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Ficus Ginseng
Ficus microcarpa
Reviewed by Kiersten Rankel M.S.
QUICK ANSWER
Water cuttings root in 4 to 6 weeks and let you watch progress through the glass but transplant shock is real. Soil cuttings root in 6 to 8 weeks under a humidity dome and transition to a houseplant smoothly.
Air layering produces a pre-rooted thick branch in 8 to 12 weeks and is the only way to get an instant medium-sized bonsai-style plant.
Air layering produces a pre-rooted thick branch in 8 to 12 weeks and is the only way to get an instant medium-sized bonsai-style plant.
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Water propagation
Best for beginners who want to watch roots form
Soil propagation
Best for skipping the water-to-soil transition
Air layering
Best for getting a thick pre-rooted branch
Water propagation
Time
4–6 weeks
Level
Beginner
Success rate
High
You'll need
Clear glass jar or vase
Filtered water (or tap left to sit 24 hours)
Sterile shears or a sharp knife
Bright indirect light spot
4-inch pot with drainage holes
Houseplant potting mix
1
Take a healthy stem tip
Pick a green flexible stem tip with at least 4 to 6 leaves. Cut a 4 to 6 inch section just below a leaf node with sterile shears. Avoid woody brown stems since they root much slower than green growth.
2
Prep the cutting
Strip the bottom 2 leaves so no foliage will sit underwater. Ficus oozes a milky white sap when cut.
Rinse the cut end under running water for 30 seconds to wash off the sap, then let it air dry for 10 minutes before going into water.
Rinse the cut end under running water for 30 seconds to wash off the sap, then let it air dry for 10 minutes before going into water.
3
Place in clean water
Fill a clear jar with filtered or settled tap water and submerge only the bottom node. Set in bright indirect light away from direct sun. Direct sun heats the water and cooks the cutting.
4
Refresh water weekly
Pour out and replace the water every 5 to 7 days to keep oxygen levels up and prevent algae. Rinse the cut end while you do it. Cloudy water means bacteria are building up and the cutting is in trouble.
5
Wait for white roots
Small white root bumps appear at 2 to 3 weeks and roots reach 1 to 2 inches by 4 to 6 weeks. Wait until you have at least 3 roots that are an inch long before potting up. Shorter roots break easily during transplant.
6
Pot up gradually
Move into a 4-inch pot with houseplant potting mix. Keep the soil consistently moist for the first 2 weeks while water roots adapt to soil.
Expect a few leaves to drop after the move since water roots and soil roots are slightly different. New growth signals the transition is complete.
Expect a few leaves to drop after the move since water roots and soil roots are slightly different. New growth signals the transition is complete.
WATCH FOR
Mushy brown tissue at the submerged cut end. That is stem rot from stagnant water. Re-cut half an inch above the damage with a sterile blade and start over in fresh water. Ficus recovers well from a single re-cut.
Soil propagation
Time
6–8 weeks
Level
Beginner
Success rate
High
You'll need
Sterile shears
Rooting hormone (optional)
Houseplant potting mix with perlite
4-inch pot with drainage holes
Clear plastic bag or dome
Bright indirect light spot
1
Take a 6-inch tip cutting
Cut a healthy green tip with 4 to 6 leaves just below a leaf node. Strip the bottom 2 leaves. Rinse the cut end to remove the milky sap and let it air dry for 15 minutes.
2
Dip in rooting hormone
Tap the cut end into rooting hormone powder and shake off the excess. Hormone is optional for Ficus Ginseng but speeds up rooting by about a week. Skip it if you do not have any since this plant roots reliably either way.
3
Stick into pre-moistened mix
Fill a 4-inch pot with potting mix amended with extra perlite for drainage. Pre-moisten until water drips from the bottom.
Use a chopstick to make a hole and slide the cutting in 1 to 2 inches deep so the bottom node is buried. Firm the soil around the stem.
Use a chopstick to make a hole and slide the cutting in 1 to 2 inches deep so the bottom node is buried. Firm the soil around the stem.
4
Cover with a humidity dome
Tent a clear plastic bag over the pot or use a propagation dome to hold humidity around 80 percent. Place in bright indirect light at 70 to 80 degrees F. Vent the cover for 10 minutes daily to prevent mold.
5
Check for roots at 6 weeks
Give a gentle tug at 6 weeks. Resistance means roots have anchored. If the cutting pulls out, slide it back in and wait another 2 weeks. New leaf growth is also a clear rooted signal.
6
Remove the dome and grow on
Take the cover off gradually over 5 to 7 days to let the cutting acclimate to room humidity. Water when the top inch of soil dries. Keep in bright indirect light and feed monthly with diluted houseplant fertilizer once new growth is steady.
WATCH FOR
Yellow leaves dropping from the cutting in the first 2 weeks. That is normal stress response, not failure. Leave the cutting in place as long as the stem stays firm and green. Pull only if the stem turns soft or brown.
Air layering
Time
8–12 weeks
Level
Intermediate
Success rate
High
You'll need
Sterile sharp knife
Rooting hormone (recommended)
Sphagnum moss (pre-soaked)
Clear plastic wrap
Twist ties or twine
1-gallon pot with drainage and houseplant mix
1
Pick a healthy thick branch
Choose a branch that is pencil-thick or thicker, ideally one that has been growing well for at least a year. Mark a spot 6 to 12 inches back from the tip where you want roots to form. The branch should still have 4 to 6 leaves above the chosen spot.
2
Make a wound in the bark
Use a sterile knife to remove a half-inch wide ring of bark all the way around the branch.
Scrape the green cambium layer underneath until you reach the harder white wood, then dust the wound with rooting hormone.
Scrape the green cambium layer underneath until you reach the harder white wood, then dust the wound with rooting hormone.
3
Wrap with damp sphagnum moss
Squeeze excess water from pre-soaked sphagnum moss until it is just damp. Pack a tennis-ball-sized handful around the wounded section. The moss must completely cover the wound and feel firm but not dripping.
4
Seal with plastic wrap
Wrap clear plastic tightly around the moss and secure both ends with twist ties or twine. The seal needs to be airtight to hold moisture inside. Check the moss color through the plastic since it should stay light brown and damp, never dry or black.
5
Wait for visible white roots
Roots show through the plastic in 6 to 12 weeks depending on warmth and season. Wait until you see a dense network of white roots, not just a few strands.
Patience here pays off because a sparsely rooted layer often fails after severing.
Patience here pays off because a sparsely rooted layer often fails after severing.
6
Sever and pot up
Cut the branch off just below the new root ball with sharp pruners. Remove the plastic but leave the moss attached to the roots. Plant into a 1-gallon pot with houseplant mix and keep humidity high for 2 weeks while the new plant settles in.
WATCH FOR
Dry crumbly moss showing through the plastic before roots form. The seal has failed and moisture is escaping. Open the wrap, re-soak the moss, and re-seal more tightly. The wound stays viable for several weeks even if the first wrap dries out.
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About This Article
Kiersten Rankel M.S.
Botanical Data Lead at Greg · Plant Scientist
Editorial Process
Propagation methods verified against Ficus microcarpa growth data from Greg's botanical database, cross-referenced with USDA hardiness zone data and published horticultural research.
18,773+ Greg users growing this plant
USDA hardiness zones 9a–11b