Newly Rooted Rubber Tree

Question

I just rooted a Rubber tree cutting, has nice long roots. Just planted it yesterday. Here are my questions:

1. How often should I water it until the roots catch?
2. I put sticks and string to hold tree in place until roots catch, when should I remove them?
3. I potted it in 5″ or 6″ pot when shoudl I repot?
4. What else should I do to keep my plant strong until it roots?
5. Mother plant is in 12″ or 14″ inch pot, it’s about 4-5 feet tall keeping it pruned, how often should I repot that rubber tree?

Answer 1

Answer #1. You should keep the plant on the slightly dry side of evenly moist. This ficus has thick leaves that store more moisture than thin leaved plants. If you keep the soil too wet, you are asking for problems, especially if you put only one cutting in the pot. (I usually put 3.)
Answer #2. When i pot up a cutting, I make sure the stem is low enough that when the soil is “firmed” (NOT packed) in, it won’t need staking. You can remove them as the root system develops.
Answer #3 & 5. Some 35 years ago, I asked this question to a wise gentleman in the greenhouse industry. He assured me that you could repot “up” until you were using a bathtub, but by them you couldn’t handle the size or weight. He said to keep plants underpotted and keep them fertilized. Also, if they were too big for the container, cut them back. This has been soe of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. So, all these years, I’ve been pruning and fertilizing instead of potting “up” and reducing numbers.
Answer #4. Nothing. Care should be the same as for the mother plant.

Answer 2

Thanks for your advice Ann, I would’ve planted more in one pot but leaves are very large. FIgured as time went on it would grow pups like an aloe plant does. When I repot it can I add more rubber tree cuttings to the plant?

Answer 3

Yes, you can add more to the first plant. Ficus robusta (or elastica) does not pup from the base like an aloe. It will branch from the leaf nodes closest to the place where the growing tip was removed. SO, if you are trying to keep the plant to a certain size, make the cut closer to the soil or trunk.This way, the plant will have a lower center of gravity and not flop everywhere!

Answer 4

there are new growth a little below the tip where I pruned from the mother rubber tree I will continue to cut them off, I like the size of the tree as it is now and it also starting to grow from the bottom making it look fuller. Thanks for all the advice.just watered the newly rooted rubber tree again today I will water every week when soils is almost dried out.
thanks again.