it will shed the older leaves.. when they get to shedding age.. i see no reason to shed them sooner..

every leaf is an energy making machine.. NEVER cut them off unless you have a good reason..

that said.. if its your dream.. go for it.. what could go wrong.... due to the loss of a couple leaves....

ken

Hi Ken, thank you! You have a good point! I am in no rush to make this look more like a tree, so I can leave them on for now. That said, if I prune off the lower leaves now from the main trunk, would that promote more growth at the top please? How thick does the main trunk of a ficus "tree" indoor get please?

Thanks again!

I have an alternate view, @ostrich, and it comes with more than 40 years experience manipulating trees (bonsai), at least 45 of those trees are Ficus, so I'm intimately familiar with their habits/ needs/ wants. I'll tell you what I would do, and why, then you can decide if you'd like to go ahead.

1) I would allow all leaves (on the stem) below the first branch alone. Ken is right, they do provide food which at this time of the year provides thickening and strength to the trunk.

2) I would prune the main stem and the 2 branches (or maybe there are 3 branches near the top) back to 2 leaves, all 3 of them. As soon as you do that, new branches will appear just above those 6 leaves, just as they are seen doing on this rooted ficus cutting I shortened:

What look like new leaves in the crotch (axil) of the mature leaves on this Ficus microcarpa are actually branches. Another look at another tree:

This ficus was pinched (pruned) higher on the plant. If you look at the leaves, you'll see new branches growing in all the leaves closest to where it was pinched/pruned. That's what your plant will be OBLIGATED to do. Reason, when you pinch a branch it can no longer elongate, and you remove the source (apical meristem) of a chemical that suppresses the buds above the leaves. With the tip gone, the buds activate and you get branches.

But wait, there's more. From the to 3 branches you'll get 6 new branches. If you pinch each of the 6 branches back after 2 leaves has opened on each new branch, you'll get 12 branches. At that rate, you'll have a good start on getting that tree form you're looking for. I can also tell you from experience, if you let the tree keep growing, you'll need to cut it back hard, and it will have wasted all the energy it took to grow those branches. It is far more economical for the tree, and less of a shock to you, if you bite the bullet and get a start on building the framework the tree will absolutely need in the future if you're to attain the tree form you're looking for.

3) I would flush the soil thoroughly to reset the ratio of nutrients in the soil to near 0. Then, I would fertilize at production strength with a super fertilizer product, Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. Ask, if you want to know why I recommend it highly .... and no, I have no connection or investment (stock) to/in Dyna-Gro Solutions. They just make good stuff.

NOW, is about the best time of year to do heavy work on houseplants and tropical trees. Light is at it's highest, both in intensity and daily duration; and all the growth that appears after you prune will be tight summer growth with short internodes. That is valuable in case you need to cut the tree back hard years down the road, because it ensures the back-budding and new branching will also be tight/compact.

Come fall, allow the tree to grow unpruned until next June when you can cut back the long/lanky growth you'll get through the winter so the tree can put on more tight growth, which is highly desirable.

There's more, and if you decide to go for it, I'll be around to provide guidance. I'll watch to see what you have to say.

Al

Al, thank you so much! This is amazing information!!! I totally get it now - I should leave the lower leaves alone for now, promote more growth with more stems at the top by the pruning methods that you described above, while fertilizing it well. That sounds great and that is what I will do! THANK YOU!

I do have some questions please:

1. How do I achieve Step (3) above please? What do I need to do to flush the soil thoroughly please? Do I just take the plant outside, then really flood the soil and let it drain completely? Is that how it works please? Please pardon my ignorance here!

2. In the meantime, the lanky main stem is starting to lean a bit - should I stake it at all please?

BTW, I just looked up that Dyna-Gro solution - a quart (32 fl oz) of it goes for about $40CAD on Amazon!!! OUCH! I'd better go and see if there is any local store that carries it!!!

THANK YOU again for your amazing advice!!! :-) I am definitely going for it!!!

Saw your reply. Thanks for kind words. I'll be back later later in the evening.

Al

Al, I hope you don't mind me posting another photo here to make sure that I got the methods right! Please see a close up of the branching here:

Now you will see that apart from the main stem, there are two branches that come off on the left side, and then one branch that comes off on the right side. If I prune at the point where proximal to the cut will just be two leaves left, I will have some residual branches with only smaller leaves, and then they may be off different lengths, too. Should I then prune the three branches and the stem to 2-4 leaves, so that each residual stem will be approximately the same length please? Or does that not matter please?

I guess I can also use the cuttings to propagate new plants for my friends too! :-)

Thanks again.

Thank you, thank you, Al!!! This is a lot of great information - let me digest it a bit more and then get back to you, as I am sure that I will have some more questions! Thank you again!!! :-)

You're very welcome. Learning how to effectively manipulate the size, density, and and appearance of plants elevates the plane on which you interact with plants. With regard to plants one wishes to keep for the long term, creating an evocative specimen can be as easy as learning a few pruning tricks and understanding how to manage roots; or, it can be a lifelong devotion to learning new methods and gaining an understanding of how plants work and how they react to your ministrations. Learning new things never limits you, it always broadens your horizons. From my own perspective, helping people with enthusiasm and a hunger for knowledge is one of the most enjoyable parts of my own growing experience, and I'm sure it's that way for most others as well. We all get a lot of satisfaction from thinking we've helped another to greater rewards for their efforts; so many of us are as grateful to folks like you as you are to us. It ends up being something of a symbiotic relationship.

Al

tapla, can you believe it, a year later, finally I am ready to do it!!! :-)

The thing is, this Dyna-Gro Foliage-Pro fertilizer is NOT sold in Canada!! YIKES! The local plant store recommends this Alaska Fish Fertilizer. Do you know if it would serve the same purpose please? The NPK ratio is a bit different so I don't know if that matters?

Thanks again!

Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 is no longer a product formulated or packaged by Dyna-Gro; rather, it is now sold by Superthrive. You might recheck availability with an eye toward the potential of Superthrive's distribution of the 9-3-6 there.

If you can't find the 9-3-6, look for a product by Miracle-Gro, either 24-8-16 All-Purpose or 12-4-8 All-Purpose. Both are water soluble and are more reliable for containerized plants.

Keep us posted on your progress, please.

Al

tapla, this is incredibly helpful!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I will check these ones out!

I'm in Canada and have been able to buy foliage-pro for several years. Amazon sometimes has it, else various online hydroponics stores. Google "foliage pro buy Canada" and spend some time figuring out which will have the cheapest shipping.

I usually pay around $100 for the 4L size, which lasts me about a year for my ~100 plants.

tapla, I finally found time and courage (!) to do it!!! Here's what the plant looks like afterwards just now:

Since I last showed you the plant last year, a few small leaves have grown out on those horizontal branches. So I counted the larger leaves but not the smaller ones... have I done this right please? Are the residual branches too long or are they OK please? I can cut more if necessary! I just wanted to check with you first before I do any more cutting....

BTW, there is so much rubbery sap! Do I need to seal those open "wounds" or would they just close off by themselves please?

Thanks again for all your advice!