You may need to use a pair of pruning shears to snip off dead branches. Dying leaves will be yellow in color, and may appear saggy or wilted. Dead leaves will be brown, and often shrunken and black.
If you need to prune a rubber plant in winter or fall, restrict yourself to making minor pruning cuts.
Canvas work gloves would suffice, as would rubber dishwashing gloves.
This way, you can avoid damaging the small leaf-bearing stems.
Unlike other types of plants (like roses) whose branches need to be pruned at an angle, you can cut rubber plant branches straight across.
Avoid removing more than 5 or 6 living branches in a single pruning session. If you have a large rubber plant, you may need to leave as many as 6-7 leaves behind after a thorough pruning.
Keep in mind that, once its roots have grown, the rubber plant will start growing taller as well.
Help the cutting take root by placing a warm heating pad under the pot for the first week.
For example, if you have the rubber plant on a shelf without much room to grow upwards, you may want the plant to develop a short, round shape. Or, if you have the plant in a large room with high ceilings, the plant may look better with a tall, slender shape.
You can also prune branches or leaves to keep the rubber plant from looking too dense or cluttered, according to your personal preference. Always discard the trimmings into a trash can.
Be aware that if you do not cut the top leaf or leaves off of your rubber plant, it will continue to grow. Rubber plants can grow up to 10 feet (3. 0 m). [13] X Research source
But, if you want your rubber plant to remain tall and thin, only prune branches when strictly necessary.
