very common topic here

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/query/fiddle-leaf-in-houseplants

look into propagating smaller pieces.. and start with a fresh new plant ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=propagating+fiddle+leaf+fig&t=ffcm&iax=videos&ia=videos

and once you succeed at that.. just throw the old one away ... i bet the media is all used up anyway ...

and then clean the pot.. and save it for when your new babe needs a pot that big ... dont put a babe back in a huge pot ..

ken

Focus sunligh mostly to trunk/area where you want new shoots to grow then cut tip of all 3 branches. Removing the tips will force the tree to grow new shoots, and best spot to grow is where it get most sunligh. When new shoots grow, you can remove all leggy old branches to make the tree look shorter and compact.

..but honestly.. i'm not sure the tree will make it. The trunk is so tiny for broad leaf plant like lyrata, even the 3 branches above i think produced by mother plant since the beginning. Better you propagate those 3 branches as seperate tree, grow it properly, have bigger trunk so it able to support multiple branches.

"Focus sunligh mostly to trunk/area where you want new shoots to grow then cut tip of all 3 branches. Removing the tips will force the tree to grow new shoots, and best spot to grow is where it get most sunligh." This is not so. Whenever the apical meristem of a branch/stem/trunk is removed the most likely location for new branches to occur, regardless of the trees condition or its light load, is in existing leaf axils immediately proximal to the pinch, or, immediately above leaf/bundle scars that occur immediately proximal to the pinch. IOW, because auxin is also produced in leaves, the more proximal to the pinch or pruning cut a potential growing point is, the less it is affected by the pinch/pruning cut. That's why it's important to prune hard instead of just pinching out the branch/stem apex.

"..but honestly.. i'm not sure the tree will make it." WHY? While the tree shouldn't be considered a paragon of vivacity, neither can it be considered to be circling the drain. It's a middling tree, not yet in steep decline, that can easily be turned around with a little effort toward improving cultural influences. "The trunk is so tiny for broad leaf plant like lyrata, even the 3 branches above i think produced by mother plant since the beginning." I agree, but that is easily fixed by pruning hard, and giving the tree more light. A 1/4" x 4ft wood dowel rod is very flexible. prune it in half, and the half-length is far stiffer in comparison to the uncut version. Pruning does the same. With judicious attention to pinching after pruning, the branches will thicken and become very stout. "Better you propagate those 3 branches as seperate tree, grow it properly, have bigger trunk so it able to support multiple branches." Stressed trees make poor parent material for cuttings, and the worst time of the year to start Ficus cuttings is early spring when reserve energy levels are lowest. If I was planning to propagate this tree, I would do it by air layering, but whether by layers or cuttings, you still end up with 3 small trees. The suggestion to work on the trees level of vitality and then prune hard in June is by far the fastest, easiest, and most foolproof way for Christa to bring what she envisions to fruition.

Al

1. Tree near building which have branch that grow on darkspot under the roof, when we cut the tip, the shoot will grow far back where it still able catching light. Long old stem that remain will eventually abandoned and die, not produce any shoot. Stem of ficus elastica/lyrata can be used as example. On small tree like bonsai, that tree character won't easily recognize.

2. Back budding of lyrata is much more difficult compared with other kind of ficus. Benjamina, retusa, or microcarpa is very easy, even elastica can be considered easy. In container, lyrata only produce few leaves in months. Losing the tip can be a dissaster. Back budding is far from immediate.

In my oppinion, to get bushier look from lyrata, best way is start big with many branches from beginning. Second plant 3 or 4 tree in a pot, that's why propagate can be an option. Its very hard to increase trunk size or create branches of lyrata in container.

A heavier photo load on a bare section of a stem/branch is not enough to guarantee new laterals in that area, even if accompanied by a significant increase in air movement. To be sure there will be back-budding in that area, pruning back as close to that area as is reasonable is essential, and under some conditions, no consideration need be given to how far back into the bare area the pruning cut is made. I have cut back F lyrata almost to the soil line, without a leaf left on the plant, with no ill effects other than the temporary slowdown due to lack of foliage. While it is fairly certain that, if the tree is moved outdoors into full sun, and all cultural conditions are near perfect, back-budding will likely occur, it is still not assured unless pruned.

Strong back-budding of lyrata requires only that the tree be judiciously pinched. It's heavy tendency toward apical dominance can be almost entirely short-circuited by pinching after branches have 2 fully formed leaves and the 3rd is on the way. I witness this with 100% predictable regularity, so saying it isn't so isn't a convincing argument. Removing the apical meristem from a lyrata branch/trunk is not a disaster - not even a minor inconvenience as it's a regular part of how trees are developed. On this forum alone, dozens have shown after images of their transformed lyratas, owing that transformation to no more than a bit of cultural fine-tuning and a little judicious pruning.

My opinion is, stuffing a pot with multiple plants in order to achieve a full and compact composition is something I'd leave to beginners unfamiliar with how to manipulate the plant. If I want a multi-trunk planting of Ficus, I can achieve that end by chopping back a 1-2 year old healthy plant and rubbing off the buds I don't want after it back-buds.

Lyrata is like most trees in that thickening of the trunk is directly related to the photo-load and leaf surface (photosynthesizing) area. The more leaves and the brighter the light, the thicker the trunk grows. If forced to grow the plant under a photo load less than ideal, the trunk is kept rigid through regular cutting back of the tree to eliminate any tendency toward laying over.

Al

https://youtu.be/dPmUqVbfy4U Normal lyrata produce 3 leaves at once and increase its length so fast so it have tendency to be leggy. If the stem is small, at least it produce 2 leaves at once, not one. Seeing the pic above, if it cut at any location, the possible shoot will occur at the base and only one. It's like beginning from the start. Expect tickening the trunk in small container is almost impossible, even for years. After years if you buy small trunk lyrata and plant it in small container, what you can expect is more plants by propagate them, not bigger trunk. It's sound pesimistic but lyrata is just like that. I have 8 meters tall of this tree in my backyard and many in container with various size. If you see small trunk lyrata look like a tree, crowded with branches and leaves, i bet it was photoshoped only for ads.