| How do you prune a rubber tree and create new trees with the clippings? |
| With regard to pruning, I found the following notes in our Q&A database: According to Jean Cook of TerraSalis Garden Center & Nursery, the Rubber Plant (Ficus decora) is pruned in the following way: For starters, be sure to use clean, sharp pruners - also keep some rubbing alcohol handy, you will need it to clean the prunersperiodically. Take a look at the plant and note that you will be removing 1/3 to 1/2 of the plant's branches. Do not remove more foliage than that because doing so could compromise the plant's ability to complete photosynthesis and could shock the plant. Leaves on this plant grow alternately, you should be sure to prune the growth all the way down to a leaf joint, not between the leaves. You will eventually get new growth (basal sprouting) at this area. After awhile, this new growth will help make your plant appear more full and lush rather than leggy. Jean Cook reports that pruning a Rubber Plant is messy, as the plant will probably leak a milky sap at the cut sites. Also, if your plant will look a bit sparse when you are finished, don't think you have ruined it! This trim will result in a nice chubby Rubber Plant in a short while. One other thing I learned about Rubber Plants during our conversation...a common complaint with this plant is leaf drop. Jean tells me that when Rubber Plants are grown in "captivity" they naturally have a tendency to lose their lower leaves as they put on new growth at the top.... With regard to starting new plants from cuttings, it's always worth a try but these plants are normally started by air layering instead. I'll try to describe the process here--but if you visit your library you may find a book with illustrations. Begin by deciding where you want to cut the stem. I would try one of the four stems first, before cutting all three. I would take the cutting about 18" from the top of the stem. First, using a sharp knife cut almost halfway through the stem. Insert a wooden matchstick to hold the cut slightly open. Now surround the open cut with a ball of moistened sphagnum moss. Using a plastic bag, wrap the moss carefully, securing it to the stem above and below the cut. Check the moss regularly to be sure it stays moist. Roots should emerge from the cut surface and grow into the moss. Once you see this happening, cut the stem just below the new roots and plant in fresh, sterile potting soil. I hope it works for you! Good luck! |
