Growth on the ends of the stems is normal. If you want it denser, cut back by about one third, clipping off the longest stems. Cut out anything dead. Repotting won't hurt, and it should benefit from the summer outside and regular feeding

I've had one on my front porch for years, and I give it a haircut periodically to keep it full. It gets morning sun, shaded the rest of the day. Not sure if it can take full sun, but I do see them planted in peoples' yards here where they probably do get full sun.

PS. There is a houseplant forum here where you might get more responses.

Oh, and by the way, ficus B's love to drop leaves in any disturbance of their lives, so if that happens, don't panic.

Growth on the end of the stems isn't normal - it's a symptom of the plant being VERY root bound, and pruning the plant in the condition it's in isn't prudent because it can't afford to lose ANY of its photosynthesizing ability. Additionally, the plant isn't getting anywhere near the amount of light it wants. Repotting WILL hurt. It's stressful and a setback - though temporary. The underlying issue here stems from waiting until the plant is in such steep decline to act (repotting) - which additionally stresses the plant. Ideally, you would repot in mid to late June when the tree is still healthy and growing robustly (An ounce of prevention is worth ......).

If you want to turn the plant around, start with getting it outside whenever temps are above 60-65*. Let us know where you live & I'll help you form a plan that works with the plant's natural rhythms instead of against them.

Al

Thanks Tapla. I live near Atlanta so its hot already and the plant is outside since a few weeks . So I want to repot it soon , I just have no idea about how to treat the root? I don't know why the plant schould be root bound, it's not in too small pot...that is why I did not think about repoting before because the plant was not too big for the pot..?..

Ok, so I bought gritty mix and plant to repot soon,- to the same pot- just new soil- what exacly should I do with the root and with the dry branches?

Thank you.

If the plant has been with you for 4 years + whatever time it was in the pot before you acquired it, it would normally be badly root bound; if it isn't, the soil is inappropriate and it needs repotting for that reason. I'd start by sawing off the bottom 1/3 of the root mass, then bare root the plant, being certain all roots remain wet during the process. After that I would correct problem roots, concentrating on the larger roots and roots growing straight up or down. Also remove crossing, girdling, encircling, and any j-hooked roots before repotting into an appropriate medium. After a few repots, you want to end up with a nice flat disc-shaped root mass that you trim around the edges and remove roots growing down from the 'disc'.

This is one of my F benjaminas that went from this

to this without complaint:

I'm not suggesting you should be that severe, your plant isn't healthy enough to tolerate that much stress, but it gives you an idea of how much the plant can deal with.

More about woody plants in containers for the long term if you click me.

I'd also sort of temporarily forget about the plant's appearance and not remove anything until it's well on the way to recovery, which shouldn't take long where you live and with the plant in an appropriate medium. I'd also like to suggest you buy some Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 fertilizer. It has ALL the nutrients essential to normal growth (something very few fertilizers can boast) and it doesn't get its N from urea (which helps to keep plants compact & full). I use it for almost everything I grow.

Al