About a week ago I picked up a rather lovely Ficus Benjamina from freecycle. The previous owner had summered the plant outside, and elected to pass it on rather than let it die in the cold. Fortunately Boston has been unseasonably warm, so it didn't suffer any cold damage.

I've brought it inside and added a wick to the pot to increase drainage from what looks like a standard potting soil. I plan to repot it mid-June or so when I think it can handle root-pruning.

Right now there is a cluster of about 8 trunks that are vertical in a nice little grove system. But in the center, one of the trunks has a large branch a couple inches off the ground that weaves through the other trunks, disrupting the overall image. The branch is about 1/2 in thick and has fortunately not fused to any of the trunks it touches. I'd like to air layer it off rather than just prune it because I'm not that confident in rooting a cutting that large, but I'm not sure on the timing.

Do I start a tourniquet now? Do I give the plant a few weeks more to adjust to living inside? Do I wait until this summer?

On a related note, I have some branches on this plant that are about 18" long extending from the center with only one or two leaves at the end. Aesthetically, I'm going to need to prune them out; is it possible to root such cuttings?