Leaves are usually reduced on cuttings because the plant can't draw up sufficient water to maintain them all. During transplant, roots can get damaged and the same thing happens, the remaining roots can't supply sufficient water. But in a healthy, undisturbed plant it doesn't make sense to remove healthy leaves. Photosynthesis in the leaves provides the plant with most of its food. Cutting out leaves reduces it's food supply and induces the plant to draw on it's reserves to replace those leaves.

You might have multiple plants there, a number of cuttings originally placed in the pot. When you eventually repot you can check that. If they get most light from above and little from the side there'll be growth at the top and lower leaves will tend to fall. But you'll still have a number of trunks unless you separate them.

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

Thanks @tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a) and @tropicbreezent for your feedback adn tips! I will get a few pots and soil for repotting this weekend since timing is perfect. Hopefully I have a couple of plants to increase my indoor garden a bit :)

I'll give that diy mist a try as well. I've only seen 1-3 mites so it's not a lot to get rid of overall (thankfully).

If you buy potting soil off the shelf, it is almost certain it will be too water-retentive for best results. So, before you do the repot, it might be good to guard against that potentiality by planning ahead so you can use some ballast in the bottom of the pot. If you have a pot full of soil and add a brick to the pot, it displaces a brick's-worth of the soil. If the brick is at the bottom of the pot, it displaces soil that would otherwise be saturated after a good watering. This is the water that limits root function and sets the stage for fungal root infections.

If you're interested in some additional advice, before you repot, show an image of the pot and give some rough dimensions. It would also be a good idea to stop at a hydroponics store and pick up a small bag of coarse perlite.

Sorry - I cut the top of the image off when I took a screen shot and can't find the original image. These are 4 oz spice jars. The top 2 sizes work best. Top left is coarse/ propagation grade, the top right is medium/ soil mix grade. Either of those sizes work best with the coarse being a bit better. These are much coarser than you'll find at most plant supply outlets. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to talk again before you repot. I think it would be beneficial.

Al

Hi Al, I missed your message unfortunately and repotted my plants already. I was able to split the plant into three, two of which are in a pot without drainage. To avoid root rot, I used ikea clay balls at the bottom part of the soil.

During the process, I did end up snapping one of the trunks - do they heal themselves?

I noticed some of the newer cleaves ended up looking droopy but I read that they will strengthen after a couple of months.

Need to see an image of the trunk to tell you what to expect.

Does "w/o drainage" mean w/o a drain hole?

Al

I've already potted it unfortunately. I guess time will tell, but if I were to explain it...I think imagine the trunk (a bit thicker than a thick branch that snapped but still attached a bit). I noticed the newest leaves on this plant is still floppy, while the other tree I repotted has its floppy leaves strengthen.

Yes, w/o drainage as in w/o a drain hole. I find a lot of the nice looking pots don't have drainage holes..

Even for a skilled grower, growing in a container w/o drainage is difficult and usually an abbreviated experience. Demise normally comes from the plant being forced to deal with a significant part of the soil being saturated (no drain hole). If you're somehow able to dodge that bullet, there's an accomplice that sneaks up on you and does you in. That would be the accumulation of dissolved solids (salts) from tapwater and fertilizer solutions which destroy the plant's appearance and eventually render the plant unable to take up water and the nutrients dissolved in water; this, because there is no way to flush accumulating salts from the soil (no drain hole).

Let me know if you want to revisit this and talk it through. If not, I wish the best of luck on you.

Al

Hi Al, 2 of my 3 repotted plants are not doing well.

The first is the one with the trunk that was snapped closer to the roots. The leaves have lost all its strength and the lower leaves are actually dying. This plant is in a planter without drainage holes. this one is a single plant.

The second is still alive, but leaves have no regained strength but still doing okay it seems. They are a tiny bit droopy but not a lot compared to the first plant. This too is not in a planter with drainage holes. This one has two plants in one.

The third one seems to be thriving in a planter that has drainage holes. This one is a single plant.

I'd like to revisit the first 2 plants. Pictures provided.

From what I wrote in my post above this one, I think you got a sense of my trepidation about potting in a container w/o a drain hole, so the best way I can help is by taking another shot at trying to convince you a pot w/o a drain hole is a disappointment in waiting. By looking at the pots, I would guess they are terra cotta (low-fired clay) with a glaze coating, so they should be very easy to drill holes in. Would you like instructions?

Al