I have healthy green island ficus plants in my yard, and I recently cut a small branch cluster off one plant down to the roots. I put the branch in a pot with soil and watered it lightly.

Will not using a rooting hormone be a problem? Or does the fact that my cutting has original roots intact mean rooting hormone is not necessary?

Also, how often should I water a transplanted ficus branch that is now indoors in the shade? (I know they don't like water outdoors, but maybe a transplanted branch is different?)

Any other tips would be great.

You should keep the soil moist, but not wet, until the roots have colonized the soil.

How often you water, or how easy it is to keep the soil moist, will depend upon the mix,
the vitality of the tree, the temperature, the amount of light, and the size of the pot.

Since you mentioned that it's indoors in shade, we know it won't be using as much moisture.
Therefore, the important question is: What sort of soil are you using?


Josh

The soil I'm using is the same soil from the outdoor area I took the branch from. Like most soil in South Florida, it's not very rich, so I dropped some slow-release fertilizer into the pot with the new cutting. I figure that will give it a boost without burning it out.

Is there a store-bought soil I should consider?

The green island ficus seems to be a very hardy plant (with the exception of dropping yellow leaves from too much water), so I'm hoping the cutting won't go into too much shock from the unprofessional way I transplanted it.