Just to be accurate, pruning doesn't promote growth, in fact, the practice is a setback to growth and the lost potential can never be regained. Pruning temporarily alters the growth habit of the plant by interfering with the balance of growth regulators. Once the growth regulators regain their natural balance, the plant reverts to it's former growth habits. Now, just because I said that pruning sets back growth and the lost potential can't be regained doesn't mean I think pruning is bad. I mean, I DO think bad (inappropriate) pruning is bad, but appropriate pruning is good .... even when you're pruning roots. For the most part, I'm not interested in growing a plant unless it can be pruned or otherwise manipulated into a form that is both evocative and natural in appearance, so I'm a strong proponent of getting rid of what doesn't look good or pruning in order to produce a desirable outcome. If you want growth low on the trunks, you need to get the plant healthy and prune fairly hard while the plant is growing well - in summer. If you're interested, we can talk in more exact terms, but the generalities would go something like this: * Get the plant outdoors as soon as temps allow so you can get the plant started on the road back to good health. * Get and keep your watering under control until after you repot, when your soil should do 90% of the regulating - removing that burden from your shoulders. * Get started on a good nutritional supplementation program and stick to it. It will be VERY easy once you repot into an appropriate medium. * Don't prune until after you've repotted into an appropriate soil and the plant is pushing new growth. * Once you see new growth after repotting, prune back hard. * Force the tree to become full by constant pinching. Whenever a branch has 3 or 4 leaves on it, cut it back (pinch it) to 2 leaves. You'll get a new branch from the axil (crotch) of each leaf. When these new branches have 3-4 leaves, pinch back to 2 leaves again. No branch should ever have more than 4 leaves and no branches should have older leaves dropping off unless there is a branch in the leaf axil. If you start planning now (and you live in the Northern Hemisphere), you should be able to have your plant back on track by August. Al

To fix it, you'll need to let go of the idea that just because a tree has paid for the growth it's put on, there must be a law somewhere that says the growth is forever sacred, and therefore you commit a sacrilege if you even entertain the thought of removing a stick of it. Millions of growers willingly sacrifice the appearance of their indoor trees on the altar of growth, then fret because the trees have grown way out of bounds. It can't be had both ways. If you give your trees their head and allow them to grow as they will, you'll need to settle for ugly trees. If, on the other hand you take control over how your trees grow, you might end up tossing a fair share of growth, but end up with something special. A Ficus benjamina story in pictures:Ugly, yes, but there was a plan .....Several years later ^^^Same tree, same year, after defoliation ^^^Same tree, same year, ^^^ about 2-3 weeks after pruning/styling, 90% of the branches gone, leaves cut in half to slow growth. Another Ficus, this one a retusa:Pruned hard in June ^^^.... had grown back to this by August ^^^ Pruned a second time in same year and styled ^^^ You can see by the images that I simply use wild growth as a way to keep a tree extremely healthy so it has the stored energy to tolerate extreme work. If you can't stand cutting the long branches back hard to correct the lean (I can tell you how to do that), or removing the smaller trunk and changing the planting angle in the pot so the long side is about vertical, you might want to start a couple of air layers now. An air layer isn't "serious work" which should be undertaken in June where you live. I'll watch for your reply - no sense in getting too far ahead of myself. Al

Your tree is considered apically dominant. What this means is, the natural growth pattern of your tree is to favor elongation of branches instead of producing branches in the axil (crotch formed by the leaf stem and the branch it's attached to). There is a growing tip at the end of every branch that produces a hormone that suppresses side shoots. If you remove that tip, you reduce the amount of the chemical hormone flowing toward the roots, and new branches form in leaves nearest the tip of the cut branch.This is a cutting from which the tip was removed. Notice the new branches forming in the leaf axils. This occurs reliably, as long as your plant is growing, and that's what happened to your tree when the main trunk was severed. You shouldn't be dismayed that you should use restraint and wait to act until late spring or early summer to prune your tree or repot it (repotting is much more extensive than potting up). "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" Ecc 3:1 Your plant has natural rhythms. It's strong and robust in the late spring, summer, and early fall; tired and lazy in the winter and early spring. Understanding that rhythm exists and planning your heavy work (hard pruning and repotting) so you're taking advantage of the plants strengths and not asking much of the plant when it's sort of coasting is an important part of the growing puzzle. A plant repotted in winter or early spring might take 3-4 months to recover fully from the work; whereas, a plant repotted or pruned hard on Father's Day might take 2-3 weeks to regain its footing and it's natural defenses. Plus, knowing you're being a better nurturer for making those allowances is bound to increase the satisfaction you get from nurturing ...... which is why most of us grow plants. Generally speaking, the nurturers are better growers than those that think of plants as decorations, for obvious reasons. Too, getting in the habit of pruning in June to remove all long/lanky winter growth and pinching until fall ensures you never have to do any really major pruning. Please see if you find this to be of any value. Al

1. If you had a bush like mine, what would you do? It's the middle of summer (I'm in Toronto) to give you an idea of the weather I am living in. If you want a standard (single trunk), you'll need to remove all but one trunk if there are multiple plants, or, if it's a single plant and the several trunks are actually branches, you'll need to remove all but 1 branch. The best time to do this (for you) is in the weeks that immediately bracket the summer solstice (June 21), so now is a very good time. Plants have rhythms such that they are sometimes robust and growing strongly, or pretty much resting in what appears to be a state of suspended growth. It just makes sense to work WITH the plant instead of against it by doing the heavy work of hard pruning and repotting when they're strongest, and make allowances during months when they're weaker. 2. I know some of these leaves need to go so that it can reserve it's energy for new growth, but which leaves should I trim? Plants make their own food (sugar/ carbohydrate) during photosynthesis, so every green leaf is its own food factory. Removing living leaves always slows growth, development, and o/a vitality (health). I get the sense from your post that things are going to happen quickly. They might ...... in tree time, but not in people time. It takes patience and something of a workable plan to bring your vision for the plant to fruition. Leaving all the leaves on the plant, for now, will make it grow faster and make the trunk thicker/stronger - so I encourage you to do that, excepting what pruning you need to do to get the ball rolling toward what you're looking for from the plant. After that, save your pruning for late spring/early summer (mid-June). 3. I saw a few spider mites - I rinsed it outside but I don't think that was enough. How do I get rid of them? What you did is fine if you do it every 4 days. Be sure to spray (a fine mist is best) into the leav axils (crotch formed by the leaf stem and the branch it attaches to) and on the underside of leaves where they like to hide. If you're indoors, you can mix 1 part of 70% rubbing alcohol to 1 or 2 parts of water and spritz all surfaces, nooks/crannies. That works very well. 4. There is new growth at the bottom. Should I get rid of these?Your wishes trump the plant's wishes, always, but the plant would say, "Not yet" - these leaves are still working hard for me and you can remove them at any future point in time. Al