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Propagating a Fiddle Leaf Fig

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Propagating a fiddle leaf fig in water is so easy to do and you will get a beautiful new plant for free.

I’ve already shared my tips on fiddle leaf fig care and repotting a fiddle leaf fig, but today is all about propagation.

I bought my Leo 3 years ago and I’ve watched him grow and thrive into the big plant he is today.

I’ve always wanted to try to propagation but I was afraid that I would do something that would harm him.

Once I repotted him to a bigger pot though, he sprouted up so tall that his main trunk started to sag.

That’s when I decided it was a good time to try my hand at propagation.

fiddle leaf fig and snake plant in corner of living room

Can you propagate a fiddle leaf fig leaf?

The short answer…yes! And there are three different ways that you can do it.

3 ways to propagate a fiddle leaf fig

Never having propagated a fiddle leaf fig before I started researching. In all that research I learned that there are 3 ways to propagate a fiddle leaf fig…

  • in soil
  • placing a cutting in water
  • air layering

Putting a cutting in water seemed like an easy way to root my plant so that’s the method I tried.

You can propagate any time of the year but during my research I learned that doing it in the spring was best so that was my goal.

Cutting your ficus for propagation

Before you put clippers to your ficus you want to look at your plant to see where the best place is to make your cut.

Ideally you want a stem that is 12-18″ long with one to three leaves and 2-3 nodes, as this will increase your rate of success.

Leaving more than 3 leaves may prevent your plant from using the energy that it needs for the new roots.

A node is where a bud, leaf or branch is located along a stem, and where your new roots will grow during propagation.

nodes on a fiddle leaf fig plant


To make your cut you want to use sharp pruning shears with clean blades. My favorite shears are made by Fiskars.

Once you’ve cleaned your shears and have found a good spot to trim you want to cut your stem at an angle, which allow more surface area to drink up the water.

using clippers to trim fiddle leaf fig

You may see a milky white substance on the stems of your plant after you cut them. It’s perfectly normal. Just take care not to touch it or let any get on your carpet.

cut fiddle leaf fig stem

Rooting a Fiddle Leaf Fig

After you cut your stem you want to place it in a bottle of water and keep it in a warm, well-lit spot where it will get indirect light.

I read a lot of articles that said you should use distilled water but I used the water right out of our tap and didn’t have any issues.

One thing you do want to remember is to not let the leaves sit in the water. You also want to keep an eye on the water level (the roots must always be submerged).

Some people change the water in their jar or vase every few days but I ended up changing mine either when the water level dropped or the when the water was getting dirty, which was roughly once a week.

Now it’s time to watch the magic happen.

In about 2-3 weeks you should start to see roots. They will start as little white nubs.

Mine started rooting 3 weeks after I put the stem in water.

roots growing on stem of fiddle leaf fig

And a big surprise was that a new branch started to grow out of the node right below my cut on Leo.

Success!!!

new branch growing on fiddle leaf fig

After 3 more weeks the roots were getting thicker and longer.

roots of propagated fiddle leaf fig stem in bottle of water

How long does it take a fiddle leaf fig to propagate?

Mine was ready to plant 3 months after I started the propagation process. Sometimes it will be a shorter process and sometimes longer.

You’ll know when it’s ready to plant when the roots are a couple of inches long with smaller roots growing out of the bigger roots.

roots of propagated fiddle leaf fig stem

Planting Your New Ficus

Planting my new little FLF was the easy part.

You can use a 1 gallon or medium pot with drain hole along with a well draining potting soil with perlite.

The potting soil I used was the same brand I chose to repot Leo in the beginning of spring.

pouring potting soil in pot

I just poured a bit of soil into my pot, placed the stem in the center and covered it with more soil.

watering planted fiddle leaf fig

You want to water your new plant well but don’t use fertilizer for a while, which could be too much for the new roots.

pottered propagated fiddle leaf fig stem

Place your new fiddle leaf fig plant in a warm spot with plenty of indirect sunlight and watch it grow.

propagated fiddle leaf fig plant in ceramic pot

Welcome to our family, Fiona! I can’t wait to watch you grow!

Check out more of our plant care posts

Yield: 1 fiddle leaf fig plant

Propagating a Fiddle Leaf Fig in Water

roots of propagated fiddle leaf fig stem in bottle of water

The easy way to propagate a fiddle leaf fig plant in a bottle of water. Tips for time of year, cutting and rooting a healthy new ficus.

 Prep Time 10 minutes
Rooting Time 3 months
Total Time 3 months 10 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost free

Materials

  • pruning shears
  • bottle/jar
  • potting soil
  • 1 gallon, or medium, pot with drain hole

Instructions

  1. Use clean pruning shears to cut fiddle leaf fig at an angle (make sure your stem is 12-18" long with 2-3 nodes).
  2. Remove all but 2-3 leaves on cut stem.
  3. Place stem in vase or bottle with water (do not let leaves sit in water).
  4. Place bottle in warm spot with indirect sunlight.
  5. Change water when level gets low or water gets dirty (once or twice a week).
  6. Make sure roots stay submerged in water.
  7. Once roots are at least 2" long with smaller roots growing out of bigger roots, you can plant.
  8. Use a 1 gallon, or medium, pot with a drain hole and well-draining potting soil with perlite.
  9. Put a layer of dirt in bottom of pot.
  10. Place stem in middle of pot on soil.
  11. Fill pot with more soil.
  12. Water well.
  13. Place newly potted fiddle leaf fig in a warm spot with plenty of indirect sunlight.
  14. Watch your new plant grow.

Did you make this project?

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