Hi! Ficus elastica propagation with leaf cuttings attached to stem FAIL

[sassufit]

My Ficus Elastica was looking meh so I decided to prune it down to refresh and propagate it. Now, maybe a month later, the mother plant is doing OK, the existing leaves are still droopy, but there's new growth...

As for the cuttings, I used the method shown in this video :

So I had 7 leaves attached to at least 1in of stem. I put them in water and changed it every 2-3 days.

At first it was going great, but after some time, the tiny roots that had formed turned brown and stopped growing... now 3 of the 7 babies are dead. The leaf fell off and the stem died. I left the third stem in water to see if it would grow something as I see a tiny "leaf" poking out. The two other stems, whose leaves fell off, I put in soil and they died.
I even tried to cut two of the remaining leaves in half as I saw some YouTubers do so and wanted to see if it could help. Obviously not.

That said, I also kept one foot of the top part of the plant, left three leaves and stuck it of about 3inches in water. This one is doing awesome... has a lot of healthy roots growing and I'll be able to put it in soil in a couple weeks. Same water, same light, same everything as the leaf cuttings.

So what do you think I'm doing wrong, and how can I save the 4 I have left? Thanks in advance!!

Here are some pictures:

 

[Marck]

Hello and welcome to the Forums.

Rooting such a small piece of stem in water would be tricky. It's not impossible, but you need to have humidity, temperature, and sanitation tightly controlled. Rooting in water isn't always the easiest way. Many plants root better in media (sand, perlite, vermiculite, potting soil, etc). I usually root in potting soil when I can, because it can save a step and also the roots are already adapted to their final environment.

Also try using a rooting hormone. It can be a help, especially with woodier plant such as a Ficus.

Equipment such as heating pads and mist benches also can improve the odds, but of course this is a more expensive an complicated set-up, usually left to commercial operations.

 

[sassufit]

Hello and welcome to the Forums.

Rooting such a small piece of stem in water would be tricky. It's not impossible, but you need to have humidity, temperature, and sanitation tightly controlled. Rooting in water isn't always the easiest way. Many plants root better in media (sand, perlite, vermiculite, potting soil, etc). I usually root in potting soil when I can, because it can save a step and also the roots are already adapted to their final environment.

Also try using a rooting hormone. It can be a help, especially with woodier plant such as a Ficus.

Equipment such as heating pads and mist benches also can improve the odds, but of course this is a more expensive an complicated set-up, usually left to commercial operations.

Thanks for the reply! I have perlite, so do you think I should transfer the cuttings to soil and/or perlite or is it too late? Would I have to create a greenhouse environment with a plastic bag or container? And I used cinnamon as a rooting hormone in the beginning, should I dip them again or in something else before moving them to perlite? I really appreciate the help!

 

[Marck]

Thanks for the reply! I have perlite, so do you think I should transfer the cuttings to soil and/or perlite or is it too late? Would I have to create a greenhouse environment with a plastic bag or container? And I used cinnamon as a rooting hormone in the beginning, should I dip them again or in something else before moving them to perlite? I really appreciate the help!

You can try transferring your cuttings to perlite. They don't look that fresh in th ephoto, I believe the first stage of decompositon may be setting in. But do give it a try, and if you can get some more fresh cutting material even better. You do want to keep the cuttings in moderately warm and humid conditons, but the cutting will also benefit from air flow as well. As with most things, balance is key.

Cinnamon isn't a rooting hormone. Some people have suggested using powdered cinnamon on cuttings because of its antimicrobial properties, which could possibly help prevent bacterial or fungal infection.... You will want to buy an actual rooting hormone which is contains one or more auxins; synthetic analogues of the actual hormones that initiates rooting development in all plants. Plants do make auxin hormones, but not always when or as much as a propagator might want. There are many brands Rootone, Dip n; grow, Fastroot, etc.

 

[sassufit]

You can try transferring your cuttings to perlite. They don't look that fresh in th ephoto, I believe the first stage of decompositon may be setting in. But do give it a try, and if you can get some more fresh cutting material even better. You do want to keep the cuttings in moderately warm and humid conditons, but the cutting will also benefit from air flow as well. As with most things, balance is key.

Cinnamon isn't a rooting hormone. Some people have suggested using powdered cinnamon on cuttings because of its antimicrobial properties, which could possibly help prevent bacterial or fungal infection.... You will want to buy an actual rooting hormone which is contains one or more auxins; synthetic analogues of the actual hormones that initiates rooting development in all plants. Plants do make auxin hormones, but not always when or as much as a propagator might want. There are many brands Rootone, Dip n; grow, Fastroot, etc.

Yeah it does seem like they're all rotting.. but alright, I'll try perlite! If it doesn't work, I'll be able to try again next spring with new (and bigger) cuttings I guess haha. Thanks again so much for your help and all this info!!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Something called Hydro coco, natural rooting powder, turned up in our local cheap shop. It is not a hormone rooting powder, but "A natural source of seaweed to dramatically increase propagation". I have tried it sprinkled into the potting compost, and, anecdotally, it does seem to help. I still use the artificial hormone to dip the end of the cutting in if I am at all unsure. Note, be careful not to breath in the powder from that, it can do nasty things.