Admirers of the fiddle leaf plant appreciate the leaves’ unusual shape and waxy texture, dark yet vibrant green color, and rugged yet slender trunks.
That’s why fiddle tree lovers often want to grow more. In this article, we’re going to share tips on how to propagate fiddle leaf fig plants:

Propagating Fiddle-Leaf Ficus: Abbreviated
Here’s what you need to do:
- Have a container ready with soil or water. Make sure it is clean and chlorine free.
- Cut one or two leaves with a sharp tool, and place them with the cut portion in water.
- Place it in a well-lit location and allow it to produce a root. This should take about one month.
- Once the roots have developed, plant your new fiddle leaf in the soil.
Fiddle-leaf figs require a specific environment to thrive.
While they seem easy to keep hardy and healthy indoors, they will not flower or blossom when kept inside.
Therefore, they must be kept indoors in locations not sufficiently similar to their place of origin.
For these reasons, lovers of the fiddle tree plant must use another means of propagation.
This is done by cutting a leaf or stem and letting it grow in water or soil, enabling it to become a viable new fiddle leaf plant.
Most houseplants can be propagated this way, but the fiddle leaf tree is one of the easiest to propagate successfully.
Even if your early attempts fail, fiddle leaf plants are hardy enough to sustain repeated attempts.
Below, we will describe the process so for you to successfully reproduce your fiddle leaf ficus.
How To Propagate A Fiddle-Leaf Plant: Full
The following is not the only method; it is the one most caring for fiddle leaf figs are likely to succeed with.
Other methods utilize a stem rather than a leaf or leaves and soil rather than water.
However, most horticulturalists will agree that the water and leaf method is easier.

1. Prep Your Container
Prepare a container using clean water. Often a bottle with an opening about 2” inches wide is best to keep the leaves in place firmly.
Use distilled water. If you use tap water, allow it to sit for 16 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
The size and shape of the container must be well suited to support the cutting and hold it firmly upright.
Do not take your cutting until your container and water are ready to accept it.
2. Take Your Cutting
Experienced fiddle tree carers say two or three connected leaves are the best amount to take. Taking more than this may require more resources than the cutting has to sustain itself. Gently wedge the stem and leaves, so they stand up inside the opening/neck of your container. Make sure the
3. Utilize Rooting Hormone
A quality rooting hormone will help your fiddle plant develop healthy roots more quickly. Follow the directions on the bottle.
For most plants of African origin, dip the stem in the rooting hormone and gently place it into the water-filled container.
If you are using soil, do the same and place the leaf inside a depression and then cover the other side of the leaf end/stem with soil.
4. Place Your Cutting In A Well-Lit Location
Once your leaf is secure in its water or soil, place it in a well-lit location, but not in direct sunlight.
Check it every 2 to 3 days. Replace the water with clean, chlorine-free water if it becomes cloudy.
5. Wait For Three to Four Weeks
Fiddle leaf plants usually take between 3 weeks to one month to develop roots and become ready for replanting.
Allow the roots to become sufficiently pronounced, between 1” and 2” inches in length.
The more robust the roots, the better your new plant will take to the soil.
6. Plant Your New Fiddle Leaf
Place your new plant in potting soil. Create a depression in the soil and lower the roots into it.
Then gently push the soil over the roots, sprinkling it to cover them completely.
Make sure it will remain standing. Use a stick to stabilize it if necessary.
Tips for Caring for Your Fiddle Leaf Plant
- Start your Fiddle leaf fig care by not placing them in a drafty location.
- They prefer a lot of indirect light and minimal wind.
- Keep the leaves free from dust by gently wiping them with a soft rag.
- Consider placing them in or near a bathroom if the light and wind conditions are commensurate with its needs to give it the humidity it prefers.
- Fiddle leaf plants are tropical and like a lot of ambient moisture. Use a mister if needed to provide sufficient humidity.
- These plants do well with restricted root systems longer than other plants. Therefore, you do not need to replant it as soon as you would replant other types of plants
- Provide well-draining soil and do not overwater.
Learning how to propagate fiddle leaf fig trees is fun and improves your plant care. Give it a try!