I would repot it right away. When you remove it from the pot, the roots will probably be circling around the root ball. I would take a knife and cut straight down about an inch deep in 3 places spaced around the root ball. This will allow the roots to grow outward in the new pot. As far as potting medium I would use a good quality potting soil, not a moisture control soil. As far as fertilizer I would give it some miracle grow every couple of weeks or so.

I can't say whether or not I would truncate the leader, but as long as you're ok with it, there's no reason to feel like it needs to be done now. You can always take it off - putting it back on is something different. ;-) You have a lot of things working against you at this time. The tree looks sad because it's not a good time to repot, you removed half the roots, and probably lost a fair fraction of the remaining fine roots as a result of not keeping the roots moist. I'm saying that by way of explanation, rather than in an accusatory way. Your tree took a hit, and you're doing what's physiologically sound in order to bring it back around and get it to a place where you can have a lot more control over its vitality and appearance. It takes patience when you're forced to put yourself on tree time as opposed to the hectic pace of most of our lives. For me, pieces of my life spent on 'tree time' are a super way to unwind. Take a few minutes every day and look your tree over carefully. Learn to enjoy what's happening, even though your first impression leaves you feeling concerned. Soon, you'll see signs of new growth, even if the tree sheds all or most of its leaves. It might not look attractive, but you'll have a lot of personal satisfaction knowing that the hope you mentioned is being realized. I bet that if you make a conscious effort to change the way you view your recent experience, you'll easily be able to turn what appears to be a negative experience into something relaxing and positive - just by changing focus to some of the things I mentioned. As long as you can keep the soil moist and not wet/soggy, keep the tree warm and in good light, I don't think you have much to worry about - unless you are overly stressed by the plant's appearance. I see that as a superficial consideration because of how temporary it is. I can't help you with its appearance, yet, because helping the tree over a rough patch takes priority over maintaining its eye appeal. Whatever questions you have, someone will be around to answer or offer suggestions. I get a note every time you post, and I'll be keeping track of the thread. If you get a chance, a post-pruning picture would be great. Al

Definitely agree with Rina's comment about caution with any pot that curves back towards the top like that. I find pots like that very compelling aesthetically and have one I regularly use, but am always frustrated when it's time to repot. I do always manage somehow but the roots take more damage than they would otherwise. One thing you might consider is what is referred to as "pot in pot". You can use a smaller plastic container for your ficus, that fits nicely inside the larger container. It could either just sit on something (upside down pot, whatever) at the bottom, or you could fill part/all of the outer pot with the same media you have inside the inner pot. If your ficus will be in full sun (which it prefers), moss will be challenging to keep alive, even if shaded by the leaves. I think it's a waste of effort. The pot is beautiful and hopefully your plant will grow well, that's plenty of eye candy already, no real need for moss. :) just my opinion - aesthetics are very personal. Also, if weight is of concern, consider using 5-1-1 instead of gritty mix, and maybe repotting a little more often. The weight difference is significant. Taller pots have advantages with respect to draining and minimizing pwt, so if you can fill the whole thing with media I would. Daniel

You might get different opinions on removing the fruit, but I would not. It will probably ripen in July. For those of you that don't know where the OP is, see that palm tree in the background? It's pretty hot where he is in summer. The fruit will ripen. I would still repot now, but if you soak the existing pot so you can extract that tree from it's current pot and carefully set it on about 6" of new soil, compressing new soil around that, it will not know the difference. Just don't mess with the roots! They will happily fill in their new pot. Not sure if you get snow in winter. If not, I'd plant it in ground where it sits. But if you do, you'll need to keep it in a container so you can shelter it in winter. Soak the thing only for the transplant, then let it drain for a day or two till a stick you insert tells you it's time to water. Figs hate to sit in water. Well drained soil is best. A poster on GW in the container forum named Al has a formula for gritty mix. That stuff is magic! Google "Soil Sleuth." Its a sweet little cheap plastic stick with notches. You insert into the dirt, twist and bring back up. Easy to see how damp the soil is that's caught in the notches. Too dry, it all falls out. Too wet, it's stuck in there and VERY wet. CHEAP!