you begin with two things .. a decent pair of hand pruners ... which dont have to be all that expensive ...

and second ... you need to be able to vocalize [or type in this case].. A GOAL ...

if you can tell us what you want to accomplish.. then we can provide ideas about how to go about it ...

and the lack of a goal... is why you dont know where to start ...

we dont prune.. just for the sake of pruning.. we do it.. because we have goals ...

the only other question would be.. and depending on where you are ... is winter the time to do it... i dont do ficus.. so i dont know.. maybe Al already addressed that ...

ken

ps: good job starting your own pots.. rather than using Als old post ... btw... do you have a link to it???

yes I have a link. I guess my goal would be to make it taller and create more growth (fuller) in the center. I am in ohio, so its mid fall.

“ yes I have a link”

I think Ken meant can you provide us with that link?

tj

Just noticed your PM. My suggestion would be to avoid rushing things. It's not a good time to do heavy pruning because A) the plant needs it's foliage to produce enough food to avoid the need for the plant to rely on stored energy reserves. Reducing the foliage mass can limit the plants ability to make food/energy to the degree it's using more than it's making. Obviously, this is an unsustainable condition for the long term, and pretty much ensures the plant exits the winter at very low level of vitality (health). B) There is also the consideration that pruning out of sync with the plant's natural rhythms can find you removing the desirable compact growth which occurs during the summer months, and keeping the long/ lanky growth you don't want - the stuff that occurs between now and May. The ideal pruning strategy allows the plant to grow freely during the dark months. Asa the summer solstice draws near, all the long growth is removed. This even makes a difference in any future back-budding you can force by hard pruning. Judicious pinching during the summer months forces the back-budding that keeps your tree full.

If it was my tree, I'd maybe do some light pruning now to keep the tree in-bounds; or, if you consider it to still be in-bounds, do nothing insofar as pruning is concerned. Next late spring, prune it hard, followed by a full repot when it starts back-budding (about 2 weeks).

If you live in Alaska and because of the radical shift in day length, the timing I mentioned would need to be adjusted so you can plan the work when the plant's ability to produce food/energy is about to peak.

Consider this reply to be a broad overview of my thoughts. If you want to delve deeper into anything I said, or have questions about factors I didn't cover - feel free to ask. I can also put you onto other threads that provide an overview of good growing habits, specific advice about tending Ficus trees in pots over the long term, or more general advice about long term care of woody plants in general for the long term. The later goes into more detail about repotting, and I can also post a pictorial tutorial (I know that would make a good starting point for a limerick) about repotting. What say you?

Al

@tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

Hi, I've noticed, that in your latest comment in this thread, you've mentioned I can also put you onto other threads that provide an overview of good growing habits, specific advice about tending Ficus trees in pots over the long term, or more general advice about long term care of woody plants in general for the long term.

Would it be ok if I ask you to link/send me these threads? I would very much appreciate that. It's not that I am lazy and I cannot be bothered to look for the threads. It's rather the opposite. There are so many similar threads that I am massively overwhelmed and I have difficulty pin-pointing which is the comprehensive one and which one is still lacking details etc. So far I've only come across the one relating to potting mixes. Note, I have recently come into possession of a few XL (around 1m and over) ficuses and I would love to do right by them.

The link below will take you to a thread started by another member. In it, you'll find many of the more popular threads I've posted to various fora. If you have questions, you can ask on the specific threads where you'll get replies from members who have already contributed to the topic, this, in addition to those who might newly discover it as a result of the bump it gets due to your contributions/ questions.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5570006/al-s-tapla-greatest-hits

Thanks for your interest, Anna, and have a prosperous New Year!

Al

@talpa

Thank you very much for posting the link to the treasure trove of prior threads you’ve written over the years. (And thank you Anna for the question ). I regularly read through posts on gardening forums for anything I can learn and maybe it’s just me, but I’ve had a heck of a time navigating the Houzz site and forum in any clear way. The compilation of your prior threads is an excellent springboard of detailed information that I’ve only just started to study,

I read and digested the Overview of Good Growing Practices yesterday and I’m glad I started there. I’m fascinated to know the stark differences in potting up vs re-potting with root pruning. I have been collecting several varieties of ficus over the past 1-2 years and some have been potted up once now so this information comes at a critical time. I’m trying my best to learn all I can to help a growing plant collection thrive. Have you written a thread on the details of the root pruning process I can study now should the need arise in the spring for repotting?

I also have a beginner question regarding how repotting and root pruning applies to some other plants, for instance Ming and Fabian aralia and also crotons, I’ve read that they are especially sensitive to having their roots disturbed and typically fare poorly if that happens. I’ve potted up these plants one to two times now and I’ve taken great care to move the root ball intact to the next larger pot size without disturbing any roots. What would you advise in the future with these plants? Also, I’ve got a couple Christmas cactuses that I think qualify for being stuck in soil I’ve seen referred to as a “brick”. It’s very dense and takes water a long time to permeate it. The plants were potted up about 5 years ago and I’ve had them maybe 10 years now. One of them has had a large branch break off at the root which I’m rooting now in starter pots. The large old plant is due to be watered any day wondering if I should soak the dry rootball and attempt repotting?

thanks so much for sharing your years of knowledge!

Abby

Will do! Thanks Ken.