Making two rubber trees out of one is not difficult. Here you can find out how you can easily propagate your rubber tree with cuttings or mosses.

You can propagate rubber trees yourself at home

The rubber tree (Ficus elastica) is pretty to look at and also very easy to care for. It is all the nicer to grow new trees from your own plant. So you will soon have even more rubber trees or you can give away the green gems. So it doesn't hurt to know how best to approach rubber tree propagation. In the following we show how the rubber tree is propagated by cuttings or by mossing.

Why only have one rubber tree when you can have a lot? If you have also asked yourself this question, you should now think about propagating your own rubber tree. The Ficus elastica can be propagated in the same way as most Ficus species. There are generally two options: by cuttings or by removing moss. Cuttings have the advantage that this method is very uncomplicated and easy to use. Removing moss is a lot more complex and takes more time. But the result - magnificent and strong young plants - is all the more attractive. Whichever option you choose, spring is the best time to propagate.

Propagate rubber tree by cuttings

When propagating from cuttings, you can choose between two methods: either cut the top cuttings or, if your tree is already larger, decide to propagate with node cuttings. For both methods it is best to use a clean and sharp knife.

Propagate rubber tree by cuttings

For the head cuttings, look for a he althy shoot. From this, cut off a shoot tip that is five to ten centimeters long. The cut should be made at an angle just below the base of a leaf. Now remove all the leaves from the shoot, leaving only the top one on. When cutting the rubber tree, the white-milky plant sap always escapes from the cut. Dab it with a damp cloth.

Tip: Because the rubber tree is slightly poisonous and on contactcan cause skin irritation, we recommend that you wear gloves when working on the tree.

As a planter for the cuttings, prepare a pot with a drainage hole and special potting soil. For example, the peat-free Plantura organic herb and seed soil is ideal for this. The cutting is now placed in this vessel and moistened with a spray bottle. From now on, the rubber tree baby likes it warm, light and humid. To increase the humidity and create a particularly good microclimate for the cuttings, put a plastic bag over the pot or place it in a self-made mini greenhouse. Every few days the cutting should be aired and the bag removed for a while. The future tree will now grow at a temperature of at least 25 °C. After about three months you can move the sapling to a larger pot.

The seeds are covered with suitable soil and kept moist

Summary of rubber tree propagation by top cuttings:

  • Select he althy drive
  • 5 - Cut off 10 cm long shoot tip
  • Remove all but the top sheet
  • Put the cuttings in potting soil and moisten
  • Put the plastic bag over the pot
  • Aerate regularly and spray with water
  • Grow at 25°C

Propagating rubber tree by node cuttings

If your rubber tree has already grown to an impressive size, it can also be propagated by node cuttings. To do this, choose an already lignified shoot with leaves and so-called "sleeping eyes". These eyes can be recognized by small elevations on the shoot. Now cut off a three to four centimeter long piece with such an eye from this shoot. The leaves are removed from the cutting. As described above, the cutting is placed in a pot with potting soil and cared for.

Summary of rubber tree propagation by node cuttings:

  • Select a woody shoot with leaves and "sleeping eyes"
  • 3 - 4 cm long cuttings cut with eye
  • Place in potting soil and moisten
  • Put the plastic bag over the pot
  • Spray regularly with water at 25 °C
After a while a real little tree will develop

Propagate rubber tree by removing moss

When removing moss, you turn one plant into two. This works with the so-called wedge method by encouraging part of the plant to form roots, although this one is not in the ground.

This is how it works with the rubber tree: Find a he althy and strong shoot on which you want to use the method. Cut diagonally upwards into this shoot and up to a maximum of half of the shoot. Wipe off any escaping plant sap with a damp cloth. You can put rooting powder on the interface for faster root formation. Then insert a wooden wedge or a match into the cut; this prevents the interface from growing together.

Now the moss comes into play, which gives this propagation method its name. The interface with the wedge is namely now wrapped with moss. Then wrap cling film around the moss layer and tie it to the shoot below the cut. The moss is always kept sufficiently moist and roots should form in a few weeks. From now on your patience is required, because it can take six to ten weeks until a sufficient number of roots have formed. Only when the shoot has a lot of roots can you cut it off the lower shoot and plant it in a pot. After a while, leaves form again on the shoot that remains on the plant.

Summary of propagating rubber trees by removing moss:

  • Select a strong, he althy shoot
  • Cut diagonally into the shoot
  • Put wedge in the cut
  • Wrap the interface with moss and cling film
  • Moisten moss regularly
  • Roots form in 6 - 10 weeks
  • When the root formation is sufficient, cut off the rooted shoot and pot it

Once you have mastered the propagation of your rubber tree, the many little trees naturally want to be properly cared for. In our special article we tell you everything about the correct care of the rubber tree.

Category:

Houseplants