#propagateficus #ficuselasticatineke
Propagating and pruning is messy, especially for Rubber trees or Ficus elastica. If you have one you know what I mean. They ooze a milky substance when cut and leak everywhere. This sap is annoying to remove and is sticky and unpleasant, so be prepared.
You’ll need:
-A clean surface
-Paper towels
–Rooting hormone (I always use Bonide because it actually works)
-A pair of sharp pruners
-A small pot with filled with a 50/50 mix of gardening soil and perlite
-A gallon zip top bag
Before propagation, I like to gather all of my materials first. For you cooks out there, think mise en place. Now, let’s jump in.
Pick the stem.
Pick a healthy stem with healthy leaves. I picked a leggy stem on Rudy that didn’t receive much sun and would benefit from being pruned.Rubber tree propagation
Make the cut.
Cut about halfway up this stem. Preferably, have a leaf right below the cut on the main plant. Immediately dab this cut stem on the mother plant with rooting hormone. Be careful of this oozing sap, it’s sticky and annoying. You’re now done with the mother plant. Time to focus on the cutting.
Trim the cutting.
Remove the bottom set of leaves from the cutting. I snip these off with my pruning shears. Next, if your cutting is too long (6″ is best) you’ll want to cut it in half like I did below. You’ll want to discard these leaves and this other half of the cutting – they’re useless. At the end of this step you’ll want 2-3 leaves on top.Rubber tree cutting
Pot the cutting.
Dip the cutting in rooting hormone and grab your pot filled with moist soil. Unlike Monsteras, Rubber trees do not need to root in water. These get planted right into fresh soil and are happy clams. He should look like this!How to propagate a rubber tree
Provide a (mini) greenhouse.
Remember that plastic bag? This is where you need it. You’re going to make a super casual greenhouse for your new baby. Place him gingerly in the bag and seal it 90% of the way. It’s important the leaves don’t touch the bag too much – you can use toothpick or chopsticks to keep its distance. Give Planty a good soak and place him in a warm spot with partial sun.Propagating a rubber tree
Take care of Planty.
Rubber trees seem to take FOREVER to grow the initial new leaves. Keep the soil moist and his home warm – you need to be patient. You can remove the bag in a month or two. In about a month roots will develop. In about six months you’ll see good root development and will have a new (and free) Ficus elastica with leaves like this!
Now, I not only have a new Rubber Tree, but a happier Rudy. New leaves began sprouting immediately! Remember that the cut will never sprout leaves directly, so don’t be alarmed. Instead, new growth will spawn from the sides of the stem. Pruning stems on Rubber trees every year can help keep their bushy appearance.
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