Advice on how to prune fiddle leaf fig tree [PHOTO]
User
8 years ago
I have a fiddle leaf fig tree that has gotten very unruly. I've never trimmed one before. Can someone suggest the best approach to get it to grow more vertical? Thanks!
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laticauda
8 years ago
jpciii
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Fiddle Leaf Fig tree Root Maintenance & Prune
Comments (2)"Is it ok to both prune and repot at the same time?" Yes. If your plant is healthy and your first root reduction requires removing a significant volume of roots, removing a commensurate volume of foliage can help keep the plant from indiscriminately shedding the leaves and branches IT will "decide" to shed. Many growers are very quick to repeat the current/conventional mantra that foliage shouldn't be reduced at transplant time; but w/o taking into consideration the fact that you're also going to remove a significant volume of roots, repeating the singsong mantra is rather meaningless. Your tree is an organism that receives chemical messengers that will tell it to shed foliage if the roots are significantly reduced, and roots if the canopy is significantly reduced. It's better to make the reductions yourself so you have the choice in the matter. It might not be all that significant for your tree, which only has the central stem; but it could be disastrous if you had a well-developed branch structure and the tree shed branches critical to the tree's eye appeal after you repotted. Typically, the first couple of repots end up being the most stressful because more work needs doing to get the root mass straightened out. Too, my repots are usually pretty severe; severe to the degree than I wouldn't suggest you try to emulate what I do. Because of that, I regularly prune quite hard when I repot or very soon after - as in as soon as I see new growth appearing. This really does little to slow development or growth of the tree. Root pruning represents a short-term setback, but that setback is more than repaid in the form of growth much more robust than your plant would have realized had you NOT repotted it. "Should I look to sort out the roots and then move onto the pruning?" That's typically what I would do if the repot wasn't one of those epochal sessions where a very large fraction of the roots were removed (75-90%). "I would also like to propagate the off cut stem into another tree, as the cutting will be approx. 1m. I thought spring would be the best time for this, is that correct? The best time for propagating cuttings would be just before Christmas for you. That's when the plant will have the most stored energy. Any advice and/or tips would be appreciated." If you like, you can increase the probability of your cutting striking (growing roots) and the speed with which it will strike by doing this: Purchase some IBA rooting powder. Cut 2 pieces of electrical tape long enough to make at least 2 wraps around the stem. Sprinkle one end of each piece of tape with the powder, making sure it sticks to the tape, then wrap the tape where you want roots to grow on the stem so the powder is against the bark and secure the tape. The tape will create darkness, so you'll be 'blanching' the stem. It will also trap moisture against the trunk. These cultural conditions will help stimulate root initials to form. The IBA hormone will work in concert to help stem cells in the vascular cambium decide they want to be roots, rather than whatever other organ cultural conditions would push the plant toward developing. In mid-Dec, you can sever the cutting just below the lowest tape, remove the tape, cut off leaves at the node immediately above the tape, and stick the cutting in a highly aerated, damp (but never wet or soggy) medium in open shade and out of wind. You'll want 2 nodes buried and 2 healthy leaves left on the cutting. If you want a single-stemmed plant, make a tip cutting. If you want a multi-stemmed bushy plant, take an internodal cutting. It's helpful to cut the leaves left on the plant in half across venation to reduce the likelihood of the plant shedding the leaves as a drought response. You can always start an air layer now if you like. It should be ready to separate around Christmas or just before when you do your repotting. I apologize for the tardy reply. I only got to your message asking me to look at your post tonight. I get at least 10-20 plant-related messages from Houzz members every day, and it's taken me this long to catch up after being away for a week's vacation around mid-Aug. I hope I've provided you with some insight you can put to work for you and your plant. Give a lot of thought to the medium you'll ultimately provide as a home for roots. The need to fight your soil for control of your plant's vitality takes much of the fun and reward from growing, so soil choice is a key factor that influences how rewarding your growing experience CAN be. Your turn for questions or added input. I hope I'm not too late to have provided anything useful. Al...See MoreFiddle leaf fig tree pruning techniques
Comments (11)Hi, Gabby. The tree shows severe chlorosis, which is usually associated with improper soil pH and/or nutritional deficiencies or toxicities - sometimes chronic over-watering. The trunk and branches are extremely thin and weak. This means the better part of the tree's life has been spent producing barely enough food (plants produce their own food via photosynthesis) to ensure it remains viable. The tendency for foliage to be concentrated immediately proximal (toward the roots) from apices (growing tips of branches) is symptomatic of severe root congestion. The tree needs human intervention if it's to survive much longer. Al...See MoreFiddle leaf fig tree pruning advice needed
Comments (2)Just got my fiddle two months ago and I've been reading up on this a lot. You can notch your fiddle to encourage branch growth lower down the trunk and you can also pinch the top part off (the green part not the woody part) and that apparently encourages it to branch in two at the top. This guys shows how to notch and pinch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI2u2FOu1eo and I found this guy helpful for all around fiddle leaf care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eBVv9y2E1U...See MoreAny Pruning Advice for Ficus Lyrata (Fiddle Leaf Fig)
Comments (7)If there was a way to cut out the bare parts of the trunk and branches, you'd have something you could work with. While there is a way to do that, it's very involved, time consuming, and probably well beyond what's reasonable on the scale we're discussing here. So the next best thing is to force growth where the bare spots are. That's actually very easy if you're able or willing to work toward elevating the tree's level of vitality (health) in preparation for a hard pruning, which will force back-budding in the areas now barren of branches/foliage. Ficus in good health easily take hard/severe pruning in stride. Trees in decline and circling the drain are poor subjects for heavy work like full repots and hard pruning, which is why getting your tree in fighting shape is the fastest way to accomplish your objective. As a bonsai practitioner of nearly 40 years, manipulating trees and bending them to my will is as much a part of the hobby as keeping them in good health. There is little joy or sense of accomplishment (for me) to just watch a tree/shrub grow. My goal is to produce something evocative - something that makes the viewer feel something. While your tree isn't a bonsai, it will respond to bonsai techniques exactly the same way trees grown in bonsai culture respond to the same stimuli. The first thing to understand is, trees don't work on people time. Manipulating trees requires a great deal of patience, mainly because only healthy trees respond well to manipulation. The very short version of what I would suggest is: 1) Put together a plan that ensures a higher degree of vitality, a plan you can stick to. I can help with that. 2) If you succeed in rebuilding the tree's strength, prune the tree back very hard. Keep both branches and the central leader, but prune all 3 back to 1 single healthy leaf in mid-June (if you live in the N Hemisphere). This will force an abundance of back-budding, and every instance of new buds will result in a new branch. Picture story: A Ficus microcarpa ^^^ after a heavy pruning session in June Same tree in mid-August ^^^. Note the 'explosion' of new branches, already so dense they badly need thinning to allow more light and air movement into the middle of the tree. After styling the tree ^^^. 3) Put in place a future pruning plan that has you pruning all winter growth from the tree every June, then pinching every new branch after it has grown 2 leaves amd the 3rd leaf is about to unfurl. A F microcarpa cutting started in a pill bottle. The wood stub at the top is where the cutting was pinched. Removing the apex/apical meristem of the branch eliminated the primary source of a growth regulator (auxin) that suppresses lateral growth (new branches). The result of diminishment of the volume of auxin allowed another growth regulator (cytokinin) to become dominant, which stimulated latent (dormant) buds above each leaf to form a new branch. When each of the nascent branches you see have formed 2 leaves, they will be pinched and the process starts anew. so from the first branch you get 2, from those 2, you get 4, then 8, then 16, 32, 64, 128. Had you been aware of how to pinch your tree, it would look completely different than it does now. Al...See Morelaticauda
8 years ago
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agolaticauda
8 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agolaticauda
8 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agoUser
8 years agoThanks everyone for the compliments! I do love how wild the tree has grown but it has completely blocked our entrance to the kitchen. So trimming time it is!
I stopped by my local nursery today to get some tips on trimming. I also picked up a tall stake and some string to tie up the branches. Below is the 'after' shot of the trim. I hate to see it so much smaller but I am optimistic it will recover.
@Tapla: I've also included a shot of the base of the tree where the base trunk branches off into four sub-trunks. There is no branching beyond this point. Each trunk has leaves only.Do let me know if you have any other suggestions on how to keep this tree in line :)
User
8 years agoOh wow, now I wish I had waited just a little longer to see this advice! I had no idea there was such a precise method to this. My trimming was somewhat conservative, so I might be able to follow your suggestion somewhat. I can definitely trim back to 3 trunks. Unfortunately though, the thickest trunk (#3 in the picture below) was the one most bent, so I've cut that back and it is now the shortest. Below is what my guess to the best approach. Let me know what you think!
Trunk #4: Remove
Trunk #2: Keep tallest? (it is the most center trunk BUT is the thinnest)
Trunk #3: Currently the shortest, though it is the thickest
Trunk #1: Can be cut taller or shorter than trunk #3? Opinion?
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years agoUser
8 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)