Rubber plant propagation from cuttings in water and soil without using any rooting hormone. You can grow rubber plant from stem cuttings in soil or water without rooting hormone.
The rubber tree plant propagation from terminal bud cutting and leaf bud cutting can be done
with or without rooting hormone.
The rubber plant is a popular houseplant not only because of its ever-green waxy leaves
and its great appearance, but also because of its capability of cleaning the indoor air.
The rubber plant can be propagated at any time, but the best time is from Spring to
Summer when the rubber plant is actively growing.
I will show you the rubber plant propagation from cuttings in two ways from a terminal
leaf bud or leaf node bud to root and grow new rubber plants in soil or water.
Please watch the full video so that you do not miss out the important tips I will be
giving throughout the video for success.
Before starting, wash all the tools with a dilute bleach solution to disinfect them.
Now let us begin with the terminal bud method.
The terminal buds are the unopened buds which are at the tips of the branches, you will
see them in Spring to Summer.
These are reddish in color which have formed but yet not opened.
They are long, thin and pointed tube shape.
Take a 6 to 8 inch long cutting from the top of a newly grown branch having a terminal
bud.
Wash the white sap with water, which is irritating so keep it away from your face when pruning
or handling a Rubber Plant.
Remove the lower leaves and cut top leaves into half to minimize the water loss due to
evaporation.
Buy seed raising mix from market or make your own by mixing potting mix or soil and coarse
river sand or perlite in equal amount.
Mixing of the sand will make the rooting medium free draining.
Excessive water in the soil will rot the cuttings.
You will fail in rubber propagation if the soil mixture is not correct, so the soil is the most important
thing for the rooting to succeed.
Take a small pot with several drainage holes.
Fill it with the soil mixture and water well, at least half an hour in advance.
Keep aside in shade.
Now planting the rubber cutting.
The terminal bud produces hormones that move downward, promoting the roots growth and new
leaves.
You can apply rooting hormone at the cut end to encourage roots, though it is not necessary.
Insert a stick in the soil and put the cutting in the hole, do not push.
Press the soil around it.
Do not water again.
Enclose the pot inside a polythene bag to create high humidity, which is needed for
root growth.
This makes a mini green house.
Place the bag in shade at a warm place.
Open the bag after every 2 weeks and give a few drops of water on the soil, if it is
dry.
I did not need this even in 4 weeks.
Do not over-water to avoid rotting of the rubber cutting.
The new leaves and roots should appear in a few weeks.
The original rubber plant from which I took the cutting, grew 2 new branches and finally this plant
grown bushy that I repotted into a bigger pot.
This is the propagated plant after 3 years.
How beautiful this rubber plant has become, grown from a tiny cutting, totally free of
cost.
Now how to plant a cutting which does not has a terminal bud.
Here also remove the lower leaves and cut the above into half.
Fill a small pot with the soil mixture as shown previously.
As this cutting does not has a terminal bud, rooting hormone will help in root formation.
Apply Rooting Hormone at the cut end of the Cutting.
The rooting hormone will ensure the root formation.
You can use Aloe Vera Gel, Honey, Aspirin Powder, Cinnamon Powder.
I have given a link in the description on how to use these natural hormones.
Plant the cutting, enclose in a bag and place in the shade as was shown for the cutting
with terminal bud.
Now I will show you how to propagate rubber plant in water.
Please like and share the video.
If you have any questions, please ask in the comment section.
Propagation From Leaf Bud Cutting in water Cut a small portion of stem with a leaf.
Wash the white sap, apply some rooting hormone and dip it in water.
The rooting hormone is not essential.
Change the water every week, need not to apply hormone then.
The new roots will grow in 3 to 4 months.
Plant the rooted rubber cutting in free-draining soil.
The new stem will emerge in 2-3 months.
Which method is better.
THE LEAF BUD CUTTING is rooted in water, so the chances of success are 100%.
But this method takes very long time.
It took 4 months to Root in water & then another 3 months in soil to develop a new leaf.
The newly grown stem is thin & the leaves are Small.
The rubber plant remains small even after a year.
This is one year old rubber plant grown from leaf bud cutting in water and then in soil.
Notice that the newly grown stem is very thin and the plant is very small having small leaves
as compared to the original leaf.
THE TERMINAL BUD CUTTING is rooted in soil, so the cutting may fail to root and it may
rot, if any of the requirements are not met.
But the new plant becomes ready in 5-6 weeks, the original stem grows, new leaves are large
and the plant grows fast.
This is one year old rubber plant grown from terminal bud cutting in soil.
The new leaves has grown on the original stem and the plant has grown well.