If you have a ficus elastica, it is possible that at some point you have tried to take a cutting from it and try to reproduce it that way. But, Do you know what to do with a ficus elastica cutting?
If you want to have more chances that a cutting will succeed and thus have a second plant of your ficus, we are going to give you all the keys to achieve this. Shall we start?
Multiplication of elastic ficus
Source_YouTube Culture step by step
One of the ways to multiply elastic ficus is cuttings. These must meet a series of requirements to have a chance of succeeding.
The first thing to check is the temperature. The ideal is between 25 and 30ºC. You need to make sure they have good ventilation as well as high light (no direct sunlight).
The cutting itself should contain 3-4 leaves with one or more nodes, as this is where the roots will emerge.
How to plant a ficus elastica cutting in water
Source: YouTube Culture Step by Step
We begin by multiplying in water. If you have never done it, you may have doubts, but the truth is that the roots when they come out in the water are much thicker than on land, in addition to being longer. However, they also have the problem of being less branched. Your goal in this case is to absorb the oxygen from the water, but not to drink the water.
In this case, you have to be careful because the plant can dry out quickly if you don’t provide it with the nutrients it needs for its development.
The steps to do so are very simple. since you only need:
- Have a bottle, a boat… where you can put water.
- Have a cutting, in this case, of elastic ficus.
- Put the cutting in water and hold it so that everything does not fall inside.
Nothing more. Some recommend adding a few drops of fertilizer once in a while to help get nutrients into the water. In addition, it is convenient to change the water from time to time to renew the oxygen it contains.
How long should a cutting be left in water?
If you have already put the cutting in water, you surely check every day (at least at the beginning) if it already has roots, if there are signs of them, etc. There is no specific time to leave a ficus elastica cutting in the water. In fact, it can take weeks or months. You don’t need to remove anything else, the roots come out.
In fact, there are people who leave cuttings in water for years. But it is true that they require more care and to be aware of their health and nutrients to be able to move forward.
How to transfer a ficus elastica cutting from water to soil
If several weeks have passed and you have seen that the cutting of ficus elastica already has roots and you see it moving forward, the transition from water to earth may scare you. It is normal, because we are talking about changing the environment in which it was developed and, sometimes, it can happen that this stage ends with the plant that you have taken care of for so long.
However, although a cutting can be kept in water for years, it is necessary to move it to the ground because it needs nutrients that water will not provide (besides it cannot grow) . In this sense, the transition from water to land requires the following steps:
First, make sure the cutting has enough roots for it to establish itself in the substrate. This way you will know if he can already stay alive on his own or if he needs to be watched.
Second, a clear warning that the cutting can now move down to the ground is when new leaves begin to sprout. If this happens to you, you know it means it already has enough roots to be able to be potted up and keep going.
At the time of planting, as it has been in a “wet” medium, when transferred to a dry medium, it may suffer. So, experts recommend that for some time the earth should always be kept moist.in fact, more than usual. And that, little by little, it dries up to adapt to its new environment (which will be drier). Of course, you have to be very careful because having the roots in water is not the same as in moist soil (especially due to the appearance of fungi and problems that would damage the roots).
How to plant a ficus elastica cutting in the ground
Source: Pinterest
If you prefer to plant the elastic ficus cutting in the ground, you must take into account that it will take root, but these will be much finer than those in water. Of course, they will be much more branched and also the purpose of these is to absorb water, but not oxygen (so you have to give it a substrate with oxygen).
Therefore, the first thing you need is to have a good substrate. And at this stage you will have to make a mixture. The best? There are actually two:
- Sterile sand, which helps the roots that are created to have no difficulty in developing.
- Universal substrate with drainage, so it is highly oxygenated. In fact, it is recommended that there be a few percent more than the earth (60-40 or similar).
How long does a ficus elastica cutting take to root?
Once you’re done, it’s normal that you want your ficus elastica cutting to have roots within a few days and you can plant it and start growing. But unfortunately it is possible. It actually takes 4-5 weeks to root properly. However, this is not a fact that you should believe 100% because the truth is that it will depend on many other factors such as climate, type of water, soil, etc. All of this can cause it to take root before or after that time.
Also, if you apply hormones to make it root faster, the time should be shortened. But it is also not good to spend with them since you will end up burning the plant.
Our recommendation is that you arm yourself with patience and let it take its course. If he has to move on, he will, but it’s better for it to come naturally than to force it and it can be weak and at the first opportunity it will go away.
As you can see, here are the main doubts and the steps to follow to advance an elastic ficus cut. Are you testing with one?