The first bend in the trunk is result of a previous pruning. I noticed that when I was looking at the first images. Looks like the trunk bifurcated (split to form a 'Y') at that point and one side of the bifurcation was pruned off. In mid-June, the lowest branch marked in yellow should be cut back to 4 leaves. The long branch moving left/ marked yellow in the image above, and the branch moving right/ marked yellow should also be pruned back to 2 leaves. The leader, above these 2 branches and marked in yellow, should be pruned back to a leaf that points in the direction you want the leader to grow. This is called 'directional pruning'. Example: With the above pruning cut made, the new branch (shows as a leaf only, but it's a new branch) in the axil of the leaf on the right will want to grow to the right. If you wanted the new leader to move left, you would prune lower, to just above the leaf on the left. A cut above the leaf attached to the severed part would give rise to a branch growing away from the grower. Because there are other forces in play, like phototropism (tendency for plants to bend toward the brightest light source), there is no guarantee the branch will grow where you wish, so you might need to encourage the new branch that forms in the axil of the leader's top leaf to grow where YOU want it to. I mentioned this already, but I'll reiterate that your tree will respond to pruning with a much higher degree of enthusiasm if you do the pruning A) while the tree's energy reserves are highest, and B) when the tree's current ability to carry on photosynthesis is peaking, both of which will occur during the summer solstice (21 June). 'Father's Day' is easy to remember. If you intend to repot, do it at the same time you prune. While you could probably remove a little soil to cut through (2 cuts) the kinked root that emerges from and returns too the soil, I would do it at the same time you prune the top. Reason: Pruning the top decreases the volume of foliage the roots must work to keep hydrated. It also makes it less likely that a branch on the same side of the tree where the kinked root is attached will die. When a tree is unable to keep certain parts hydrated, it sheds those parts. Unfortunately, they seem to always choose to shed parts the grower feels are essential to the o/a composition/ shape/ style of the tree. Some trees, like junipers/ yews/ arborvitae/ .... , develop a dedicated relationship between individual roots and branches, such that damage to a particular root will kill a particular branch. Notice the live veins connecting roots to individual branches below: This tree ^^^ has 4 branches and 4 live veins. Other trees lack the direct relationship between particular roots and branches. For the genus Ficus, the relation is moderate, but the lower a branch is (and the shorter the tree is) the greater the likelihood that death of a branch or root will result in the dieback of it's counterpart on the opposite side of the root to shoot connection. When serious about earning a green thumb, the largest step a container gardener can take in that direction will come from understanding how water behaves in container media and what that means to the health of your plants' root systems; this, because issues with root function and/or health cause the most problems by far, with some of them seemingly unrelated to root health. Two examples that lend support to the later contention are infections by disease pathogens and insect predation due to a less than robust metabolic rate, caused by limited root function or poor root health. A healthy plant will remain forever elusive unless and until we are able to maintain root systems in an elevated state of vitality (health). Al

Kitty - I have a tank, I could DO that! I'm in 9b, and we did get some nippy weather last winter (my first here, so not sure it's customary), I think we had 18 or so days where it got down to 28? No horrible storms after a big wind storm that hit the week before Thanksgiving and did lots of damage around the county, but none at my house, TG! I was relying on an online weather site to tell me how cold it was, aside from COLD, but I got myself some thermometers, so I'll see just how cold it gets here at MY house, not a mile down the road and up the hill. Last winter was quite the learning experience, as I lost a lot of plants - sob, wail! I replaced some of them, and this year I've moved some stuff into the house, and walled the cats away with chicken wire. REALLY hope it works and they don't mess with them, or eat them (and poison themselves!) Other stuff I've resigned myself to not having again while I live here.

Ficus B has SOO much cuticular wax that it wouldn't be of any notable benefit. The best pathway by which nutrients might enter the plant is via the roots. For virtually all agrian applications, foliar feeding is limited to A) plant species that might benefit from the applications B) plants that are growing so fast the nutrients that make their way into the nutrient stream are insufficient to support the growth rate C) supplying only nutrients a known deficiency thereof has been shown to be limiting. Getting back to roots being the best pathway - if you ever see a benefit from a foliar application of nutrients for containerized plants, consider it an excellent indication there is something wrong with your basic nutritional supplementation program. There is no other reason why it would be a benefit. Also foliar applications of fertilizers might mask but not cure deficiencies of immobile nutrients. Al

Math Error in First Post added Correction. The TDS in Foliage Pro Solution must be much higher than approximated. Edit: Math Error 1tsp= 4.94 ml 4.94grams at sp=1 1US Gal = 3.785411784 liters (0.18)*(4.94g/4)/3785= 235ppm Error Should be (0.18)*(4.94g/4)/3785= 58.7ppm at conversion factors of 500 ppm/mS or 640 ppm/mS 58.7ppm/500= 117uS or 58.7ppm/640= 91.7uS Too Low to be accurate "Edit: Math Error 1tsp= 4.94 ml 4.94grams at sp=1 1US Gal = 3.785411784 liters (0.18)*(4.94g/4)/3785= 235ppm Should be (0.18)*(4.94g/4)/3785= 58.7ppm at conversion factors of 500 ppm/ms or 640 ppm/ms 58.7ppm/500= 117uS or 58.7ppm/640= 91.7uS Too Low to be accurate "Not sure I'd have been comfortable with the assumptions behind the "total" ppm approximation" You were Correct on that Maybe others that use Foliage Pro can validate the EC readings with other meters. Even at 320 grams/Liter 1/4 tsp/Gal gives only about 105ppm total concentration. This is about 164 uS at 640 factor.