I'm not trying to change the plant- I just know that it is now growing in a different environment from the one it was previously in, and needs to be taken care of accordingly. The plant is propping itself up at this point (with some aid from the wall next to it), and only because I've rearranged the limbs to keep them from falling over.

Also, the plant has not been repotted in who knows how many years and could probably use some TLC. I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to give it "proper care."

That's a scheffelera, not a Ficus. It's likely very rootbound and will take a lot of work to get looking a little more normal.

it would need all of the soil removed, roots untangled and pruned. If you just stick the roommass in a larger pot with more soil, that'll likely do more harm than good.

Unfortunately, this is not the right time of year to repot if you're in the northern hemisphere, unless it's an emergency.

if it were mine, I'd definitely want to work on getting a better appearance out of it. Obviously not everyone agrees with that, but I like my plants to look good.

Oh, good to know!

I was hoping to repot and not pot up, but if it will do more harm than good because of the time of year I'll just leave it- unfortunately that means it will likely never be repotted as the new caretaker won't ever do it.

Would it be ok to prune it a bit this time of year so it isn't falling all over the place?

I know some of you prefer not to repot at certain times of the year, but after growing on the porch all summer, lots of my plants need fresh soil and more space in order to thrive through the winter indoors. Plus I don't want to accidently bring in a snake or lizard again..... I repot my plants all year long, whenever they need it or I feel like it. I've done this for nearly 40 years and I've never lost one because of this practice. I don't collect finicky plants.... just Hoyas and whatever strikes my fancy when I visit a place with plants for sale. I don't usually prune plants this time of year though since most of them don't grow as actively during the shorter days of winter. But to each his own!! I say, do whatever works best for you and your specific plants.

SD - I didn't catch where you live. Even though the timing for repotting isn't ideal, if you're in the southern part of the US, you COULD still repot - especially if you leave the plant outdoors. Even if someone brought the plant to me (in mid-MI) to 'fix', I wouldn't hesitate to hack top and bottom back to 25% of the existing root mass and as much as 90% of the canopy, plop it into an appropriate soil (important), keep it in open shade outdoors until it starts pushing the first new growth, then move it to direct sun and start fertilizing. I WOULD bring it in at night though, if temps were supposed to drop below 50-55*.

You can expect something like this

To look like this

within 2-3 weeks after the repot.

Al