Hello, I'm new here. I like to keep houseplants, some for a really long time. I have a Ficus bush that is special to me. It's 36 years old. It is not doing very well. It has several stems, only one looks okay. I want to take some cuttings of the tender branches and start new plants. I'm looking at rooting hormones. I found one called Hormex, but their guide does not list Ficus. I'm wondering which number to use. I'm also wondering how hard one of these can be cut back. There are a bunch of shoots about a foot up coming out of one of the stems. Can it be chopped down hard and started over? The reason I ask is because the healthiest stem hits the ceiling and bends back down into the room. It doesn't look real nice. I am thankful for any suggestions.

Ficus root easily from cuttings. Cut a piece, strip the leaves off the bottom of the stem and plant them in potting soil. My tree was started by my father in law as a gift to my mother 30 yeas ago. He took tip cuttings and put the in soil.

Sumire has a 'Ficus Forest' she keeps as bonsai, all the trees are cutting grown. Everytime she prunes, she adds to the 'forest.'



No rooting hormone needed.

But, lets try to save your Ficus! They are hard to kill. Tell us how you care for it: light, water, environment. And post some photos.

Hi & welcome! Agree, Ficus root easily, and no hormone needed. I don't own any of that stuff.

Are you able to add a pic, Scott? Hitting the ceiling and bending back down sounds like a unique old plant.

IME with Ficus snippings, they're just like most other woodies, taking root most easily at the semi-hardwood point, where fresh, new, green stem meets older, woody stem.

For the main plant, you could cut the whole thing down to a foot tall and it should sprout new stems, assuming it's not unhealthy. So you don't need to think that your only hope is to propagate it.

Thanks for the info! It's at my office, and I'm going there later to snap some pictures. It's not in a great spot, there is not a lot of light there. The one healthy stem is bent down and plastered up against a west window. It's kind of an eyesore. If I can cut it back, I will bring it home and put it in a spot where it will fit. It gets watered once a week.

It sounds so interesting!

Be prepared that when you cut into Ficus, white sap will bleed out. Try to not get the sap on your skin because if you are one of the unfortunate people, it can cause a rash like poison ivy. From my experience, washing it off right away with soap and cool water prevents the rash from occurring.

It can stain surfaces too, I do this kind of trimming outside only. If you spritz or pour water over the cut surface, the sap will dilute and not stain the trunk of your plant.

Also beware that your plant will burn easily/quickly outside if not kept in the shade.

Thanks for the advice. I did not know that about the sap!

Here's the pictures. The ceiling is ten feet.

Your tree looks very healthy but its sending a clear message: More light please!

I would be tempted to cut it all the way back to the lowest little branches but unless you plan to move it to in front of the window, it won't help.

Thanks so much. So, I'm going to root some cuttings and get new plants started. Once they are established, I guess I will prune the thing all the way back and bring it home. I'm going to retire someday, and I can't leave it in that room forever!

That IS a very interesting plant! Sounds like a good plan. I like to do pruning in stages when possible. You have enough material there to start a whole tiny forest.

I like to do most pruning in stages, also, but with ficus I think I would do it all at once. Since it is prone to bleeding, my rational is that individual cuts would bleed less, or at least slower, due to a greater drop in internal pressure due to the many outlets. This in turn would allow fast coagulation of the cut surfaces.

Thank you all for the info. I'm going to plant the "tiny forest" and see how that takes off. Then it's decision time for the original plant. That's a tough one. I want to get it down to a normal size without killing it. Anyway, I do have some time to kick the idea around!

You won't kill it no matter how much you take off. But without better light, it will grow the same again.