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How To Propagate Ficus Audrey?

Propagating plants is a great way to take cuttings and grow new additions to your indoor jungle. Look no further than right here, for ideas on how to propagate ficus audrey, for the best results for you and it!

How To Propagate Ficus Audrey

How To Propagate Ficus Audrey

In the wild, these trees propagate themselves using seeds as well as offshoots from the main trunk, and they do it very well!

For a ficus audrey grown in a pot, it is easiest to propagate it using stem cuttings. This is a fairly simple process; let’s look into it in more depth:

  1. Lay down a protective sheet and wear gloves – the sticky sap is toxic and you don’t want it getting into your mouth or into any cuts you may have.
  2. Fill a small pot with moistened, well draining soil, ready for the cutting to be planted into.
  3. Choose a spot on the stem that you want to propagate – go for a stem that has 2-3 leaves or more, for best results.
  4. Carefully snip the stem with clean, sharp secateurs, and dip the end immediately into rooting hormone or rooting powder.
  5. Push this end into the potting mix, firm it in well and mist the soil with a little water from a spray bottle.
  6. Place a plastic bag over the pot, and put it in a warm spot that receives bright, indirect light.
  7. Keep the soil moist but not too soggy, to help support the cutting and allow it to grow well.
  8. After 3-4 weeks, roots should have taken hold and you can remove the plastic bag. You should hold off repotting your cutting for a while longer.
  9. Once the cutting is well established it should start to grow well, and this is the time that you can consider putting it into a larger pot.

How Long Does It Take To Propagate Ficus Audrey?

Some plants can take literally months to show any signs of life after you have propagated them; this can be a tense and frustrating time!

Ficus audrey is less of a tease than many other plants, however, and they cope very well with being propagated and grown on.

You should start to see results and new growth of your ficus audrey within 3-5 weeks, as long as its favorite conditions are maintained.

Your cutting, like the parent plant, needs bright, indirect sunlight in order to grow healthy and happy – 6 hours a day is the ideal.

It will like to be kept moist but not soggy – not enough water will kill it, while too much water can rot the roots and cause disease.

Fertilizer can help ficus audrey grow stronger and healthier; you shouldn’t have to dose the cutting but if it is struggling then a minute dose may help.

Will Ficus Cuttings Root In Water?

Although generally we place cutting straight into potting soil, did you know that you can simply use water for the same job?

The method of removing the cutting is the same – snip off a stem from the main plant, ensuring that you cut cleanly and take one that has at least 2-3 leaves.

Place the cutting straight into a jar of water. Putting a plastic bag over the mouth of the jar will mimic the humid, greenhouse conditions this plant loves.

It is best to use rainwater if you can, or at least filtered water that has been left to stand so it loses most of its chlorine.

Once the cutting is in the water, it will be easy for you to see the little roots starting to form – this is the exciting part!

It can take up to a month for this process to get underway, so be patient and just keep an eye on your cutting for this time.

Once you see strong roots branching out, you can get your ficus cutting potted up, and watch it grow strong and healthy!

Can You Propagate A Ficus Audrey Leaf?

Can You Propagate A Ficus Audrey Leaf

Most plants can only be propagated from cutting from the stem, but ficus audrey is slightly different.

You can grow a whole new plant, from just a leaf of this impressive grower! The process is similar to taking a standard cutting:

  • Fill a shallow tray or pot with equal parts potting soil, horticultural sand, and perlite.
  • Break off a large, healthy leaf (this should be an older leaf from a well established branch).
  • You should wear gloves while doing this, as the sticky white sap can be irritating to skin, and toxic if swallowed.
  • Place the leaf’s stem into the potting mix and dampen the soil using a spray bottle.
  • Cover the tray with a plastic lid, or a plastic bag – this will retain warmth and moisture.
  • Keep the soil damp but not soggy, to help support the root development.
  • Keep the tray in a warm spot, with plenty of morning sunlight.
  • After around 6 weeks, your leaf should have developed roots and the new plant is ready to be potted on.

This video, although it is not specific to ficus audrey, shows how easy it is to propagate a ficus from just a leaf:

How Do You Take Cuttings From A Ficus Tree?

Taking cuttings is generally the same process no matter what plant you are taking them from, but when it comes to ficus there are some rules you should always follow.

  1. Take cutting from the tip, rather than large sections. This plant is very happy to grow, so even small cutting should take root fast.
  2. Remove any leaves from the bottom of the cutting. This will encourage the growth to focus on the new roots, rather than the old leaves.
  3. Place the ends in rooting hormone to help speed up the process of developing roots.
  4. Give your cutting plenty of warmth and humidity – whether this be in a greenhouse, under a plastic lid or a plastic bag, to hold warmth in the soil.
  5. Keep the soil moist but not too soggy while the roots are forming – ficus need to drink but won’t want to sit in wet soil.
  6. Allow it plenty of direct sunlight in the morning, but limit the hotter afternoon sunshine which may damage your delicate babies.

As you can see, propagating a ficus audrey can be a tricky business but you can do it as long as you follow the proper procedure.

Propagating our own plants gives a great sense of satisfaction, plus you can enjoy the rewards of having many more plants to love and care for!

5 thoughts on “How To Propagate Ficus Audrey?”

    • Putting your cuttings into water is a very popular way of propagating, and it works very well – but you have to take care when potting into soil, as roots formed in the water will be slightly more delicate than those grown straight into soil.

      Reply
      • Do you use the rooting hormone for leaf propagation? And is there any need to let the end (of the leaf or cutting) to scab over before moving forward? Thanks!

        Reply
  1. Do you use the rooting hormone for leaf propagation? And is there any need to let the end (of the leaf or cutting) to scab over before moving forward? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Using rooting hormone is a great way to get your propagated leaves started off; it will give them that little extra boost that they sometimes need to get going. And no, it is best to not let the ends dry up or scab over – you want to work quickly when you are propagating leaves or cuttings. Good luck!

      Reply

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