A Detailed Guide to the Latest Propagation Methods for the Rubber Plant

The rubber plant has high ornamental value and is a well-known potted foliage plant, extremely suitable for indoor beautification and arrangement. Small and medium-sized plants are often used to beautify living rooms and studies; medium and large plants are suitable for placement on both sides of the entrance halls of large buildings and in the center of lobbies, appearing majestic and spectacular, and can reflect a tropical scenery. The rubber plant is commonly propagated by two methods: cuttings and air layering.

Propagation by cuttings is relatively simple, very easy to root, and fast-growing. It is generally carried out in late spring and early summer in combination with pruning. Select a lignified middle section of a one-year-old branch as the cutting. Keep three buds on the cutting, cut off the lower leaf, fold the upper two leaves together and tie them with plastic, or cut off half of the upper leaf to reduce water evaporation. To prevent excessive loss of milky sap from the cut and its effect on rooting, promptly coat the wound with plant ash. Insert the prepared cutting into a cutting bed with river sand or vermiculite as the substrate. After insertion, keep the cutting bed at relatively high humidity, and frequently sprinkle water on the ground (but do not let water accumulate) to increase air humidity. At a temperature of 18-25°C and under semi-shaded conditions, rooting can occur in about 2-3 weeks.

Using air layering at home is also relatively convenient and has a high success rate. When air layering, choose a two-year-old branch, first make a girdle 1-1.5 cm wide on the branch; then wrap damp moss or peat soil around the wound, finally wrap it tightly with plastic film, and tie both the upper and lower ends. After 1-2 months, the rooted branch can be cut off and potted.