Hello, Hi! As you read my reply, keep in mind that there is a lot of information that doesn't go into great detail. Where you have questions, just ask.

I have just acquired a lovely small plant
of the variety mentioned above. The little plastic cup it came in has
holes in the bottom. The soil is still slightly damp. Slightly damp, or moist is ideal for most plants other than cacti and some succulents. In a perfect world, whatever medium you choose would have no water in the spaces between soil particles. All water would be contained within the particles, on the surface of particles, or at the interface where particles contact each other. This means that a very large fraction of your medium would be in the 2.5-4mm size range.

I would prefer to use a mineral mix (although I used orchid mix or pine bark for the hoyas) for the tree, if possible. For almost all I currently grow, which is mostly woody material and succulents, I use a medium that has no particles smaller than 2mm, and organic material (pine or fir bark) is 1/3 or less of the volume.

I read several of tapla's posts, including his houseplants mix. I hope you found something helpful/usable in my offerings. I'm
in Europe, so some things (like chicken grit or Turface) are not
available here, or maybe under a different name. (I think i read
somewhere that "Seramis" is close to Turface). Yes, both products are clay derivatives fired at temps high enough to ensure structural stability of the particles under normal use, including freezing.

So, there are two things I need to figure out:

1. Which pot size for the little plant? (I have these sizes ready:
9cm and 14cm in diameter, which is roughly 3,4 and 5,5 inches
respectively. Probably something in between would be better? To a large degree, soil choice determines appropriate pot size. In most cases, the pot size can be reduced at the first full repot, because a repot (as opposed to potting up) includes bare-rooting and root pruning. To maximize the opportunity for your plants to realize as much of their genetic potential as possible, full repots are an essential part of your care regimen. Root congestion becomes a limitation around the point in time where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot, intact. A very water-retentive medium requires judicious consideration of pot size to avoid over-potting. As the volume of excess water (water between soil particles) the medium holds, the less important pot size is. If you get to the point where you're using soils like I normally use, you can plant seeds in a 200L steel drum if you have a spare one on hand.

2. the mix. ideally, I could use the stuff I already have. I'm also
reluctant to get anything that could harm my little dog, should she
manage to get hold of it. She's resourceful! I can't think of anything that would go in a soil that a dog would eat. I'll leave that up to you. Would you mind providing a list of the size range of the particles you have, and whether or not they are internally porous. For reference, Seramis IS internally porous, perlite is not)

3. The small leaf that is almost buried... Should I cut if off when I repot?

This is what I have:

- pine bark in big chunks that I could break in smaller chunks

- pumice

- lechuza pon, which is a mix of pumice, Zeolith, and lava (they call
it "light-weight" lava) and a CRF, which is high in nitrogen, but quite
weak. https://www.lechuza.us/accessories-lechuza-pon/lechuza-pon-1.4-us.dry.gal/19790.html

- coarse sand used for aquariums (I sometimes need it for weight, so the pots don't fall over easily) Size, please?

- epiphyte mix, this: https://www.kakteen-haage.de/en/accessories/substrates-soil/substrates-and-soils/Epiphytes-soil-no-04-45-l-Erdbox.html (no info on what exactly they use... )

Is it possible to make an appropriate mix for the little guy with
what I have? Particle size is my biggest concern; e.g. even the epiphyte
mix looks much finer in my bag than in the picture. I think you're going to be OK insofar as building from what you have. If need be, you could pick up a piece of old insect screen from a glass company and use it to screen the dust out of the epiphyte mix.

All the stuff is very dry, even the pine bark; should I soak the mix for some time before using it? If I want to plant in a dry mix known to be hydrophobic at low moisture levels, I put about 1/3 of the volume I'll need in a bucket, then add water and stir it into a mucky mess, (there should me some residual water that doesn't get absorbed) then add the rest of the soil and mix again. The moisture in the overly wet 1/3 will diffuse into the rest of the medium and 'break' it's tendency to remain hydrophobic. The whole process only takes minutes. It's probably not going to be necessary though, given what you have to work with.

Al

Thank you very much for your reply! I'll try and post a photo of my ingredients (samples) tomorrow.

Oh, I forgot to mention I do have a sieve thingy to filter out the very fine stuff.

Sorry for getting back so late, life got in the way! Meanwhile, the little plant has lost two leaves.

I made a photo of all the ingredients I have.

Clockwise:

1. upper left: pine bark (huge chunks) 10-25 mm, "from old pine trees, not rotted, structurally stable"

2. Epiphyte mix of unknown ingredients. T

he bag was unopened, so whatever I thought I remembered about it was wrong! I think I recognize cocohum, expanded shale (hmmm... or maybe lava) and maybe something like Leca balls.

3. Lechuza Pon, a mix of pumice, lava, and zeolith (sp?) also including a (weak dose of?) long time fertilizer with lots of nitrogen (for refernce: Adeniums love that substrate.)

4. pumice (of which I have only a small amount left) , size: 2--5mm, double washed

5. a mix of most of it, including pine bark broken into smaller pieces

6. coarse sand, I think the kind you find in rivers 2--5mm, washed

7. pumice (brown), quite fine (bought it for cactus seedlings), size: 0 - 5mm

Sooo... What would the expert house plant lovers do with that for the little ficus?

ETA: I had a little language slip up there. When I wrote I would prefer a "mineral" mix, I meant an inorganic mix!

In the meantime, by reading lots of Al's posts, I've learned that this is not an ideal time for repotting. OTOH, I'm not comfortable with the plant sitting in this little plastic cup all winter. And up-potting would mean I stick this package of roots with humus soil into my far grittier mix... I can't imagine this would be a good thing.

So what did you do/decide, Lisbeth?

Al

To tell you the truth, I put it off, I guess I'm a little overwhelmed. It's my first tree... my first not-succulent or hoya, besides a very new Rhaphidophora, on which the jury is still out. But I have to do it soon, the ficus lost another leaf and several others look like they will follow. (There is new growth, though, so yay, I guess!) So any input is still welcome.

I hope you found something helpful/usable in my offerings. Of course, it's just a lot of info.

In most cases, the pot size can be reduced at the first full repot, because a repot (as opposed to potting up) includes bare-rooting and root pruning. I was hoping to avoid root pruning this time, but I will try to do it if necessary.

...you can plant seeds in a 200L steel drum if you have a spare one on hand. Well, that'd look a bit awkward! :) I guess my confusion as to pot size is I don't know how fast it will grow, provided eveything goes well.

Thank you so much for your advice, Al. Dang, I'm actually more of an underwaterer! But it was so hot recently (up to 30°C in the apartment) that I've watered it 2 times since I got it. Yes, I will find an appropriate wooden dowel.

I'm going to use a mix of the stuff pictured above and hope for the best, I guess! So it's going to be gritty.

Well, I've done the deed and unpotted it! I spread out the roots a bit for the pictures. It's sitting in water now. I couldn't get all the dirt off, fearing to tear the delicate roots off.

For reference: The little boxes on the paper sheet are exactly 0.5 cm in width and length.

So, do you think the roots look ok?

Oh, and how deep should I pot it? Normally I would pot it exactly as deep as it was before, but the little branch to the lower left (which initially had a tiny leaf) was below the soil line, so I'm wondering.

I'm probably overthinking this.

do you think the roots look ok? They look fine. I hope you kept them constantly wet/moist from the time you removed the soil until the repot was finished.

Oh, and how deep should I pot it? Do you want a single stem (trunk) or multiple trunks?

Al

They look fine. Great!

I hope you kept them constantly wet/moist from the time you removed the soil until the repot was finished. Yes,except for the time it took to take a couple of pics. But it was in water for quite some time, I hope it didn't mind. Speaking of overwatering...

Do you want a single stem (trunk) or multiple trunks? I'd prefer a single stem/ tree-like apearance.

Snip off the little appendage located just above the roots so the cut is almost but not quite flush to the "trunk". You will get roots there sometime in the near future. Plant the cutting so the wound created by pruning off the stub will be about 1" below the soil surface.

You already have at least 2 true branches on the tree. When any branch gets 3 leaves on it, pinch back to 2 leaves.

Here ^^^ we have a started Ficus retusa cutting that's been pinched back to 2 leaves. There is already a new branch forming in each of the leaf axils. As soon as the first leaf on either/both new branches is starting to mature, I'll cut off the mature leaves you see in the image. This will slow growth and ensure the tree stays tight & compact. This has already been done to your tree, and you should be able to see a scar beneath of the new branches where the old leaf was attached.

The lower branches will behave as though they wanna be co-dominant leaders (trunks). Let them "think" that for now. They'll be serving the important function of thickening the trunk and will be removed later when you start to limb-up to expose the single trunk. They'll also serve as sacrifice branches (because they won't be a part of the finished composition) , and you can use them to practice and observe the results of your pinching regimen. Pinching is how you maximize ramification (branch & leaf density).

Al

Snip off the little appendage located just above the roots so the cut is almost but not quite flush to the "trunk". You will get roots there sometime in the near future. Plant the cutting so the wound created by pruning off the stub will be about 1" below the soil surface.

Done! Although I'm afraid the cutting off didn't work so well, now there is no stub left... :(

How long do you wait with watering after repotting a ficus?

You already have at least 2 true branches on the tree. When any branch gets 3 leaves on it, pinch back to 2 leaves. (...)

This will slow growth and ensure the tree stays tight & compact. This has already been done to your tree, and you should be able to see a scar beneath of the new branches where the old leaf was attached.

The lower branches will behave as though they wanna be co-dominant leaders (trunks). Let them "think" that for now. They'll be serving the important function of thickening the trunk and will be removed later when you start to limb-up to expose the single trunk. They'll also serve as sacrifice branches (because they won't be a part of the finished composition) , and you can use them to practice and observe the results of your pinching regimen. Pinching is how you maximize ramification (branch & leaf density).

Sounds like a plan, thank you! Now I'm eagerly awaiting the third leaves. Could I use those pruned leaves as cuttings to start a new tree? OK, I'm getting ahead of myself!

You should water them well right after repotting. Water it till it runs clear. I presume you are using some sort of gritty mix from your "soil collection" I see few posts back. Keep it in a bright spot out of direct Sunlight for a week or so. After that you can get it used to Sun over a period of a week or so. Ficus root quite easy so that little wound you left will very likely produce roots.

Same thing I'd've said, Lisbeth.

Al

Thank you both! I'm afraid it did not take well to the first repot without watering, even though the mix was damp. The tiny new growth is wilting. And the whole plant is sulking now. Oh well.

Sounds like the repot did not go as planned. So time to treat it as a cutting.

Create a make-shift greenhouse for it using a cut up clear plastic bottle or a container or even a clear plastic bag. Make it is nearly airtight to hold in the humidity. A bit of air going in is actually better so a bit of air exchange can take place while it is humid inside. Some leaves may still drop if they are wilting. I think you will notice some improvement in a few hours.

Leave the plant in your greenhouse for 1-2 weeks. When you see new leaves growing you can start the process of weaning it out of the greenhouse by decreasing humidity.

I think I now have a black thumb and should probably have stuck to cacti... :(

Thank you for your suggestions. It's been in a plastic bag for more than a day now and yes, it seems to be losing all of its leaves.

Does the mix have any porous material like calcined clay, pumice, etc? By looking at it seems it may dry out pretty fast. I think it will be a good idea to water it well once a day and keep it covered. I do root cuttings in gritty mix but it has turface and bark that hold quite a bit of water. So I need to check for water may be once every 5-7 days.

Anyway be patient. I think it will survive.

It has pumice (the light grey stuff) and a bit of bark, and also a bit of fiber-y stuff (coco fiber?), but I do get the impression it dries out too fast. When I used these plastic bags for sowing (cacti), there was much more condensation. (I did use the same mix, though, just smaller bits, and sans the bark.) So I will try watering daily. Today, too, even though it is evening here?

Honestly, if I had to pot it again, I would probably use half potting soil, half pumice, screen it and be done with it.

On a brighter note, maybe I'm imagining things, but it's possible I'm already seeing tiny new growth.

From the picture it looks all mineral components to me and the sizes are big enough that over-watering is not going to be a problem. I say keep at it and wait. Keep it in a warm bright location. It is a pretty plant and I hope it makes it. May be some day I will get one for myself. I just have too many ficus plants of different kinds though.

Hi Lisbeth, any improvements so far?

Hi @tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA) , one wilted leaf is hanging on for dear life, otherwise... no development that I can see. :(

I agree it is a pretty plant and I'm already quite attached to it, so I hope for the best. I've seen pictures of ficus trees cut down to a tiny stick and then bud again, of course these were more mature plants, but I can still hope!

It will take at least a week before you see any signs of growth. In the meanwhile keep it warm (70-75F is nice), moist and well-lit.

Is what we see on the surface of the soil typical of the the entire soil column? If yes, you would do well to incorporate more fine material in the 1/10-3/16 size range - preferably something that holds water internally.

Al

Update? I got a couple new Ficus plants that are tiny but bushy. Put them in gritty mix right away and under grow lights. I water and mist every day. They seem fine.