How to Clone a Weeping Fig

The weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) is related to mulberry trees and has small, glossy green mulberrylike leaves. It grows to 30 or 40 feet tall in its native Southeast Asia, but its size as a houseplant is determined by the size of its container and rarely exceeds 10 feet. Notorious for their sensitivity to environmental change, weeping figs may drop all their leaves if you move them -- too little light in particular being disastrous -- or if they get too cold or too dry. They can be propagated through air layering, but rooting new plants from tip cuttings is much easier.

Rubbing alcohol
Sharp garden knife
Jar of water
Clean, sterile plant pots
Perlite
Sphagnum moss
Pencil
Rooting hormone with fungicide
12-inch-long bamboo stakes
Plastic freezer bags, 1 gallon size

Instructions

- 1
  Cut off the tips of healthy stems, taking sections 4 to 6 inches long. Remove cuttings with a sharp, sterile knife to avoid damaging plant branches. Sterilize your knife with rubbing alcohol.
- 2
  Remove any leaves from the bottom half of the cutting. Make sure there are two or three nodes -- places where leaves were attached -- on the stripped section, because roots will form at these nodes. Place the cuttings in water.
- 3
  Mix the perlite and sphagnum moss together in a 50-50 blend, to create sterile rooting soil. Thoroughly moisten the rooting medium. Fill the pots with rooting medium and allow all excess moisture to drain out.
- 4
  Make holes for the cuttings in the rooting mix, using the pencil. Dust stem bottoms with rooting hormone and shake off any excess. Stick each cutting into a hole and firm the soil around it. Water pots well, and allow excess water to drain.
- 5
  Place each pot in a clear freezer bag. The plastic bag will create a warm, humid "greenhouse" that will keep cuttings hydrated until roots can pull in moisture. Place bamboo stakes in each pot -- on opposite sides -- to prevent plastic from touching the cuttings.
- 6
  Put pots in a warm location near bright but indirect light. A window with an eastern or southern exposure is ideal. Avoid direct light to prevent burning and to keep "greenhouses" from overheating. Roots should develop within three to four weeks.

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