Rubber Plant Propagation – Easiest way to Start Rubber Tree Plant

Rubber Plant Propagation – Rubber trees (Ficus elastica), which are native to Southeast Asia’s tropical areas, may be easily reproduced by stem or leaf cuttings. Rubber trees (Ficus elastica) are native to the tropical parts of Southeast Asia.

These easy-to-grow houseplants are also simple to reproduce, and they have a high percentage of success when they are done well. To do this project, you just need a few tools and materials that you most likely already have hanging around the home, as well as some patience.

When cultivated outside in their optimal circumstances, these tropical plants may reach heights of up to 100 feet in height. Rubber trees, on the other hand, are often kept considerably smaller when grown inside as houseplants, which is accomplished by frequent trimming.

In addition to helping to regulate the size of rubber trees and encouraging the growth of new plants, pruning is a terrific technique to shape the trees to your specifications. Branches are encouraged to grow with each cut of a stem, which ultimately results in a more full-looking plant as a result of the cutting.

Rubber trees, like most other plants, do best when propagated during their active growth season, which is from early spring to late summer. Plants produced in the autumn or winter may not grow or recover as rapidly as those propagated in the spring or summer, but it is still possible. With only a few basic tools and materials, you may learn how to propagate a new rubber tree from cuttings taken from an established plant in your garden.

Rubber Plant Propagation with Cuttings

Rubber tree plants may grow to be quite tall, which means that an indoor rubber tree will need to be trimmed on a regular basis. After trimming, don’t throw away the cuttings; instead, utilize them to start a new rubber tree plant from the cuttings.

The first step in rubber plant propagation from cuttings is to get a healthy cutting. The cutting should be around 6 inches (15 cm) in length and have at least two pairs of leaves to be considered edible.

To begin growing a rubber tree from cuttings, the next step is to remove the lower set of leaves from the cutting. If you choose, you may soak the cutting in rooting hormone before planting it.

After that, insert the rubber tree cutting into a container filled with wet yet well-draining potting soil. Cover the cutting with a jar or clear plastic, making sure that the leaves remain intact and do not come into contact with the glass or plastic. If necessary, you may cut the remaining leaves in half, removing the half that is not connected to the stem and discarding the other half.

Place the rubber tree cutting in a warm location with just indirect lighting to ensure that it grows well. After that, the covering can be removed.

Rubber Tree Plant Propagation through the Use of Air Layering

Another method of propagating a rubber tree plant is through the use of air layering. This procedure, in essence, leaves the “cutting” on the rubber tree while it is anchoring itself to the ground.

The first stage in propagating a rubber tree via air layering is to choose a stem from which to grow a new plant from the roots. You should have a stem that is at least 12 inches (30.5 cm) in length, but you may make it longer if you choose.

Take a sharp knife and gently cut a 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide strip of bark that runs all the way around the stem, then repeat the process with the leaves directly above and below the location where you will be rooting the stem. You should have a “bare” ring that wraps around the stem of the rubber tree plant to keep it from becoming tangled. All of the soft tissue in that ring should be removed, but the hard central wood should be left in place.

Next, sprinkle the ring with rooting hormone and cover the ring with moist sphagnum moss to complete the process. A plastic covering should be used to hold the sphagnum moss to the stem. Make sure that the moss is thoroughly covered with a layer of moss. In addition, the plastic will aid in keeping the sphagnum moss moist.

In two to three weeks, the rubber tree’s stem should have established roots in the ring where it was planted. After the baby plant has established roots, remove the rooted stem from the mother plant and re-pot it in a new container.