Fiddle-leaf figs can be multiplied using a few various techniques, including air layering and stem or leaf cuttings, however it takes some time.
With the former, you can grow new miniature plants for your collection, as gifts, or to make use of the leaves and branches you’ve cut off. When trying to save and repot a fiddle-leaf fig that has experienced leaf drop and all of its growth has gathered at the top of a tall, barren stem, the later procedure is helpful. Here are the steps for each of these alternatives.
Is it possible to grow a fiddle leaf fig from a leaf?
Placing a cutting or a single leaf in water is another traditional way of fiddle leaf fig growth. This technique works well for many individuals, and it’s entertaining because you can watch the rooted develop rather than having to wait for growth or yank on the cutting. In the glass container, they also look lovely.
I’ll admit, though, that it’s not my favored method for growing indoor plants, including fiddle leaf figs.
I prefer to make things as favorable to myself as possible whenever I can. As a result, I find that no commercial growers employ the water approach when deciding how to best propagate.
If you give it any thought, however, it makes sense. Since Ficus lyrata is not an aquatic plant, water propagation will not be the best environment for it to flourish in. But since most who attempt it succeed, it must be able to grow quite well in water.
Use a cutting with roughly 3 nodes, as mentioned above, rather than a single leaf for the greatest outcomes. (For an explanation of why using single leaves is not a wise choice, see below.)
Place the sliced piece in fresh water in a dimly lit area. To keep the oxygen levels stable, change the water every several days.
Here is where I fail with this approach. Normally, I forget. In comparison to an unwatered plant pot that seems dry and feels light as a feather, the water in the glass appears the same.
Because plants require oxygen, soil is a better environment for them than water. While there is some oxygen in water, it fades off the surface when the water is motionless. (A bubbler is required in aquariums in order to maintain the water’s oxygen levels.)
Watch for the roots to form; it took my leaf more than 6 weeks to do so. (Results are shown in the section below.)
Do fiddle leaves have roots?
Taking a leaf or stem cutting is the first step in growing a fiddle leaf fig plant from seed. The cutting will then be “rooted,” which simply means you’ll put it in water or extremely moist soil so it can develop new roots. The steps for propagating your plant are listed below.
Step 1: Prepare Your Propagation Container
- For your cutting, you should have a container filled with fresh water devoid of chlorine.
- Use distilled water or leave regular tap water remain overnight to allow the chlorine dissipate.
- Make sure the container is sturdy enough to hold your cutting and maintain its upright position.
Step 2: Take Your Stem Cutting
I advise cutting a stem with no more than two or three leaves, as any more will require too much energy to flourish.
3 inches or so below the first leaf, make a cut. Your new plant will grow a short stem and an adequate number of leaves as a result. Pick a handful of your plant’s healthiest leaves to use as your cutting. If you cut them, don’t worry; they will grow back. Your cutting should be taken with a clean, sharp tool and dropped into water right away.
Step 3: Use a Rooting Hormone
To help your plant establish new roots more quickly, buy a rooting hormone like Houseplant Propagation Promoter. Before inserting your stem in soil or water, follow the instructions on the bottle and give it a quick dip.
The exclusive mix of Houseplant Propagation Promoter supports excellent growth and photosynthesis while shielding young cuttings from toxins and germs that could kill them off.
How is a fig leaf rooted?
To explore if roots could develop from a single leaf, I started with a leaf and four stem cuttings. I placed the other 2 stem cuttings in damp potting soil after placing the bases of 2 stem cuttings and 1 leaf in water.
The cuttings should be kept in a water-filled, clean glass vase in a warm, well-lit area away from the sun. I just changed the water when it was foggy, which only happened a few times. Use tap water that is at room temperature and wait a day for the chlorine to dissipate before using.
On the stem base of the watered-down cuttings, a few tiny popcorn-like spots started to develop after 4 weeks.
Wow, roots are developing in the water after 6–8 weeks! Water replacement is not necessary at this time.
You can place the rooted Fiddle Leaf Fig cuttings in soil and watch them grow once the roots are around 1 to 2 inches long!
Will fig cuttings germinate in liquid?
Cuttings of fig can easily take root in water. You only need a cup, some water, and a pair of clean, heavy-duty scissors or pruners. The entire process might take more than a month, but it could take as little as three weeks.
Be Patient
In February of 2018, Jackye embarked on a new fiddle leaf fig voyage. As of June, the majority of her new plants had not yet experienced much new development. New cuttings must be let at least four to eight weeks to root before they can begin to generate new leaves, which can take up to six months.
Before they notice the new roots, many growers give up on their cuttings and discard them, abandoning the tiny plants before they have a chance to start sprouting new leaves. But perseverance pays off; all but three of the 61 cuttings she took produced roots.
Expect Variability
By six weeks, the majority of Jackye’s cuttings had begun establishing new roots, but there was considerable variation. Some people got new roots in 3 or 4 weeks, while others needed 8 or 9 weeks. It’s critical to realize that every cutting is unique and that a variety of elements, including hormones, light, season, and time of day, influence the roots process. Prior to giving up on cuttings that haven’t developed roots, give them at least 10 to 12 weeks.
You Can Root Cuttings in Soil or Water
Cuttings of fiddle leaf figs can grow roots in either humid soil or water. The success of your project is unaffected by the growing medium, although there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Some of Jackye’s cuttings were rooted in both water and soil. After weighing both possibilities, she advises burying the roots in soil to avoid crushing the young, delicate roots while transferring them from water to soil. She did, however, like watching the new roots grow in the water.
A Rooting Hormone Is Critical
Use a rooting hormone whether you are rooting your cuttings in soil or water. Your plant receives instructions from the chemical powder to focus its efforts on growing roots rather than new leaves. Your prospects of success are minimal without it. On all of her cuttings, Jackye applied a substance resembling our Houseplant Propagation Promoter.
Soil Cuttings Don’t Need Drainage
For the purpose of being able to observe fresh development in both the soil- and water-rooted cuttings, Jackye rooted her cuttings in clear plastic Solo cups without any drainage holes. She never allowed them to dry out and maintained them uniformly hydrated. She put them into pots with drainage holes once the roots were strong.
Fiddle Leaf Fig Propagation Can Help Your Original Plant Grow
Jackye was pleased to observe new growth, including additional branches on each plant, after taking more than 60 cuttings from her original eight plants. Cuttings are not harmful to the mother plant when used for propagation, and they may even encourage new development.
Take Cuttings of New Growth if Possible
After a few months, Jackye found that the cuttings she took from the tops of her plants that were actively growing were the ones with the most new growth. For fresh growth, these terminal branches have already been programmed. All eight of the top cuttings she took began to establish roots and new growth in less than four months.
Jackye advises taking a branch or growing tip that is somewhere between six and eighteen inches long. Take off the leaves from the branch’s lower third or so. Place the sliced portion in potting soil after dipping it in rooting hormone. For roughly six weeks, or until you notice new roots, keep it very wet.
You can even divide a lengthy branch into multiple portions when pruning it, making care to leave a few leaves on each section. Fiddle leaf figs are quite powerful and hardy plants; Jackye even tried planting branches without leaves, and they ultimately began to grow again! Just a couple more months were needed.
What happens if the top of a fiddle leaf fig is chopped off?
Your fiddle leaf fig probably has no other branches that will allow it to transition from a fiddle leaf shrub to a fiddle leaf tree. In addition, bear the following in mind before proceeding:
The amount of regrowth that results from pruning depends on how severe it was. The reason for this is that the plant is trying to grow again in an effort to balance the root system below with the shoot system above, which is now designed to support the plant at its bigger size before trimming.
Usually, the most active shoot growth takes place 6 to 8 inches after the pruning cut.
Make the cut on your fiddle leaf fig
Make a decision regarding the size of the Ficus lyrata cut. Once more, the branching will be more noticeable the longer a part is clipped. (And the less the plant will grow in height, at least for that shoot.)
Your fiddle leaf fig won’t be encouraged to generate as many lateral branches off of the main trunk if you simply pinch out the fresh buds at the top with your fingers.
If you want to encourage a little lateral development to make your plant appear fuller near the top, pinching is more helpful.
On the other hand, you’ll see a lot more branching if you remove 12 of the top shoots.
Choose the node that you want to cut above. The spots on stems known as nodes are where leaves, buds, or branches can grow. However, not every node has leaves or branches; some nodes may only have a mark and a little thickening of the stem. Internodes are the parts of the stem that lie between the nodes.
3. Make use of a clean pair of pruners. Just above the top of your node, make the cut. Cut just above the node rather than into it, which would harm it.
Any plant in the fig family, including your fiddle leaf fig, will exude an oozing, milky, white sap when cut. Simply avoid eating it, getting it in your eyes, or letting it land on the carpet because it can be annoying.
4. As a final piece of advice, wait to remove leaves from the trunk of your fiddle leaf until the new branches have begun to grow. Your plant should be as robust as possible because those leaves aid in the development of the new lateral buds.
(Are you wondering what to do with the plant pieces you pruned? Why not cultivate a second fiddle leaf fig?
I’m done now! Now, give your new lateral buds, which will eventually grow into branches, a few weeks. While the exact length of time varies on a number of variables, your chances of success are higher if you attempt this in the spring, when fiddle leaves are actively growing, as opposed to the winter, when they are largely dormant. In comparison to winter, when the plant will need more time to heal the cut and form new buds, springtime will see rapid new development.
Can a leaf be used to clone?
You may easily and amusingly create clones of some of your favorite plants by taking leaf cuttings.
Some plants, but not all, can be multiplied from a single leaf or a portion of a leaf.
The majority of plants that may be propagated from leaf cuttings are regarded as house plants. Sedums, some Begonias, Crassulas, Gloxinias, Peperomias, and several African violets
Always choose a firm, robust leaf when choosing one to use for propagation.
instead of taking a leaf, let it callous for one or two days before sticking the stem end.
parts and struck in a medium that would cut them in two. Make sure the “up” end is up!
How long does it take fig cuttings to root?
Few tasks are more satisfying for a gardener than being able to multiply their own plants. Although many vegetable gardeners throughout the world reproduce plants by sowing seeds, the nuanced art of propagating woody plants by rooted cuttings presents its own special difficulties and rewards.
Because they are simple to root and grow quickly and vigorously when young, figs are one of the first woody plants that many gardeners try to propagate via cuttings. Figs are often the entry plant for people into the fascinating realm of woody plant multiplication because the majority of kinds root quickly, typically in around 3 weeks.
We’ve tried a lot of different methods over the years, and there are almost as many varieties of figs as there are rooting techniques. You can get figs and other plants to root using a variety of methods, and you don’t need a professional greenhouse to achieve it. Some of the approaches include rooting cuttings in plastic Ziplock bags while we’re traveling and climate-controlled greenhouses with bottom heat and mist.
First, make sure to take strong, healthy cuttings from the growth of the previous season. Between late October and February, dormant cuttings can be taken at any time of the year. We haven’t really noticed much of a difference, but many growers claim that fig cuttings obtained in the fall have more sap in them and so root more easily. Despite the fact that dormant cuttings are normally easier to root, we have successfully rooted hardwood and softwood cuttings at just about any time of the year. Usually, and occasionally already, wood removed from close to the base or where it is touching the mulch line or soil will root more readily.
Additionally, we have seen that the wild fig seedlings we have collected root quickly and with great vitality. So be cautious of them when traveling through the fig wasp country!
Your cuttings can be divided into the proper sizes for germination once you’ve gathered them. Cuttings that are too big or too little lack energy and won’t be able to support all the leaves that are produced. Typically, we choose cuttings that are between 4-6 inches long and have at least 2 nodes.
There are numerous alternatives for the media that you’ll be putting the clippings in. The most crucial thing is to make sure it lacks nutrition and fertilizer! Although it is possible to successfully root cuttings in potting soil or rich compost, your chances of success will significantly decrease. Since the immature cuttings don’t yet have roots, they require an entirely sterile mixture because they can’t absorb the nutrients in charged soil. They will decay as a result of the nitrogen, and when rooting cuttings, the distinction between rotting and rooting is crucial.
With a ratio of roughly 30–40% coconut coir to 60–70% perlite, our preferred media is washed coconut coir and perlite. The perlite adds aeration and prevents the media from becoming anaerobic while the coconut coir holds onto moisture. Because figs are susceptible to rotting if the media is kept too damp, we use somewhat more perlite when growing them. Keeping the media excessively wet is the main reason why fig cuttings and cuttings of many other species fail. The cuttings may decay if they have not yet been calloused over.
When in doubt, we always err on the side of keeping figs somewhat more dry. The rooting media is basically only there to supply humidity so the cutting doesn’t desiccate before it can form roots because they aren’t actively taking up water during the rooting phase. We’ve had success rooting figs in plastic bags with damp paper towels while traveling or abroad because maintaining humidity in the cutting is crucial.
After you have cut your branches into 4-6 inch cuts, you can reveal the vibrant green cambium layer beneath by scraping a thin layer of bark from the bottom of the cutting. Figs appear to root from almost everywhere, with extensive rooting happening along the internodes, in contrast to some species, such olives, which root exclusively from the nodes.
Most fig types don’t entirely require rooting hormone. They naturally have a strong tendency to root, thus there is no difference between figs that are rooted with or without hormone. We advise using a low strength hormone if you decide to use hormones.
We bury about half to two thirds of the length of our cuttings in the media, spacing them about an inch and a half to two inches apart. You can put it on a heating pad or in a warm area once all of your cuttings are set. Since it emits some heat, we’ve heard of some people utilizing the top of their refrigerators to root cuttings, but it works anywhere that stays between 75 and 80 degrees.
The two most important conditions for properly rooting your fig cuttings are warmth and humidity. In this instance, we are cutting dormant hardwoods, so they don’t even need light until they start to produce leaves. You can maintain the appropriate temperature for your cuttings with the aid of a basic soil thermometer. Additionally, spraying your cuttings occasionally and using a plastic cover over them can both assist maintain high humidity levels.
Buds should begin to open in about a month, but try not to pot them up too soon out of excitement or impatience. If figs are potted up too soon, they are prone to collapse. However, if they’re pushing vigorous, active shoots, you can be relatively sure they’re sufficiently rooted and pot them up into a lightly charged potting soil. Normally, we wait two months before doing this.
You’ll soon be delivering young fig trees to everyone in your neighborhood and all of your pals! Perhaps a fig tree could be planted clandestinely in the vacant lot on the corner or the empty parking lot on the route to your preferred dining establishment or grocery store. Or perhaps you’ve spotted a fig tree flourishing in your area that you simply must have, and rooting it yourself is the only way to guarantee you receive the same variety. But for the love of figs, do not add to the confusion of the already countless fig synonyms by giving them a new varietal name. When naming an unidentified variety, it’s customary to use the location of the variety’s discovery and add “Unk.” to the name to indicate that the variety is unidentified.