And finally...the Rubber Tree. I think I have an idea of what happened to your Rubber Tree. First off, I am assuming you are speaking of the plant that is scientifically known as Ficus elastica. This plant is a tree like is stated in its common name. The reason why this particular plant grows like a tree is because it is growing up to reach for the sun. Rubber Trees can withstand a bit of shade, but will do really well in a good amount of sun. To me, it sounds like your Rubber Tree was never getting enough sunlight and was kind of living off of reserves for the past year until a time came when more sun was available. This may explain why it never really grew. If it was getting enough sun, that tree would have grown quite a bit. The first winter your Rubber Tree survived may have been when your tree was using up much of its reserves. It probably never got the chance to refill its energy stores because it never was getting enough sun. It's difficult for me to determine whether the tree has expired or not via the forums, but I wouldn't quite yet throw it out. Rubber Trees are evergreens and should not be dropping all their leaves at once, but that doesn't mean that it is down for the count. I would give it until mid to late spring to "spring" back. If it doesn't at that point, I would suggest that it may be too late.
