With their large, smooth leaves and striking height, rubber trees make an excellent thriller piece in any home. It looks so good in fact, you want more. We’ve all been there, fear not friend, I’ve propagated and grown a lot of rubber plants to pretty decent sizes. Join me in this step-by-step guide, designed to maximize your chances of success in propagating rubber plants.
Water Propagation
Propagating cuttings in water is probably the easiest, no fuss method. You won’t need to worry about keeping the soil moist and it will allow you monitor the development of the roots.
Materials Needed
- Knife/Pruner – Whenever cutting plants, using blades sterilized with alcohol is good practice to avoid spreading disease.
- Vase – A see-through vase is ideal so you can monitor the roots for disease and growth.
- Rooting Hormone(optional) – The base of the stem can be dipped in rooting hormone to increase the chances of roots growing but either method will work without it.
Step 1: Take a Cutting
Before you take a cutting, make sure the mother plant doesn’t have any diseases and looks healthy. Take a healthy cutting about 15-20cm (6-8in) long from the main plant, don’t worry about nodes. You want a few leaves on it, but not too many. Since the cutting wont have roots it will be hard to support too much growth.
Step 2: Prepare Cutting
Remove some leaves from the base of the cutting so you have a bare area to place in water. Take your cutting and let it sit for around 10 minutes while the cut wound scabs over and dries. This will help prevent the stem from rotting. At this point you can dip the bottom of the cutting in rooting hormone if you wish.
Step 3: Place Cutting in Water
Place the cutting so the stem is in the water and place in a bright location but keep out of direct sunlight. Plants roots need oxygen and so the water should be changed every so often to reintroduce oxygen and prevent bacteria that may introduce rot.
Step 4: Monitor
You should see roots developing in around 4-6 weeks time.
Keep changing the water every so often. If you notice the bottom is rotting, cut it off and try the process again.
Step 5: Transplant
Once the roots have started to fill the vase and are growing their own secondary roots then its ready to be transplanted. You transplant the same way you would normally repot a plant. Make sure the pot is the right size for the roots, don’t start off in a pot that is too large for the roots, as this can lead to waterlogged soil and root rot.
Caring for Baby Rubber Plants
Light: Rubber plants can take a bit of direct sun, but generally I place them in a sheltered area where they will receive plenty of indirect light and grow better. While they can tolerate low light conditions, you won’t get good growth out of them.
Watering: Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. It’s better to let the soil dry out than cause the roots to rot in constantly soaked soil. A much brighter growing spot will tolerate more frequent watering compared to a very dark spot.
Humidity: Humidity is ideal but in my experience has very little impact on rubber plants. I live Perth where the weather is extremely dry with no humidity for most of the year and this has never been an issue with my rubber plants. If you really want humidity for best conditions I recommend a humidifier or tightly grouping your plants together.
Temperature: Rubber plants are from the tropics and so do best in temperatures between 18°C and 27°C (65°F to 80°F). I wouldn’t worry about air-conditioning blowing on them or anything though, their leaves are quite hardy.
Fertilizing: I don’t tend to fertilize baby rubber plants, there should be enough nutrients in the soil they were transplanted in to maintain healthy growth. As they get bigger you could add some liquid feed or slow release granules.
Pruning: If you want a more bushy plant, you can also pinch back the tips of the stems which will cause them to grow new shoots.
Soil Propagation
The same steps and advice from water propagation applies to soil propagation with some slight differences.
Rubber plants are incredible hardy and can propagate well in soil with minimal care. If the weather is cool and wet, you can have success just planting straight into your garden and forgetting about it.
Plant Cutting in Soil (Step 3)
For the best chance of success, plant the cutting in a loamy, water retentive soil to prevent it from dying out. Some people like to place some plastic barrier around the cutting to trap moisture such as a plastic bottle, I’ve had success without doing so.
Maintenance (Step 4)
Keep the soil moist while the cutting takes root. You can tell it has taken root by giving the stem a gentle tug after 6 weeks or so, It should hold in place. If the stem comes out easily then push it back in and give it more time.
Conclusion
There is never a 100% success rate when it comes to propagation but by following the steps in this guide you will definitely have the best chance possible for success. With a lot of patience and a little effort, you will soon be rewarded with healthy new growth, adding beauty to your indoor space.
