Rubber Plant cutting?

[alaskagold]

One of my bosses offered me a cutting of his wonderfully large rubber plant. Oh course I won't pass it up... but I have no clue where to cut it nor how to get it to root.

Any suggestions?

[bonsaiboy]

I would think that it could be grown like most cuttings. However, the leaves can be rather large, so when you plant it you should cut off all but a few leaves, and the ones you leave on cut in half.

[alaskagold]

Thanks Bonsai. I will do that!

[Hydroponics]

Just cut it about 6-8 inches long. Trim off all the leaves but one or two. Make sure to dip the end in some rooting hormone so you can improve your chances of success.

You can plant it in something like rockwool so it will be easy to transport to your house and into a pot.

[Kisal]

Don't just take a leaf and its petiole. Rubber trees require a part of the stem in order to form roots.

[applestar]

I've never tried rooting cutting of rubber plant before. I've always air- layered with 100% success, even in wintertime (it just takes a little longer). They air layer in no time at all in the summertime.

[Kisal]

The one time I propagated a rubber plant, I, too, used air-layering. It just seemed to be the easiest way to go, and it was a technique I had been wanting to try.

[applestar]

Well, you know me by now -- I say NEW EXPERIMENT! And air layer 3 or 4 at a time... Then have to find friends and family who would take them off my hands. I guess I've NEW EXPERIMENTED with air layering rubber plants... Oh, 5 or 6 times over the years... I try again when I've forgotten what it was like....

Last time it backfired because my kids said they wanted to keep ALL the babies.

I kept and chopped down the mother plant to play with it for Bonsai. It almost seems unlikely, but apparently, they respond well to leaf miniaturization techniques (a NEW EXPERIMENT! )

[Kisal]

How interesting! I hope you start a new thread about that, and let us know about your progress. Including pics, of course!

I'll certainly be following the thread, if you start it!

[DoubleDogFarm]

But she's got high hopes... she's got high hopes

She's got high Applestar pie in the sky hopes

So any time you're getting low

'Stead of letting go,

Just remember that ant.

Oops there goes another rubber tree

Oops there goes another rubber tree

Oops there goes another rubber tree plant.

and just think I'm 47 tomorrow

Eric

[Kisal]

and just think I'm 47 tomorrow

Awww! Happy birthday in advance!

(You're still wet behind the ears, you young whippersnapper. )

[applestar]

Happy B'day from me, to! ( with apologies to Alaskagold for the interruption in the thread )

Now Eric, we'd love to see a video, or at least hear an audio recording of you singing that song -- I can't quite recall the tune.... ( )

[DoubleDogFarm]

Thank You!

I was taken out for Mexican dinner last night. No margaritas, but a few cerveza. Not enough to sing in public, but family and friends, made a go of it.

Back to the rubber room

Eric