Since you already have it unpotted you could take out all the stems that have brown leaves and pot the good ones.

Great question!!! I've cut plants back but not cut all leaves off completely.

Roots take up water and nutrients from the soil and get them started moving up the plant, but they also store food and serve as energy reservoirs. It's from these reservoirs that the energy to push new foliage comes if you cut the tops off.

I even do it to trees as a tool to reduce internode length and leaf size. When I defoliate a tree, the vitality of which is extremely high, it sets the tree back. Lacking leaves to make food, it calls on reserves to push a new flush of foliage. It comes in with smaller leaves and less branch extension (tight internodes - just what the bonsai practitioner wants in order to make leaves more in scale to the size of the tree).

Before:

After:

Most recent after another near complete defoliation and wiring. Note how leaves are cut in half:

Al

Good stuff Al!

Thanks Al! I'm digesting this info, but, as usual, you provided a great explanation! If I defoliate my PL, would that cause a greater flush of new growth rather than keeping the leaves on it? Ultimately, all of the current ugly leaves will be removed.

My thought is to chop it all back. Why focus the PL's energy to support the damaged leaves when it could be directed to roots & new healthy leaves? (now PL repotted & water issue corrected) Is my rationale along the right track?

very interesting about bonsai! Someday, I would like to try it-- but will research first! :)

thanks!

~Betina

In many cases if you mess something up and the evidence is made manifest in spoiled foliage, you can give yourself a 'do over' by removing all the foliage and waiting for a new flush to take its place. That's not a technique to be used at random or w/o careful consideration given to the season, the vigor Mother Nature invested in the plant, and the plant's current state of vitality. IOW, if you defoliate a weak Ficus in the winter, odds that it will pass to another astral plane as a result are much higher than if you'd defoliated a plant in good health in summer.

Your plant has a root system that naturally serves as a food/energy reservoir, so you're in little danger of the plant showing you a bad reaction (as in dying on you), even it you cut the top back tight to the crown. If you decide on that course, just remember to be very careful not to over-water. DAMP or MOIST are the operative words, with wet and soggy to be avoided to about the same degree you would avoid picking pennies out of a hot frying pan.

Al

Tapla & others

i understand both sides of the debate for my PL. I repotted the PL in 5:1:1 (used 5 Reptibark, 1 Sp peat, & 1+Med perlite (prob 1.25) & trimmed off the brown & left many leaves on. It looked droopy the next day & figured it would have some transplant shock. I had to go out of town for work, but had my watering help in order. She texted me a pic of the wood stick so I could tell her when it was ready to water. She watered it once when I was gone for 9 days. My help however, didn't tell me that the whole plant collapsed! (Arguing I couldn't do anything for the plant out of town). moving on, Mother Nature decided the next step. Last night when I got home, I cut all the leaves back. The mix is dry on top but moist a bit down-- maybe a bit too moist, but not wet, not soggy for sure. This mix is better than it was in before, but this PL never wilted between waterings before. When I felt down, I pulled up one of the small loose & single shoot & the roots were brown & didn't Li like it was the same PL I left 9 days ago! Should I dig it up to evaluate the other roots? I can't believe the roots would have started to rot so fast, but im not sure what to do. I used distilled water. And I planned on starting to fertilize with 9-3-6 when I came home. Your last comment indicated to make sure the "Roots only " plant wasn't too moist & just damp. Would putting the PL near my grow light be beneficial? I do think the PL needed more light than it received before- it had enough to survive, but not thrive. My husband has a light meter... What FC/lux would be best at this point? When I repotted my big PL (pics shown), I replanted the other 2 I had. The medium PL took a hit to the older leaves (which I've now removed) but small newer ones ok & plant still green. The smallest PL is still green & doing ok I think.

I know things don't happen fast with plants, but I want to make sure I'm giving the best environment it needs. Your help is always appreciated as I learn!

Thanks!

~Betina

How's it looking today? What changes? Is it starting to grow?

Al

Have patience and keep soil damp, but never wet/soggy. Fertilize after it starts pushing new growth. I'm not sure where you live, but recovery will likely be slowed by the fact we're well into Sep and you only recently repotted; not the world's end, but timing is something that should be a consideration for all things on our lists of 'planty things to do'.

Al