This, my friends, is the first step towards propagating a tree in water. Not too far fetched, I know. Heh. I am going to blog it's progress over the next several months. First though, I'm going to give a quick overview of how I do this whole thing.Now, I've read a lot of articles, blog posts, etc on the differing ways to propagate a ficus and this is the only method I've used and had work for me. I've tried just plunking a cutting right into the dirt, with and without rooting compound, and it didn't work. I've tried air layering and it didn't work. But rooting them in water has worked every time.
All you have to do is cut off a piece of new growth from your ficus. You want it to not be completely green, but not barky yet. You can kind of tell in this picture.
Heh, plant photography is a bit different than food photography. I've had the best luck with branches that have 4-5 leaves, around 5-6" long. I cut off most of the leaves, leaving the two at the top. Then you just put it cut side down into a cup full of water and put it in bright indirect light. And wait. There's a lot of waiting. But within a couple weeks you'll see little white roots. I'm keeping it in front of a south facing window, next to it's mother. 
They get some late afternoon direct sunlight, but not too much. Ficus benjamina don't want too much direct sun, but some isn't bad. If the leaves start looking bleached the tree is getting too much.You want to change the water every 4-5 days, making sure to be really careful when the roots start coming out to not hurt them. Once you have good roots you just transfer them to a pot. But we'll get to that later. So, that's how you do it. Further updates as events warrant.
Other ficus benjamina propagation posts: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
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Thanks! This is what I am needing right now. Thank you for keeping it available.
ReplyDeleteJim
I have a Ficus Benjamina which is thirty-five years old. It is a hefty, eight feet tall green giant, Question: how long do they live? Will they root in plain water if kept in filtered light, outdoors? This plant needs to be pruned before going back to it's corner of the sun room. Right now it's under the pergola on the deck.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great tree. How long it will live varies a great deal, depends on the climate and how it's cared for mostly. I've read about ficus bonsai that are more than 100 years old, I would guess that a large tree that's actively growing would live longer. But I'm no biologist, that's pure guesswork.
ReplyDeleteThey should root just fine in regular tap water, just make sure it's soft, green, non lignified cuttings, it's in an open container and change the water every 4-5 days. I don't know about outside, it depends on where you live. If you live in the American south or southwest it should be fine. Non Mediterranean Europe and most of N America should be done indoors in indirect light. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Edgar has been with me since 1993. He is still managing to survive my vernal incompetence in march 2014.
DeleteOK, that was in 2010... where's the rest of the blog??
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: ...? There are several update posts after this. Do you have specific questions? I'm more than happy to help if you do.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about doing this with a plant that is 9 feet tall and has thick stems? I would normally place them in water but it seems different with everything being so big? It is so beautiful and healthy but it needs to be trimmed and I can't trim it without trying to save what I have trimmed.
ReplyDeleteThe size of the parent tree isn't important, just make sure none of the cuttings you use have lignified (turned woody). If you follow the instructions I laid out in this post it should be fine. If you trim off whole branches you won't be able to use them to propagate, but there will probably be a half dozen shoots from that branch that you could use. Put the cutting in water, change the water every week and in a month or so it should put out roots.
ReplyDeleteI am doing a project on this for my class and I dont think that this helped at all.
ReplyDelete@anonymous: that's too bad, was there specific info you were looking for? There are several other posts about propagating ficus, this was mostly an introduction.
ReplyDeleteBob: Thank you sooooo much - this is exactly what I was looking for! Debbie.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Bob! I been struggling to root these specific cuttings for a year or two now after my family's 48 year old indoor Ficus Benjamina unfortunately died. Yet, after finding some worthy cuttings at a relative's house I followed your simple steps. Surprisingly I have root hairs already emerging in the water after just five days on two of my cuttings! I have these in close vicinity to grow lighting and under a humidity dome, along with a heat mat for some additional warmth. I can imagine I can have these sufficiently rooted out for potting transplant in maybe 60 days?! Thanks again for your patient work! ~ Seth
ReplyDeleteThanks, Seth! With all that warmth and humidity it will probably take well less than 60 days. I get pottable roots in two months when I do it in a drafty apartment during New England winter. Heh.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is the easiest way to propagate ficus tree. I followed the above mentioned step and it works perfectly.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your help.
M
Good day Bob, i am in west Africa. I am passionate about varigated white ficus. What's the propagation method?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: I'm not familiar with variegated white ficus, is it a specific cultivar? But I've propagated every ficus I grow with the water rooting method, why not give it a shot? Worst case scenario is you're out a twig. Heh.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bob it really worked. Please do you have any dealer that can supply me Norfolk island Pine seeds. I really need for research purpose.
ReplyDeleteThanks
@Anonymous: Glad it worked! You can get NIP seeds through Amazon . com, not sure of anyplace else though.
ReplyDeleteok. Thanks and do have a happy new month.
ReplyDeleteHi Bob...I have a ficus that is around 20 years old. It is a weeping ficus with long slender green leaves. It has been the same size for years, like the growth is stunted. I repotted it and still waiting...Anywho, I have cut some twigs off hoping to root a new one and start over! Thanks for the tips! Michele
ReplyDeleteHello Bob and well done. Please can you give me an insight to why a good number of Ficus plants at nursery stage die under tropical weather conditions using mist propagation method. This was observed on my Ficus nitida plants on opening them up for proper aeration 2 weeks after planting? SOLA.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could but it sounds like you're far more advanced in your methods than me. I just do indoor, home stuff.
DeleteThanks for this! I took some ficus cuttings from two plants and I am trying to see if I can get them to fuse. Looks like I may have something in two years if things go well.
ReplyDeleteI've got a few cuttings set up to fuse too, it's exciting. I'm just kind of wrapping them together and letting nature take it's course. Next I'm going to try it with a couple more mature trees and try the method with wire and removing bark. Heh, I should probably do posts about that.
DeleteHEY! how long does it take to root the ficus (1.5 inch maybe?) a month? and by the way, thanks for the blog, i'm actually looking for the answers how to root up ficus.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the conditions. If you keep the water fresh, it gets enough light and it's warm and humid then an inch, inch and a half of roots in a month could easily happen.
Deleteahh okey. im just too confused because my ficus died and i think because there were lot of branches and leaves during i sank it into the water. haha
Deletethis is still me rhyss, i used anonymous cuz i cant access my Google. accnt.
DeleteYeah, if it has too many leaves to support it won't root. I usually use a piece that has no branches and I leave just one or two leaves. Sometimes it just takes longer, too. Tree's do things in their own time, I've learned. :D
DeleteSo I've recently taken two cutting off my ficus Benji that I'm attempting to grow using your method. Upon the first water change (4 days) when I removed the cutting from the water the submerged part of the branch appeared to be covered in a thick, clear film. I was just wondering if this is normal or if I should be washing it off when I change the water? Cheers, Michael.
ReplyDeleteI've had that happen before and it's never seemed to effect anything. I think it's just water clinging to the ever so slightly rotting bark, but really that's just a wild guess.
DeleteThanks for the quick reply Bob! Just out of interest, did you wash it off under a tap or something when it happened to you? Or just let it be so as not to disturb the roots? Cheers
DeleteMy pleasure. :) I just let it be, the roots are so delicate at that point I really didn't want to mess. And I've never had any problems so I just figured it's a part of the process. Or at least harmless, heh.
Deletethank you Yes what I need right now one step at a time
ReplyDeleteI have a 35 yes old ficus in a pot and planning on to make a bonsai and cuttings from it
ReplyDeleteTnank you Bob, I just rooted six leafs three with little branches. These all rooted just swell. They began spurting new growth and I put in a coarse mix ..... the new growth is still growing.... I don't know I thought this was going to be a step before potting -- I would like to now plant in two pots! Thanks for helpful hints and tips. I am delighted with ficus babies!!
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