could you post a picture? that would really be best since you're not quite sure what it is.

if it IS a rubber plant (mine does not have sticky leaves) even though you are watering it weekly, it may not be a deep enough watering - in other words, it's not getting enough water. are the leaves turning brown before they fall off or are they falling off while still green?

what kind of sunlight is the plant getting?

hey, loz! thanks for posting a pic - that's what mine looks like (i don't have a dig-cam).

yes, these type are touchy! i only water about every ten days or so.

i've never put mine outside - don't really have a shaded spot other than the front porch and i live on a busy street and don't want to see it disappear 'cuz it's in a really nice planter...

is morning sun okay? i'd really like to put it out for the summer - my neighbor does and her's has grown tremendously (we got them at the same time and mine looks puny compared to hers). the only place i could safely put it is the back porch which is morning sun.

sarah, that's the other thing. what kind of light is your plant getting?? obviously, from what loz is saying (thanks, loz!), too much or too bright can do damage.

i normally keep mine in a north facing window...not directly in front of it either.

ahh, that's not a rubber plant. it's an umbrella tree/plant.

Schefflera farinosa, it seems, since it's got the yellow on the green leaves.

it needs good light, well drained soil should be kept kind of dry. they do tend to lose their leaves, too. especially if you water too much or too little or if the light isn't right - try opening those blinds a bit

there are a few different varieties...some very large, some mid-sized and even minatures - which is what i have. i'm going to bonsai it...

it's going to need some time to recover and get used to the new pot. make sure you maintain it's water level consistantly. and keep the sunlight level consistant too. it should bounce back just fine...they're pretty hardy, all in all. that leaf-drop can be annoying tho!

i've had a couple of the bonsai trees before - bought them as well established plants and managed to keep them going for a while. those pine trees, that are usually used, are hard to maintain, tho and i never saw anything but them offered when i was looking to purchase one.

i've seen azalea and a couple of different fruit trees done as well. saw some really nice specimens at the flower show in march! and one of the vendors had minature plants that are perfect for bonsai, so i got a few...the mini umbrella and 3 varieties of mini roses (actually they're serissa). 4 for $10 couldn't be walked away from !!

a plant as large as yours is now could probably still be used. i'm not sure as i've never started one from scratch - i've also never had one long enough to have to transplant it and do any maintanence on the roots.

i don't know if it would be a good idea to start this plant as bonsai - you've just repotted it. might want to get some other kind of plant or tree to work with.

the thing with bonsai is curtailing root-growth as well as shaping the limbs into a certain designs. originally, the plants/trees that were used were small plants taken from nature. that didn't work too well when bonsai was introduced to the western world and became very popular.

so, they started using full-size specimens and stunting the growth by cutting the roots and putting the plants/trees in small containers. wire is used to form the limbs. light (or lack of) can also be used to help the limbs grow in the direction you want.

check the bonsai site for more info.