How do I propagate my Ficus?

The Ficus, who doesn't know this beauty? It often takes a bit of hunting to find the right spot, but once this houseplant is happy, you are friends for life! The Ficus comes in a great many shapes and sizes, but the way you take cuttings is the same for every Ficus. Propagating a Ficus is not difficult, although it is important to always do it in spring.

What do you need to propagate a Ficus?

As we said, the Ficus is easy to propagate, but you do need a few things to hand to make it a success. First of all a Ficus, of course, and then a sharp, clean knife or scissors. You also need to decide up front whether your baby Ficus is going into water or into soil. If the cutting goes into water, you need a glass of lukewarm water, ideally a clear one. If it goes into soil, you need a small pot of your choice with some potting soil. The sap in the Ficus trunk can be quite irritating to the skin, so we would recommend wearing gloves while you take your cuttings.

The Ficus cutting

You propagate a Ficus with stem cuttings, which means you always need a piece of trunk with leaves on it to get a good cutting. Choose a stem with at least three leaves on it. Cut or snip that stem away from the trunk and dab the wound on the mother plant and on the cutting dry. Now it is time to choose whether to let your cutting develop in water or in soil. If you grow the cutting in water you will have a little more to do, but it does root a lot faster than in soil!

Putting the Ficus cutting in water

Make sure the leaves are absolutely not standing or hanging in the water, and snip off the lowest leaves if you need to. Leaves that sit in the water can start to rot, which affects the whole cutting. Put the cutting somewhere bright, but not in direct sunlight. For the first few days you can place a plastic bag over the cutting to raise the humidity. Change the water once a week. Once the cutting has roots of at least 5 centimetres, it is time to move it into a pot with fresh potting soil.

Putting the Ficus cutting in soil

You can also choose to put the cutting straight into soil. Pick a pot size the cutting can develop in for its first year. Put the cutting somewhere bright, but out of direct sunlight. Make sure the soil is always lightly moist, but absolutely never wet!

Discover the different kinds of Ficus

Has the Ficus won you over? Then browse our extensive collection of Ficus plants and pick the perfect one for your home!