Rubber Plant/Tree Propagation - HELP!

My neighbor across the street has a HUGE one in her front breezway that she wants to hack back and toss. I told her oh NO you don't! Hehehe.

I've read of hardwood, air cutting, root hormone, plastic bag, etc. I'm the type that hey, if I can plop it in water, I want it. But for the size of cuttings she's willing to give me I'll try what's best. Besides, I have a SouthWest Plant Trade Party to go to in October. These (minus 1 for myself) would be great to take.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I had to go check out what a rubber tree plant looks like, Robin. Very pretty! I hope it works for you.

I'm going to sneak over there now and take a photo of it. BRB.....

Here's the bulk of her plant. She wants to give me that 6' section leaning into the entry way.

Here's a close up of the section. Just CAN'T let that go to waste!

Very pretty! I am curious now about how to propagate it myself!

lol....No, you definately can't waste it! I am sure someone here will know. If not, we'll find out one way or another!

I found this but it's legnthy and complicated. I'm hoping someone knows a simpler method:

The method I always use, and it has never failed me, is to air-layer the rubber plant. This, however, is best done in March or April. This method can be used now, but it may take a lot longer for the plant to root. If the plant has more than one stem, you can air-layer each one of these.

First, look at the top part of the plant and decide where it will make a nice looking plant. The length dosn't really matter, although any length over 12 inches may require staking when you pot it up after it has rooted. There should be at least 6 leaves on the top part which will be the new plant.

On a straight part of the stem, just below the top portion you choose to be the new plant, strip off several of the lower leaves right next to the stem. About 3 - 4 inches below the bottom leaves of the top portion,cut a horizontal slit into the stem about 1/4 inch deep. Turn the knife up at this point and make an upward cut 1 inch long. Stick a piece of wooden match or some moss in this slit to keep the two parts separated. The tongue (slit) may be dusted with a rooting hormone powder, although this is not entirely necessary.

Next, cut the bottom off of a clear plastic bread bag, cut the bag in half, and carefully slide it over the top portion of the plant down to the wound on the stem. Tie or tape the bottom of the bread bag to the stem about 1 or 2 inches below the wound. Now form a ball with moist sphagnum moss around the wound on the stem and tie or tape it tighly at the top to prevent moisture from escaping. The moss ball should be around 4 or 5 inches in diameter.

In two to three months, you should be able to see a mass of roots through the plastic bag. This indicates the plant is ready to be potted up in fresh new potting soil. Remove the plastic bag from the rootball and cut the stem off on a slight angle below the rootball just above a node on the parent plant. Gently tease out most of the moss from the rootball and plant the rootball in a flower pot that is about 2 inches bigger than the rootball. Spread out the roots when planting and gently firm soil around the roots so as not to damage them. Water the plant and place it out of direct sunlight. Treat it as as any new cutting until it has become established.

The parent plant stem may put out new growth from dormant buds after the top portion has been removed, so do not throw it away. You may end up with another new rubber plant from the old stem portion.

Leaf-bud cuttings can be made by cutting just above a node and one inch below the node. A leaf will be attached to the node of course. Roll the leaf up to form a cylinder with the waxy part of the leaf facing out and tie it with a piece of string to keep it rolled up. This will prevent loss of moisture from the leaf. Place the one inch piece of stem in moist soilless mix with the node just above the media. Push a stick through the middle of the rolled up leaf into the media to keep it from falling over. Keep the media warm if possible. Once the stem piece has rooted, it may be transplanted into good potting soil. In two years time these leaf bud cuttings will make a good sized plant. Good luck!

Wow.....that was complicated...lol. Although, the last one sounds easier. You can't do the first since she's wanting to get rid of the plant section. Basically the last one is just a cutting put in soil-less mix(wonder if that is important that it's soil-less). I think an important part on that one is the leaf being rolled up to hold moisture. I know I have figured out that keeping my cuttings and seeds moist is very important. The baggie trick works for me.

I am totally guessing here. Hopefully someone with more experience will come along shortly and save us from ourselves....lol!

Hi azrobin -

I have a beautiful, large rubber tree which was given to me by a neighbor when it was just a little twig. Actually, they gave me a cutting, not their tree. A friend of mine loves my tree and has been buggin me for a while now on growing her a cutting. I have chopped my tree way back twice since it has grown up and it ALWAYS comes back fuller and much, much prettier (don't forget, it use to be a single stalk, but now it is a "tree" with many branches). Anway, everytime I've chopped it back, I've tried rooting the cuttings. I have nt had any success with rooting in water... don't know why!! However, I've had great success with just sticking the cut end in a pot of soil and keep the soil wet/moist. Just do not let it dry out (this method is how we got our tree). I've also stuck a piece directly in the ground and kept it watered and it is now growing into a beautiful tree. It is a slow process to the point where you can breathe easier... and know that it's gonna make it.... but it's well worth it. Ohhh, and you COULD take that piece, cut it in several pieces and pot each piece and you'd have several plants.

I'll try to remember to take a pic of my rubber tree tomorrow and post it for you. Will also post a pic of the "baby" tree. Also, when you cut the rubber tree, watch out for the "milk"... it bleeds a white sap and it gets sticky.

I cut large leaves to reduce transpiration or moisture loss from the leaf and with no roots on a cutting and such a large leaf, you only need 1/2 of the leaf. I'm not sure where I heard this but someone once told me there are a few people who's only job is to climb the Rubber Trees in Florida, cut the stem, apply rooting hormone, wrap it in tinfoil and move onto the next branch. Air-layering is the best method.

Here's a pic of an airlayered Rubber Plant: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/houseplants/propagation_airlayer.html
Look partway down this page and a pic of how it's done: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/steven_fahy/SHBS/bonsai_bulletin.htm
It sounds far more complicated than it really is and chances are the cuttings won't take.

Well, here goes nothing. While I was there helping her clean up her bed, I found new growth of the plant. So, I cut a piece, filled a 2 liter bottle with water, cut it to the correct height and plopped it in there. I'm getting rooting hormone and [eat amd see what happens doing it as preseribed. I'll update with pics as I go.

You may want to soak it in willow tea - improves rooting if soaked for a few hours.

My rubber tree - pic #1

Pic #2

The "baby" rubber tree is growing next to his momma! LOL He's already rooted and ready to stay there or dig up and transplant somewhere else.

Last one...

Nice plant, Kelley. Do you know if it would be hardy here in zone 7b?

I've lost Rubber plants everytime here in 8b.

How about inside, growin.....have any luck there?

I don't have room inside for a Rubber Tree. Surprisingly a variegated Schefflera survived outdoors last winter so I planted it under the cedar tree - someone left it in the back of my truck . It seems to be hardier than I thought.

LA Kelly, that would be my preferred method. I have a feeling because the cutting is soooo big I'll have to pass. I think she's got another one or two close to the mother plant that I'll try slicing a bit to see it it roots there. I just hate to let any plant go that I can propagate and keep. Oh well.

Willow tea? No willow here. Got green tea, though.

I'm not going to stress about this anymore. LOL

azrobin - As long as you keep it moist in soil, you can't go wrong. The cutting we started from was as large as the one your neighbor is willing to give you. The neighbor lady just potted it up and we kept it moist... voila!

Good luck

OMG! It was 4+ft tall and it rooted in moist soil alone? Oh please tell me YES! Rooting hormone?

Oh boy, oh boy!

Very easy to start as cuttings in well drained medium. Keep moist but not saturated. I started ten last year in shredded pine bark and sand mix. I used two 3 gallon pots, 5 cuttings per pot. No hormones, no special water, no fertilizer, just plain tap water. Lost two earlier this year - too wet.

azrobin - yup... and no rooting hormone.

I posted a week or 2 ago , All I did was pot in water for a day , then I cut into 3 pieces below a leaf / bud node and dusted 2 and stuck in potting soil .
The 3rd I used a liquid rooting compound and stuck in potting soil .
These were big cuttings and I remove all but 5 leaves .
All 3 pieces were leaking sap when cut .
I mist them with either water or Mighty plant .
I'll go back and check when and where I posted and post link to it .

I just checked , I quess I hit spell check then preview and never sent .

TYVM, Dole, Kelly and Tony. I have a few large nursery buckets around. I'll give it a shot and let you know.

Sooooo much easier than that long tutorial above.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Robin

luv2dig - sorry... didn't see your questions right away. I am in zone 9b and when we have frosts, the leaves of the rubber tree get burnt pretty bad. Normally it only catches some, but the plant looks a little nasty for awhile LOL. I don't think it will take a long, hard frost or freeze.

Word of warning to anyone who plants a rubber tree outside... the roots are very strong and could crack the foundation of your house or sidewalk.... suppose it could damage a swimming pool also. Sooo, you'll want to take that into consideration when choosing a suitable location. The one I have pictured above was in a pot and a massive root grew right through the drain hole and tore the pot apart.

AZROBIN - Don't know if I mentioned it or not, but the tree pictured above IS the one my neighbors gave me about 3 years ago. It was one stalk, about 4-5 feet tall.

Azrobin, I just found this post, and the only thing I did to mine, when it got too tall, was, whack it off, lay it down on something to callous overnight. Then, stick it in Rooting Hormone, and stick it down in the dirt in your pot you want to grow it in. After the past 6 years, it is so big around, that I can not reach around the thing. Every time someone sees it and wants a cutting, I just cut as many limbs as they want, and tell them, just what I have told you. I am like you, I don't want to waste them ! Thanks, Krispi

Allrighty then. I'll take the big cutting this weekend. I know she's anxious to get it trimmed back. I've got just the shade spot for it, too.

BTW, LAKelly, I'm hoping mine turns out to be a beautiful as yours!

Thanks so much everyone. I'm so excited!

This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 5:20 PM

azrobin - I'm sure it will be... LOL... I haven't "babied" my rubber tree at all and it looks great (I think). Maybe just lucky?? :-)