Hi Marie..I think your Ficus is beautiful. Whatever you're doing, continue doing it.

A 24" pot is huge, I don't think it needs repotting, yet. You'll know when it does.
If you see roots growing on top and/or through drainage holes, root are filling or have filled its container. Watering more would also be needed. When a plant is all or mostly roots, water runs quickly, in the saucer, and sometimes on the rug/floor.

Your Ficus has multi-trunks so you're right, it's not a one-trunk tree.
If ever you feel it's taking over, or want a certain shape, you can always prune the top and sides.

Your pot goes well with the furniture..lol..It's lovely.

You've done a fantastic job, Marie..I'd let it be..btw, when the time comes to repot, it's best done in late late winter or early spring. (The same w/pruning)
When plants wake from dormancy..longer days means more growth..roots need room to grow so plant will grow, too. You know what I mean?
Have you seen fruit/figs yet? Toni

Figs and fruit? Whoa! Is it going to start making FRUIT??

I've never seen it do anything like that. It just makes leaves leaves leaves.

I repotted the plant when I got it in 2006. It was in a 16" pot and I moved it up to 24". It was super root bound in the old pot (the soil was rock hard) and there is still a soft "border" of the new soil all around the old root ball. I was terrified to mess with the old root ball so I stuck it in the pot and filled around it in dirt. Well, I guess that did the trick!

I just am getting more yellow leaves lately. I am watering it weekly and have been all along. I get a little freaked with the leaves that turn yellow (interior leaves closest to the trunk mostly but sometimes other places). Yellow usually means needs water, right? I wonder if I should step it up a bit. Hmmm.

Marie, No, no, no..don't water more unless soil needs it..Normally 'overwatering' causes leaves to yellow. If soil is super-duper dry, leaves can yellow, but more often turn crispy brown.

Ficus are picky plants. They dislike change. Being moved, sudden light decrease can cause yellow leaves and leaf drop. Are leaves dropping?

It's possible leaves are yellowing because your tree is so full, inner leaves aren't getting the same amount of sun as outer.
That's one reason Ficus are pruned.
Remove yellow leaves, and check for insects periodically, as a precaution.
Don't worry, your Ficus is gorgeous. Occassional leaf drop happens.

About the fruit..Marie, don't quit your daytime job to open a fig farm..lol..Fig is Ficus. In some situations, tiny, green berries form around Aug/Sept..As they grow larger, (larger as in pea-size) berries redden. I don't know if they're edible or not, never tried eating any from my old tree. The fruit don't really resemble figs, just round balls.

Anyway, please don't change water habits. How do you test soil?
I just noticed you're in Chicago..lol..Remember our climate, Marie..if anything, you may need to reduce, but don't do anything different on my account. Toni

I am on a well and know my water chemistry and adjust accordingly (add vinegar and food, add gypsum to the soil once per quarter). But I don't test the soil ever. I just water it a gallon once per week. That seems to keep it happy.

No question about it - reign it in. Indoors, you cannot leave this tree to its own devices and expect a perpetually attractive tree, but with you in the lead, undertaking judicious pruning and proper root work, the tree can remain beautiful in a container long after you and I are gone.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with much of the advice above. I know the suggestion to do nothing probably sounds like music to your ears, but it really isn't good advice if we consider it from the perspective of what's best for this tree's future. Incidentally, the best time to repot and/or prune your Ficus hard is not in spring, but in the month before it's most robust growth period, which is July, for you.

If you don't want your tree to end up with long branches that have tufts of foliage at the ends and a few straggly branches with a leaf or two in the tree's interior, you should prune now. The long branches at the top spoil an otherwise nice silhouette and should be removed now as well. You should then remove all crossing branches. Select the offending branch (it takes 2 to cross) ;o) that looks most like it doesn't belong and remove it. Also remove branches growing straight up or straight down, and any branches growing back toward the trunk. Then (gird yourself) prune every branch/branchlet that has 4 or more leaves back to 2 leaves. This allows light and air movement into the middle of the tree where it will stimulate profuse back-budding. By mid-Sep, your tree will be bursting with new growth behind the pruning cuts.

I know you'll be reluctant to undertake this pruning, but if you don't, your tree will be looking very sparse and gangly soon. I prune lots of F benjaminas, both as bonsai and in businesses & people's homes (word of mouth). I also regularly lead workshops and do demonstrations illustrating how to prune and maintain this tree. With 20+ benjaminas and another 20 asstd trees of other Ficus species, I have considerable experience with the genus in general and this tree specifically.

If you are adding gypsum regularly, you should be adding small amounts of Epsom salts to your fertilizer solution. You should always add Mg (in the Epsom salts) when you add Ca or you risk upsetting the ratio of Ca:Mg in the soil, which can make Mg unavailable (an antagonistic deficiency). Inversely, you should avoid adding Epsom salts to the soil unless you are correcting a KNOWN Mg deficiency or unless you add a Ca source at the same time.

Unless you are flushing the soil thoroughly when you water, the yellowing and falling leaves could easily be an early warning and drought response from an accumulation of salts in the soil. These salts accumulate when you don't water profusely enough, and interfere with osmosis (how plants move water and the nutrients dissolved in water into cells).

If your plant still has the original rootball intact (if you only potted it up) you are sacrificing potential vitality. Roots encircle, even girdle each other in the original root mass, cutting off water/nutrient transport to the canopy. Eventually, the soil in the old root mass will become so hardened, that the roots cannot lay down additional layers of cambium and transport roots are choked off. When this occurs, often specific areas of the tree dies. Even if this wasn't an ongoing problem, we know that fat roots are worethless in a container and do nothing but take up valuable space that could be occupied by all-important fine rootage. Your plant should have a full repot soon (includes root-pruning and removal of the old soil) if you wish to give your tree its best shot at growing at near the genetic potential with which it was encoded.

Al

Hi Al

So are you near the NW suburbs of Chicago any time soon? Want to come and prune this tree?? I think I need an expert!

I have been watering it so it runs out the bottom each time. In fact, I soak up a bath towel of water from the tray at the bottom with each watering, so I know it is getting a good flush.

I would say the leaf yellow is minimal but something I have noticed this summer that I haven't noticed in the past. Obviously it is a happy and growing tree and would love to keep it this way (and although growing it taller would be nice, too, given the 2 story ceilings) I don't want a two ton tree in my home that can never be moved or in a 4 foot pot!

The Gypsum (and about 1/4 C white vinegar) I added based on advice I think from you years ago because of the imbalance in my well water. I may have screwed it up but well, the tree seems happy :

Well water chemistry:
pH: 7.75
Alkalinity: 325 mg/L
Hardness (CaCO3) 370 mg/L
TDS: 368 mg/L

Iron (total Fe): .909 mg/L
Calcium: 60.6 mg/L
Mg: 53.1 mg/L
Na: 16.2 mg/L
Sulfate: 62.3 mg/L
Nitrate (NO3-N): .07 mg/L
F: .58 mg/L
As: Ba: 50 mg/L
B: 281 mg/L
Cr: Cu: 11 mg/L
Mn: 8 mg/L
Ni: 17 mg/L
Zn: 20 mg/L

Lol - that might not be as unlikely as you think. I may be attending a bonsai convention at the CHI Botanic Garden in Aug. If I show up at your door with a leather roll of tools that look more like stainless steel surgical instruments than something you'd use on plants, are you going to let me have at your tree. ;o) Now you're on the spot, eh? ;o)

I think I remember talking to you about your water being really heavily out of balance in the Ca:Mg ratio. With that much Mg in the irrigation water, you should be supplying from 150-250 ppm Ca, which is why I would have told you to add the gypsum. The vinegar was to neutralize the alkalinity & help subdue the natural upward creep of pH in the media your water would surely speed along. Sorry for raggin' on you. ;o)

Topping the tree doesn't mean it will stop growing taller. You have multiple trunks and even the trees (stems/trunks) you top will soon put out another leader because the tree is SO apically dominant.

I'll give you a short coarse in energy management for this tree: Because it is so apically dominant, that is to say the tree naturally focuses it's energy on elongating branches - especially at the apex (top) - you need to restrain the apex. If you don't, the tree will literally 'forget about' the bottom branches and they will die back. If I was to work on your tree, I would cut the top back hard, the middle just a little, and the lower branches would only get tip pruned. This 'balances' the energy flow in the tree and forces the tree to move energy to the lower branches. The fact that you pruned the top harder than the middle & bottom also allows more valuable light to the lower branches, which will increase their vitality and keep the tree from shedding them.

When I got done, you might not recognize your tree (scary, huh?) ;o) , but I KNOW that you would have a clear sense that what I did was the right thing for the tree. When you prune to balance the energy in a tree or group planting, you almost always end up with something you wouldn't think was out of place if you happened on it in a natural landscape.

Al

Then (gird yourself) prune every branch/branchlet that has 4 or more leaves back to 2 leaves.

But if I did that wouldn't I be left with a tall stick with little tufts of leaves coming out the sides? This thing is covered in leaves. Every branch must have 25 leaves! Maybe I need something to visualize what you mean. Have a picture??

I will whack off the top stem tomorrow! Promise. I will re channel it's energy!

And come August if you are near the NW suburbs send me an email. I may still take you up on your offer, although remember I am not going for BONSAI!!!! ;-)

Hey you guys...I'm visiting from the fla/hoya forums. I don't grow much inside but I have a lot on the screened porch. Al-I am taking in all that you talked about on your post. I may have to get out my clippers!
I'm having a lot of leaves dropping on what I think is some kind of ficus. Not meaning to hijack this post but it is keeping with "ficus" and pruning
(Oh, I had to laugh about the genetic potential because the trees can get so LARGE! hehe)
Al-is this a ficus? if so what kind? It has ariel roots too. This was taken in better days. It has dropped at least half the leaves. It is also possible that the cats are peeing in the pot. Something I REALLY need to check out...don't ha think???
{{gwi:93249}}
Marie-I have a triangular ficus that fruited for me last month...that was a first. Now if I can just keep the kitten from climbing it!

This tree isn't a ficus...it has milky sap.
Also this is an understory plant. It doesn't want too much sun.
The cats haven't been using it as their bathroom...good thing!
I gave it a good "hair cut".
It might(!) need repotting.
I have cuttings if ya wanta trade!
Maybe I should start another Post??
Thanks for your help...

Dgm - I think you misunderstand about the pruning. Usually, by the time a Ficus b branch extends to 6 leaves, it's started to bifurcate (have little branches growing off of it). This doesn't mean then, that you cut the main branches mack to 2 leaves - only the little branches, You'll lose about 25-30% of the foliage on those branches. The first time you did this type of maintenance pruning (you do this every year) you would lose more foliage, but that is because you would also remove offensive branches. Don't forget, this is the procedure that ENSURES you have a bushy tree with foliage close to the trunk. To do nothing ensures a tree with foliage at branch ends that droop and no interior foliage.

The pruning I suggest DOUBLES the number of branches on your tree. The reason is - you eliminate auxin flow back down the branches, which allows cytokinin to become the dominant growth regulator. This stimulates all the remaining leaves to produce branches from latent buds in leaf axils, so you double the # of branches. Next year, you'll be able to remove LOTS of branches that conflict the shape of your tree & prune again as I outlined, and again stimulate the tree to backbud and grow lots of new branches again, and on and on .....

Lol - If I come to CHI, I'll be making a trip to Carpentersville to pick up fir bark for soils, so I'll be right in the neighborhood. Now you're really worried - aren't you!!?? ;o)

Laura - I'd love to answer, but it really is a hijack. You can bring your questions to this thread though, where I'll be glad to answer your (it is a) Ficus questions, unless Dgm is ok with the crosstalk.

Al

pls excuse...I will post on a new thread

Al

I lopped off the big branch on the top. Had to use the big pruning shears for it. Now I'll prune the ends of the little branchlets back so they only have two leaves on them. This means EVERY branchlet right? Not just the ones on the very end of the branch, right?

Oh god I am afraid I am going to kill it...I have to tell you...

Lol - Don't delay - it's getting late. I just pruned a huge Ficus in a loft apartment 2 weeks ago. I took my camera to take before & after pics, but darned if I didn't forget the before pics, so figured it silly to take the afters. The lady was quite aghast at what I'd done, but even though she wasn't 'a tree person', she could see the structural transformation from a total mess to something with a future. She called this morning to tell me that there were little green things coming out all over the remaining branches (back-budding). This will put the foliage much closer to the trunk & give me dozens more pruning opportunities when I finish what I started (next summer - I couldn't do it all in one session less I wanted to take the chance that she might die from shock. The hard part is over now & pruning from now on will be a less stressful affair for both the tree AND the owner.

No guts no glory - have faith - go for it. By Sep 1, you'll be wondering why you waited so long ....... and you'll save me a trip. Lol

Al

Please post pics when you are done pruning it!!!