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

Hi Al, I’ve finally had the opportunity to reply with an update and wanted to thank you again for taking the time to share your knowledge and help explain the process and reasoning behind choosing a particular growing medium. I am always fascinated by the science of things and am looking forward to my ficus lyrata breathing easier. July 31 was repot day. I gathered all of my 1.1.1 gritty mix supplies, screened & rinsed the turface mvp & manna-pro poultry grit, & proceeded to make a huge mess trying to coax the zoo med repti-bark into smaller pieces using a 3-cup ninja food processor - - neither a quick nor easy endeavor. Some pieces did get smaller but not enough to justify the amount of dust that landed all over my kitchen, so the size of my bark is what it is. I want to stress that a dust mask is imperative for anyone attempting this, especially indoors, and also to note that I did not see any discernible difference in bark size between the larger (24 qt) & smaller (4 qt) bags (see picts below) Next I bare rooted what I thought was 1 plant and discovered that I have 2 separate plants - - and I did wind up doing some minimal root pruning after rinsing off all the existing soil. After drilling additional drainage holes all the way through the bottom of the attached saucer, I repotted both plants back into the same original glazed pot as I did not have the opportunity to get an all clay pot, nor did I have a 2nd pot available to repot separately so they will continue to be bosom buddies, at least until next year. In the hopes of lessening the weight of the pot and more importantly, the perched water table, I placed 4 small empty plastic water bottles at the bottom of the pot and added a cotton string wick through the main center drainage hole to help keep a check on moisture levels. One other thing to note is when I originally posted on July 25, there was no visible growth activity - the brown pod (for lack of a better word) felt dry, crispy & empty, but to my surprise, right after the repot, I noticed that there was in deed some growth activity taking place. I only hope I did not jeopardize the emergence of new baby leaves with this root running & repot! As luck would have it, I have to go out of town for 2 weeks and need to leave explicit instructions for my boyfriend who will be caring for my plants while I am away so I do have a few questions: ~ How long should I keep the plant in the shade or is it ok to keep it in bright light but with NO direct sun? Right now it is behind a UV solar blind and sheer linen curtain which creates a shady environment. ~ When can I introduce it back into some direct sunlight? ~ Should I water everyday until the roots acclimate & re-establish themselves in the gritty mix? What is the best watering schedule for now? ~ When would I start adding foliage pro 9-3-6 to the mix & should it be the production or maintenance amount? Many thanks to Al and all the other forum members for all the advice. I will update once I am back from my trip with any changes - - hopefully they are all positive ones. **having trouble positing picts so will try to add in separate post

I did the same thing last fall with a big sprawling and very sad looking schefflera that had lost most of its leaves, and found the same thing--virtually no fine roots, just thick and mostly woody encircling roots. I did prune almost all the thick roots but left one woody one alone to hold the plant up while I filled the pit with 5:1:1, shaking and tapping the pot to make sure the mix filled in all the books and crannies. Be aware that the plant will sulk longer than if you repotted in the spring, but it will grow a few new leaves in the winter and really liven up in late spring and summer with longer days and more light. A south or southwest facing window will help, and I recommend adding supplemental light in the winter, even if it's just a few 100W bright white (5000-6500k) CFL or LED bulbs in regular fixtures close to the leaves. All my plants, including the repotted scheff, went from practically dormant to getting new leaves after I added the light in late fall.

Agree. Too, just because you have roots growing out of the drain hole isn't proof that the plant is root bound. Roots are opportunistic and only grow where conditions are favorable. That hollow space under the pot probably supplies much more air/oxygen than the lower reaches of the soil in the pot. Since the conditions are favorable there, that's where they grow. Your plant isn't rootbound unless you can lift the entire root/soil mass out of the pot intact. There is no rush to repot your plant. It would fare much better if you wait until the summer solstice if you're more than 25* N or S latitude. If you're closer to the equator than that, it doesn't much matter when you repot. Al