There are two ways to propagate rubber plants in a house to bring luck and fortune. In this blog, you’ll learn how to grow rubber plant from stem cuttings and much more.
A Ficus elastica type is said to provide wealth, success, and luck in Feng Shui. Another name for this domestic good luck tree is an Indian rubber shrub, fig, or bush.
Ficus Elastica’s round leaves are symbolic of money and wealth. Ficus elastica is one of the top ten strongest indoor plants.
Origin of Rubber Trees
They can be cultivated outdoors in USDA regions 9b through 11, in which they may develop to be 100-foot-tall trees with widely-spreading twigs with aerial roots that fall from the tree’s trunk and branches.
Several trees have evolved buttress roots, often called anchoring roots, due to residing in poor and rocky terrain where they cannot pierce the earth profoundly.
A tree’s roots extend outward in all dimensions and entwine well with the roots of nearby trees to create a strong network that supports the entire forest.
Rubber trees, or Ficus elastica, are indigenous to Southeast Asia’s tropical climates and easily multiply through branch or leaf transplants.
How to Grow Rubber Plant from stem cuttings
These successfully propagated, easy-to-grow houseplants are also easy to develop and possess a good success rate. You only need a few common household items and sometimes simple tools and equipment.
In their optimum environments, such tropical plants may reach a height of up to 100 m when cultivated outside.
Nevertheless, rubber trees have been typically kept significantly smaller when cultivated inside as houseplants through routine pruning.
Trimming rubber trees would be an excellent approach to giving the plants the form you want while also controlling the plants’ size and generating fresh plants.
Cutting a stem promotes branching, which eventually results in a fuller plant. A rubber tree can be propagated at its best from springtime to July and August, corresponding to its vigorous growing season.
Although it is still possible, propagating plants in the autumn or winter may result in slower growth or recovery.
Learn how to take cuttings from an old plant and grow a new rubber tree with the help of a few essential pieces of equipment and supplies.
1. Clean the Land Area
Since they leak a gooey, latex-rich white sap whenever the branches are severed, rubber tree propagation can be messy.
Protect the surface by exercising caution. Sweep the area thoroughly to remove any remaining soil or plant waste to prevent the spread of disease.
It is strongly advisable to wear safety gloves when removing rubber tree trimmings since the sap could hurt the skin if it comes into contact with it.
Before beginning to propagate, keep in mind that you have each equipment and material available.
2. Decide where the cutting will take place
Examine your plant to determine where pruning might be useful. Look for areas with uneven growth or where you want complete development.
Cuttings from lanky, lengthy stalks or twigs are also excellent choices. Pick a branch with strong, spotless leaves.
Before making any cuts, locate every leaf node along the stalk because this is where your subsequent roots will grow.
Again for the greatest likelihood of success, ficus cuttings ought to be approximately 6 inches (or 15 cm) long and have five or more leaf nodes.
3. Do the Cutting
After deciding where to cut the rubber tree, create a quick, clean edge just over a node and an inch underneath a node using a sharp blade or trimming shears.
If somehow the cutting is producing sap, dab that cut end of the stalk with only a paper towel and lightly rub until the sap ceases.
4. Prepare the Clippings
After collecting the clippings, remove the bottom leaves to ensure that each stem still has one at the apex.
This helps to expose the stalk and encourage roots, in addition, to ensuring that the cutting’s vitality is directed toward new shoots rather than maintaining its present leaves.
Wrap the leaflet into a cylindrical form with the glossy side outward, fasten it with an elastic band, and then immerse further into the soilless garden mix. A leaf loses less moisture as it is rolled.
5. Install the Clippings
Perlite and soilless planting mix should be applied to the little plastic container, which should then be well-moistened.
Sprinkle a rooting stimulant towards the base of each clipping prior to planting. Make a small hole in the middle of the planting mix to guarantee that the highest terminal of clippings lands on that potting mix base.
Put a short stick in the middle of a wrapped leaf to hold the clipping. To securely anchor the cutting, press the clay down all around.
Cover each planted clipping with a vinyl knot pouch to produce a canopy climate. Damp surroundings are necessary for rubber tree seedlings to establish roots.
6. Put Under a Warmer, Bright Area
Put the clippings and containers in a warm environment that gets scattered sunlight all day.
Prevent the sun’s strong rays because they will scorch the foliage and make the cuts shrink and dry quickly. As required, spray with water. Protect the soil from drying out.
The clipping should start growing roots around three to four weeks. A snip can be gently tugged to see if foundations have formed. Resistance indicates that the roots are forming.
Rubber tree clippings may also be cultivated in the air instead of soil. However, this procedure is typically less effective because the clippings are more likely to decay.
The clippings should have strong root structures by six months of age.
Growing Rubber Trees Through Air Layering
Air layering is a different method for growing rubber trees. With this method, the rubber tree’s “cutting” is virtually left alone as it grows roots.
- Selecting a branch to transform it into a new rubber plant is the initial stage in air-stacking rubber tree propagation.
- The branch can also be taller if you prefer; it ought to be a minimum of twelve inches long.
- Use a razor blade and gently cut away any leaflets directly below and above the region where you’ll entrench the branch.
- Then delicately trim away an inch-broad piece of husk surrounding the stalk with a paring knife.
- A “bare” circle that wraps around the rubber plant’s stalk is what you ought to have. This ring’s central core seems to be the hard part; take off all the tender tissue.
- The circle should then be covered in moist sphagnum moss and sprayed with rooting enzyme. Sphagnum moss is fastened to that same stem using a piece of plastic wrap.
- Ensure all of the moss is coated. The polyethylene will also assist in keeping all sphagnum moss moist. Your rubber tree’s stalk must have grown roots first at the band in between two and three weeks.
- Remove the established stalk from its parent plant once it has grown roots, then transport it to a new pot to grow.
Rubber Tree Propagation FAQs
Q: Is The Rubber Plant A Healthy Houseplant?
You can appreciate rubber trees, also known as ficus elastica, as moderate houseplants or cultivate them into stunning interior focal points.
Trees that start off smaller if you purchase them, eventually adapt to inside living versus beginning with a large plant if you possess the patience to cultivate your own.
Q: How Is A Rubber Tree Cared For?
In general, a rubber tree is a pretty laid-back species.
You should ensure it doesn’t get crop pests like scales or aphids and provide it with the necessary sunlight and water.
So then, take quick action by giving the shrub periodic wipedowns and Neem oil spraying.
Q: How Should I Water A Rubber Tree The Most Effectively?
Hydrate a rubber tree thoroughly until the extra moisture drains out from the holes in the bottom.
In addition to hydrating the roots but it also neutralizes any salts that have accumulated due to fertilization.
With each soaking, leave the top couple of centimeters of topsoil to dry off.
Q: Is It Necessary To Repot The Rubber Tree?
Rubber trees are little effort, but mainly because they develop so rapidly, trees need to be replanted frequently.
Depending on where they live, one may have to repot the plant every year.
Q: How Can One Recognize A Decaying Rubber Tree?
Among the most common causes of indoor plant death is root decay, which needs to be addressed right once.
You have been waterlogging the rubber tree if the leaflets at the bottom turn brown or yellow.
Examine the soil’s water content and regulate irrigation as necessary.
Wrapping It Up
A correct routine for maintenance and supervision is required to propagate rubber plants.
There are essentially two ways of growing rubber trees, using the cuttings from the trees or cultivating new roots on the stem of the tree.
Both of them are widely used methods with different care tips. We hope this information can guide you on how to propagate rubber trees in your yard.
My name is Olivia, and I live in the United States and love having plants in my garden. Lots of plants are there on my balcony, indoor and outdoor garden also. Here I am trying to share useful gardening tips, how to grow and care for various plants, etc.