Air Layering the Rubber Plant
I wanted to try this method of propagating to see how it works. The concept is that you force the plant to grow roots above the soil. In a sort of makeshift mini environment. I have read a few different sources on how you do this. Here are the things you will need for this.- Plastic bag (ziplock bag)
- twist ties
- soil or moss
- scissors
- Rooting Hormone
You want to identify where you want to grow the roots. If your plant is mature enough, you will see little bumps on the branch. This can eventually turn into roots with the proper encouragement.
You want to use a plastic bag. I have seen videos of this being done with a bread bag. I decided to use a ZipLock bag. First I had to cut the ziplock portion off and then along the side, so it is a long sheet.
Now it is a nice long piece of sheet.
You want to wrap the plastic around the branch and twist tie it at the bottom. This creates a bag that the soil will sit in. At this point, you want to add rooting hormone to the site. I didn't have any, so we are going without.
*I have read that for method of propagating of branch types of plants, it would help to peal off a thin layer of bark. Because this is a rubber plant, I would not recommend doing that to this plant. When this plant is cut, either on the leaves or branch, she starts to secret a white waxy liquid that could cause irritation. You always want to wear gloves when you are pruning, pinching or cutting this plant*
We the soil with some water. This will make it a bit easier to work with and place in the plastic bag. You can also use moss. I am using soil because that is what I have at the moment to work with. You don't want to wet it too much or it will then be muddy. Just enough so that it clumps together a bit.
Place the soil in the bag and twist tie it at the top to seal it in.
My rubber plant is so tall, that I decided to try this in two different spots on the plant. This will delay the time it will take because it is making the plant work twice as hard to create roots.
You want to keep an eye out for root growth. Keep the bags moist to help promote roots. This method was done on April 1st. I don't expect to see any results for about 6-8 weeks.
