Save your over grown cheese or rubber plant!

Propagation by stem layer cuttings

If you have a cheese plant or rubber plant that is about to touch the ceiling and need to take drastic action propagating a new plant could be the answer.

The first stage is to make an upward cut in the stem near to the top of a shoot or leading stem. Cut about 2/3 of the way through as shown in the photograph. With rubber plant you will find that a milky white sap floods out of the cut. This sap can cause an irritant to some people so it is important to wash your hands afterwards.

After cutting the stem pack it with damp moss. Arrange the moss so that some of the moss is in the cut. The purpose is to get the cut moist whilst the stem produces some roots. Next wrap the area with a clear plastic and bind to a cane to add additional support. The plastic will seal the moisture into the rooting area. After about 8 weeks you should notice some new roots growing in the moss at this point you can remove the plastic and cut the stem to remove the rooted section and pot with normal house plant compost. The new plant might need to be stalked whilst it develops new roots into the fresh compost.