for example, a plant in a 14-inch diameter pot should dry out a couple of inches deep before you water it, while a plant in a 4-inch pot will only want to dry out in the top half inch or so of soil.
hardy
to		 25F
exposure Full Shade – Full Sun
indoor
outdoor		 In or Out
drainage In Ground: Planting Mix, In Pots: Potting Soil, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing All Purpose
origin SE Asia
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 13, 16, 17, 19–24, H2

Sunset Zones Map

SUNSET ZONES MAP

Growing Notes

All ficus respond well to pruning, allowing even very large ficus to be maintained at a modest size. They do exude white sap, often containing latex, so if you have a latex allergy avoid the sap.
Pruning them consistently and keeping in a smaller pot will make the leaves proportionately smaller. If you’d like to keep your tree very small (six inch to a one gallon size) remove the plant every three to five years and prune back the roots by one third. Repot in fresh potting soil.

More Info

While many rubber trees grow well outdoors (and we assume it would do well and represent that with the Sunset zones here) we have never seen this cultivar growing outside in California. Do you have any experience with it? We’d love to hear from you!