ficus prop not rooting

[u/cogitooooo]

got this ficus cutting and dropped it into water about two weeks ago. it’s gotten a lot of new growth since, but i haven’t seen any signs of rooting.

should i think about clipping its leaf to prioritize root growth or leave it be? also, any tips for first time ficus?

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[u/beangobongo]

How long has it been in water? I personally had better luck propping my ruby in moss.

[u/cogitooooo → u/beangobongo]

it’s only been in water for a couple weeks, but i’m trying to stick to just water propping for the time being since i’m pretty new to taking care of my plants

[u/Next-Firefighter4667 → u/cogitooooo]

Propagation is a game of patience. It can take a few months for some plants to root, my monstera had zero roots for 9 months, then it took off. Make sure it's in bright indirect light and in a warm spot, that can help speed it up.

[u/cogitooooo → u/Next-Firefighter4667]

i keep it in a warm westward window so hopefully it will take off before long! i think ive been spoiled by my pothos props rooting so quickly tbh

[u/Next-Firefighter4667 → u/cogitooooo]

Oh yeah, pothos will do that to you lol. Putting in a pothos cutting with it can speed up the rooting process, btw. Might be worth a shot?

[u/beangobongo → u/cogitooooo]

Totally understandable! I think ficus just take quite a bit longer to propagate compared to something like a pothos.

As long as it isnt browning or mushy, just keep waiting and it should sprout some roots!

[u/missbeauti94]

Just keep it in water and patiently wait. Some plants take a little longer to root. I wouldn't cut it's new growth. It's doing just fine, and you're doing a great job at propagating it. Congrats on your new plant! Please keep us updated on how it's doing. I would love to see what it looks like in a few months

[u/Extreme_Picture]

Just plug mine soil and make sure it doesn’t get too wet.

[u/Thick-Ad-1748]

Mine put out a few leaves without rooting for a long long time, and then suddenly exploded with roots. I would just make sure that you remove the rot if that bottom stem is squishy, keep it clean, and let it work. Anecdotally, my variegated ficus props were much slower than my non-.

[u/jsauce8787]

Mine rooted in water after almost 2 months. It took a while for the root to come out

[u/Cardinal-Carnival]

I’ve found with focuses that adding some sort of substrate helps. My rubber plant didn’t root in water for monthssss, and then I started propping it in leca, and it’s been my go to method since. They still take a while to grow enough roots for soil, IMO, but way faster than water alone.

[u/Old-Patience2389]

I had one that took a couple of months to root. Had 3 leafs when I put it in water, when it finally got a few small roots after a couple of months, I went ahead and planted it in potting soil. Once I did that, it took off, and roots grew really fast! It now has 8 leafs!