I ’m kind of obsessed with plants in theFicusgenus .

I think it all start when I was a kid and learned that the fruit are inside - out flower that wasps have to crawl inside to fertilize . I was a weird kid .

Anyway , since then , manyFicusspecies have become some of my favorite houseplant and I have multiple dissimilar fruit potpourri in my railyard .

A close up horizontal image of a gardener using a clean pair of pruners to trim a fiddle-leaf fig cutting for propagation.

We relate to vendors to help you determine relevant products . If you bribe from one of our links , we may earn a commission .

I ’ve gotfiddle - leaf figs ( F. lyrata),weeping figs ( F. benjamina),rubber tree ( F. elastica),banana leafage ( F. benghalensis ) , and creeping figs ( F. pumila ) .

In fact , I have more than one of each . And since I still have n’t deliver the goods the darn lottery , you considerably trust I ’m propagate some of my own .

A close up vertical image of the foliage of a fig tree growing outdoors with ripe fruits on the branches pictured in light sunshine. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

Most plants have the power to be propagated both vegetatively and sexually .

The latter is just a fancy means of say replication by source , while vegetative reproduction is an nonsexual method acting in which a part of the plant is taken to produce a newfangled plant .

With Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya , it ’s the vegetative method of reproduction that most agriculturist – both home and professional – choose . That ’s because it ’s more honest , the lead flora matures more quickly , and theFicuswill be a genetic clone of the parent .

A close up horizontal image of a Ficus carica branch showing the buds pictured on a soft focus background.

In the case ofcommon figs ( Ficus carica ) , gardeners need to grow female tree diagram , since they produce the yield . If we were to propagate these from cum , we would probably end up with a deal of male tree that would be useless .

So , regardless of the species you ’re work with , this guidebook will help you propagateFicusplants from cuttings .

Coming up , here are the topics we ’ll go over :

A close up vertical image of Ficus cuttings next to a ruler on a wooden surface.

What You’ll Learn

When to Take Ficus cutting

How to pass around Stem Cuttings

Care

A close up horizontal image of ripe figs on a tree pictured in the garden in light sunshine.

Transplanting

Propagation via stem cuttings involves removing a little branch from a sizeable and encouraging it to grow its own roots . This is known as vegetative generation .

This process works for all of the democratic figs in cultivation . But before you break out the pruners , allow ’s spill about when you should be doing the work .

A close up of a bag of Tank’s-Pro Lite Potting Soil isolated on a white background.

Depending on where you live , you may take the cuttings in belated fall or former spring .

The destination is to take the stuff when the plant is dormant but not when the temperature is below freeze , if the industrial plant is outdoors . fixed material does n’t make out well .

If you are occupy cutting from an outdoor specimen , it ’s best to wait until the early spring before bud fracture . That way , you may watch if the peak of the branch survived the wintertime .

A close up horizontal image of a potted rubber tree cutting with a plastic bag around it to retain humidity.

Some do n’t subsist , especially in an exceptionally dusty year . If you cut a dead piece of shank , you ’re hold up to be foil with the process when your cutting evince no signs of emergence despite following all the right steps .

Cuttings from houseplants can be assume anytime from belated descent to early wintertime .

pick your tools cautiously before get any cuts . If you use dirty or polluted tools , you launch the danger of spreading pathogens that can quickly ruin all your hard workplace .

A close up horizontal image of a hand holding up a cutting that has developed roots.

Donglovesand wear long sleeves because the sap can be nark to your tegument .

Look for wood that is about two or three old age old . You do n’t require young , new growth , but the wood should n’t be older and fading , either .

Choose a division that is at least the width of a pencil , up to three - quarter in in diam , and take a clipping between nine and 18 inches long , depend on how duncical the branch is .

A close up horizontal image of fig cuttings in small pots set on a wooden surface.

Make your cut aright below a leaf node , which means just under where a leaf emerge on the opposite side of the end of the branch .

undress off all of the leaves except one . If that leaf is peculiarly large , such as that of a rubber tree diagram , dilute it in half . As the stem section does n’t have any roots , it ca n’t sustain a tumid region of leafage , but it needs some leafage matter to photosynthesize while it develops roots .

fill up five - in pots with a soilless pot mass medium . A product made of water - retentive materials like coconut coir or perlite and a nutritious base like constitutive compost would be ideal .

Article image

storage tank ’s Green Stuff nominate a seeding commixture called Tank’s - Pro Lite , which has all three .

Tank’s - Pro Lite Potting Mix

you’re able to plunk up a 16 - quart bagat Arbico Organics .

A close up horizontal image of a gardener watering a Ficus benjamina in a small pot indoors.

wash the medium well and then stick the cut about a fifth of the way into the medium and firm it up around the substructure so it remains upright .

Move the container to an area with promising , collateral light .

If you are propagating from a flora that has been growing outdoors , you could put the carving in a spot with some morning sunshine , but too much igniter will dry out it out .

Keep the intermediate moist at all times . It should feel like a well - wrung - out sponger , but no soggier . If it starts to feel drier than that , it ’s time to add urine .

Optionally , you’re able to encamp some charge plate or target a plastic or glass cloche over the cutting to facilitate keep the moisture in and raise the humidness , but remove it the second you see any young leaf growing developing .

You ’ll also need to keep a close oculus on it to watch for any fungal growth train on the soil or cutting .

If you see fungous growth , withdraw the cover and be certain to only water at soil spirit level .

Roots should start to constitute within a month and by this metre you ’ll see evidence of new leaf growth .

If your thinning does n’t show any sign of lifetime after a month , you may cautiously prod down and check the foundation for any root growth .

If you do n’t see roots , the thinning did n’t take and you ’ll need to bulge again .

When you see fresh aboveground growth or evidence of root formation , it ’s time to graft .

If you ’re just moving the plant into a bigger flock , you’re able to do this anytime you want .

For those that are being transplanted out into the garden , you ’ll need to expect until after the last predicted Robert Lee Frost date and when the soil has warm up up to at least 55 ° degree Fahrenheit .

Harden off any plants intended for outdoor life before you engraft them . To do this , take the plant outside and set it in a gay , protected spot for an 60 minutes .

Then , take it back inwardly to its common location . The next 24-hour interval , bestow an hour in the neat outdoors . Keep adding an extra hour each day for a workweek . Done !

establish the novel Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in appropriate dirt for the specie and pat yourself on the back .

For indoor plants , catch a container that is an in or two larger than the five - column inch pot that you start the flora cutting in . Fill it with a urine - retentive potting mix .

My favorite potting soil for fig is FoxFarm ’s Ocean Forest potting mix .

FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Mix

It ’s H2O - retentive and has all the good stuff like bat guano , wiggler castings , and timber humus . Snag a 12 - dry quart bagvia Amazon .

cautiously remove the cutting from the container and make a hole in the new jackpot large enough to accommodate the root . take the soil around the root and water well .

proceed to care for your new works according to the needs of the special species you are growing .

Pass the Figs

I do n’t live if you ’re a fig yield aficionado or a violin - leaf common fig tree fiend – or both , like me – but one thing is for certain : you need more of them !

I ’m guessing you have n’t won the lottery yet , either , so you probably want to have more without having to empty your bank account . Now , you may .

And formore data about growing and caring for species in theFicusgenus , have a read of these guide next :

© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . ware picture via Arbico Organics and FoxFarm . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .

About

Kristine Lofgren