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Does the beauty of your fiddle leaf fig make you want to get more? Its lush, wavy leaves and simple beauty make any room look better. The good news is that one of the three common ways can help you grow more fiddle leaf figs. Besides soil, which is the most popular way to root plant cuttings, you can also grow them in water or with the air-layering method.
Today, these tried-and-true ways will show you how to grow a fiddle leaf fig (Ficus Lyrata). Read on to learn how to raise fiddle leaf figs correctly and to get some useful care tips as well.
It’s easy to make more fiddle leaf fig trees on your own. Cut the stem at a 45-degree angle and put it straight in soil or water. It’s an easy process. You can also grow more of them by air-layering roots on a node right on the parent plant. Last but not least, you can split a big fiddle leaf fig into several smaller trees. Each tree has separate stems that grow together to form a bush. For woody plants, this method of growth isn’t used very often and takes a little more skill and experience.
What Is the Best Time of the Year to Propagate a Fiddle Leaf Fig?
The best time to grow new fiddle leaf figs and most other indoor trees is from late spring to early summer. The weather is warm and there is enough light at these times of the year to make the ideal conditions for growth, which helps the plant grow roots more quickly.
Before you start to grow more fiddle leaf figs, you need to get these simple things:
Clean the tools with rubbing alcohol before making cuts to stop the spread of disease.
Also, be careful when you use hormones for growing. Put some of it in a different bowl, and then dip the cut into it.
Putting the cutting into the jar of rooting powder could spread bacteria that can be passed on to other cuttings. Because of the chemicals, wear gloves to keep your skin from getting hurt.
Since fiddle leaf figs are woody plants, they can be easily spread by planting plant pieces in soil, water, or the air.
Propagating a Fiddle Leaf Fig in Soil
Getting a fiddle leaf fig to grow in dirt is a pretty easy process. It’s easy to do, just follow these steps:
Pick a stem that is healthy and has two to four nodes. The leaves grow from these rough points. Having more than one node gives you more places to grow. The stem should be bigger than a pencil if possible.
To make a plant that can live, cut a 6-inch stem at a 45-degree angle right under the root with a sharp knife. Take off the leaves from the part that will go in the ground.
Take rooting hormone powder and put it in a cup. Cover and dip 1 to 1.5 inches of the cut end. If the powder doesn’t stick, try again after slightly wetting the cutting.
A 1:2 mix of houseplant potting mix and cactus dirt should be used. The compost should have a pH level of 6-7 and be able to drain well. Put it in a medium-sized or small pot.
With your pencil or finger, dig a hole in the ground that is 1″ to 2″ deep. Put in a third of the cutting.
Don’t soak the earth, but do water it. Spray water on the leaves and keep the earth wet as well. To keep the pot from drying out, put it somewhere with indirect light.
Cover the cutting in the pot with a clear plastic bag to make the air more wet, which will help the plant grow. But take it off every day for 10 to 15 minutes to let air flow.
After 4 to 6 weeks, gently pull on the cutting to see if new roots have grown at the joints.
It’s best to put the plant somewhere bright that doesn’t get full sunlight. Only water it when the soil feels too dry.
Using water to grow fiddle leaf figs is another way to add to your collection of tropical plants. Once more, pick a healthy stem with at least a few nodes and cut it. Take off the bottom leaves.
Take water that has been drained at room temperature. Use water that has been warmed. This thing stops growing.
Make sure the cutting’s nodes are covered, and change the water every week.
In a few weeks, the cutting will start to grow roots if you put it somewhere warm with indirect light.
Follow the notes every week to see if roots start to grow. It takes about six weeks.
Plant the cutting in a small pot with dirt that drains well when the roots are 1 to 2 inches long.
For best growth, water the plant and keep the dirt moist for one to two weeks.
A popular way to grow more fiddle leaf figs is by air-layering, which doesn’t need a cutting. Do these things:
Choose a branch with three to four nodes and a few leaves that is strong enough to hold the new plant. Also, pick a good node for spread.
Begin by cutting a 1.5- to 2-inch circle around the branch’s outer tissue without cutting it off. Rooting hormone powder should be put on the cuts.
Let some peat moss or sphagnum moss soak in water for ten to fifteen minutes. Then, squeeze out any extra water so that it’s damp but not wet.
Place the wet moss around the cut and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it in place. The plastic also stops water from escaping.
Every week, take the moss out of its wrapper to check how wet it is. It will stay wet if you spray it with water.
In about 6 to 8 weeks, you’ll see roots growing from the stem.
Cut off this part of the branch when the roots are 1 to 2 inches long. Put it in a small planter with dirt that drains well.
Put the plant pot somewhere with indirect light that is bright. When the earth feels dry, water it.
It’s pretty easy to spread fiddle leaf figs. But newbies make some mistakes that are easy to spot. If you stay away from these problems, you’ll get fresh, new fiddle leaf figs.
It is a mistake to try to grow a fiddle leaf fig from a single leaf in water. A lot of the time, it doesn’t work because the blind cutting, also known as the “zombie leaf,” can’t grow into a healthy tree.
Another mistake is using tools that haven’t been cleaned, as this can spread disease to the cutting or new plant and stop it from growing.
Cuttings die when they are overwatered or underwatered during growth, or when they are exposed to direct sunlight or not enough light.
For growth to work, it’s also important to pick a parent plant that is healthy. Cuttings from plants that are sick or weak are less likely to grow properly.
Moving quickly through the process of changing the dirt can also stress the plant. If you move a cutting or a plant with new roots to dirt too quickly, this could happen.
Answer: You can make a fiddle leaf fig bushier by cutting off the top of the plant. By pruning in this way, you encourage the plant to grow branches, which makes it look larger.
A: The cutting doesn’t have enough nodes, which is one reason why your fiddle leaf fig isn’t growing. Pick a stem with two to four nodes at all times. It’s also possible that the parent plant is sick or not healthy, which is why the cutting is also not strong enough to grow roots.
There are hormones called rooting hormones that help woody plants like the fiddle leaf fig grow healthy roots quickly. To grow the cutting in dirt, dip it in rooting hormone powder. If you use the air-layering method, you can also mix the hormone powder into the peat or sphagnum grass.
A: You should never overwater or flood a fiddle leaf fig, whether it is an adult tree or one that was just grown from a seed. Do not put it in full sunlight or leave it in a spot where it will get too hot.
It can be easy to grow a fiddle leaf fig at home. But watch out for things like where to cut the plant to make more plants or how to move it without shocking the new plants.
To avoid making the same mistakes, follow the steps above. Soon, you’ll have lovely new plants to decorate your home.
To make your plant family bigger, you can also pair this tropical plant with split leaf philodendron, rubber tree, different kinds of snake plants, and more.
