When you begin considering propagating your fiddle leaf fig, you may come across articles about how to make your own rooting hormone.
But do these methods work?
Are they safe for your fiddle leaf fig and other indoor houseplants?
What Is a Rooting Hormone?
Auxin is a naturally occurring substance in all plants that tells them to grow roots. Stem cells of a plant will become roots or shoots. Auxin tells them to become roots.
As you propagate, you make a cut to place into fresh water to make a new plant. For successful propagation, you want all the energy in that cutting to produce new roots.
Why You Need a Rooting Hormone
With a propagated cutting, you want to ensure you are doing all you can to help it produce strong and healthy roots. Adding a rooting hormone helps in 4 ways:
- Increases the number of roots your cutting will produce.
- Helps with the uniformity of the roots.
- Cuts down on the time you have to wait.
- Increases the chances of propagation success.
Make Your Own Fiddle Leaf Fig Rooting Hormone
There is some potential DIY rooting hormone information out there, and it is best to share the truth about these homemade rooting hormones.
Aspirin
Simply put, aspirin will not work as a rooting hormone. It is not a plant auxin and will not help the cutting produce new roots.
Honey
Honey is a plantlike substance. Although it does not contain the auxins needed to produce roots, it does contain some anti-microbial properties.
The most common cause of fiddle leaf fig propagation failure is a bacterial or fungal infection that kills the cutting.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial which can cause a disinfecting process in water. However, cinnamon will not help your fiddle leaf fig cutting grow roots.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide does not contain plant auxins, but it is the one DIY rooting hormone that you can try to use when propagating.
Before putting your fiddle leaf fig cutting into water, you can sterilize the cutting using hydrogen peroxide.
Best Fiddle Leaf Fig Rooting Hormone for Propagating
Rooting hormones contain anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. They also have plant-derived auxins to tell your plant cutting to put out new roots.
Our propagation promoter and rooting hormone gets your fiddle leaf fig cutting to root and creates a gel barrier around the cutting to protect from bacteria and fungus. This process gives your fiddle leaf fig cutting the best chance for success.
To learn more:
- Sign up for our free Fiddle Leaf Fig Care 101 Webinar or our free Fiddle Leaf Fig Course, and make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter.
- Download our free Propagation Guide
- Read The Fiddle Leaf Fig Expert, your complete guide to growing healthy fiddle leaf fig plants. The book is available in full-color paperback or Kindle edition on Amazon now!
- Join our Facebook Community and chat with other fiddle leaf fig lovers.
Grab the Essentials for Your Fiddle Leaf Fig:
- Premium Fiddle Leaf Fig Potting Soil
- Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Food
- Root Rot Treatment
- Houseplant Leaf Armor to protect against insects, bacteria, and fungus (As an added bonus, it also cleans and adds shine to your plant’s leaves!)
- Moisture meter to always know when your plant is thirsty.
- Houseplant Propagation Promoter to propagate more quickly and with more success.
