The ficus elastica tineke is a beautiful pink variegated rubber plant. While the tineke is in the ficus plant family, it is not as fussy as its cousins. Ficus elastica tineke care is quite easy and suitable for even a new plant parent.
You can tell the ficus tineke from the ficus ruby by its lack of pink and red tint to the leafs variegation.
Ficus Elastica Tineke Care Guide
When it comes to care, the tineke rubber tree doesn’t require much special attention. However, it will produce more highly variegated and creamy white leaves when you plop it in a window that gets bright indirect light.
Ficus Tineke Care Overview
Type: Tree, Native to Southeast Asia
Light: Bright Indirect, Some Direct Sun
Watering: Water when top half dry
Soil: Light, airy well draining mix, slightly acidic
Feeding: Use houseplant fertilizer every 2 weeks in spring and summer
Humidity: Regular household
Lighting
The best lighting conditions for the ficus elastica tineke is bright indirect light from a sunny window. This plant will also enjoy a few hours of direct sun. But, too much sun may result in sunburnt leaves – So keep an eye out!
While this variegated pink rubber plant can tolerate lower lighting conditions, it isn’t ideal. It will produce much smaller leaves, less green variegation and less creamy white colored leaves.
Watering
You should not water the ficus tineke until at least the first two inches of soil are dry. To be sure to avoid overwatering or root rot, you don’t really have to water this plant until the whole top half is dry.
Make sure to plant your pink rubber tree in a pot with a drainage hole. Never let the plant sit in excess water after watering.
Preferred Soil / Potting Medium
The preferred soil mix for the ficus tineke rubber plant is a well draining mix, but the soil should be slightly acidic to help the plant thrive.
From time to time you should aerate the soil of your plant to allow oxygen to reach the roots. More oxygen to the roots will help the plant grow. This can be simply done by poking into the soil with a skewer or chopstick.
Humidity Conditions
The ficus elastica variegata can tolerate usual household humidity, but would prefer a level around 50%. If you need to increase humidity for your plant, you can use a humidifier or set up a pebble tray.
You should keep this plant away from any cold air drafts as this may cause the ficus tineke to drop leaves or suddenly begin browning.
Ficus Elastica Tineke Propagation Tips
With such amazing variegation, fast growth, and large leaves, who wouldn’t want to propagate their ficus tineke? Taking a cutting of your variegated rubber tree is also a great way to encourage it to branch and become more tree-like over time!
In order to propagate, take a cutting of the plant below a node which is located underneath a leaf. When you cut the tineke rubber tree, it will leak a sap that is quite messy and can cause skin irritation – So try to not touch it and have a rag nearby to clean up.
Once you have your cutting, you can place it in either soil with a dome / bag over it, or use the water propagation method. If there’s some other propagation method you prefer, try it out!
Is Ficus Tineke Elastica Toxic?
The milky sap which this plant produces is mildly toxic to both humans and animals. You should avoid touching this sap to prevent irritation, and should never ingest the sap.
Common Problems With Ficus Tineke Rubber Plant
While ficus elastica tineke care isn’t too complicated, there are still common problems that plant parents run into.
Dropping Leaves
When your ficus tineke is dropping leaves, first inspect for pests that could be damaging the plant.
If no pests are present, check to see if the soil is dry and water as needed. When the soil is wet, the plant may be dropping leaves because it is overwatered.
This plant may also drop leaves because it is too close to an air vent, cold draft, or window. If none of the above are causing your plant to drop leaves, this is likely the culprit.
Pests
If you find spider mites, mealybugs, or other pests on your ficus elastica tineke, immediately keep it away from your other plants.
Give the plant a thorough shower, and then wipe down each leaf with a rag and neem oil or your preferred pest treatment.
Keeping these leaves free of dust, debris, or water can help prevent the likelihood of pests.
Curling Leaves
If the leaves are curling, you may be giving the plant too much light or too little humidity. Move the plant to a shadier spot, or place a humidifier by it and see what works!
Ficus Elastica Variegata: A Dreamy Indoor Plant!
Since ficus tineke care is so simple and the variegation is so beautiful, this plant is a top favorite at Houseplant Hive! This is a great plant to buy small and watch grow into a beautiful tree as tall as you in as little as 2-3 years!
We prefer placing this plant directly in front of a window or on a window sill to achieve the most variegation and fast growth as possible.
Houseplant Hive’s Ficus Tineke
We keep our tineke in a well draining mix of regular houseplant soil, orchid bark, perlite, and fertilizer in a terracotta pot. So far, so good!
Have any good ficus elastica tineke care tips or have questions for Houseplant Hive? Leave a comment, send us an email, or connect with us on social media!
