Reverse taper ficus retusa

[jmgx12]

Hi there!

This was my first tree, so sentimental value. I know it's not the prettiest ficus and it's maybe like 3-4 years old but it means a lot to me. I have a feeling i'm going to run into trouble with it over the next 2-3 years with inverse taper, specifically where those two larger branches meet. Any recs to thicken out that trunk? I was going to keep pruning the two larger ones, letting the one along the S grow out to thicken. My other thought was to choose a new lead of the two larger ones but it would look super bare. I was also considering just taking it out of the pot and letting it grow in a larger nursery pot in the Spring.

Thanks so much!

Jonathan

 

[Lorax7]

I have a feeling i'm going to run into trouble with it over the next 2-3 years with inverse taper, specifically where those two larger branches meet.

A junction where 2 branches meet won’t cause inverse taper. It’s when you have 3 or more branches originating from the same spot (or very close to it, even if one is offset a little) that inverse taper becomes an issue. The trunk counts as a branch in the above statements.

 

[jmgx12]

A junction where 2 branches meet won’t cause inverse taper. It’s when you have 3 or more branches originating from the same spot (or very close to it, even if one is offset a little) that inverse taper becomes an issue. The trunk counts as a branch in the above statements.

Ah I see. Thanks. So that swelling at that point where those two branches meet wouldn't really cause inverse taper in the long run, which is why that large cut was made a long time ago in the nursery?

 

[Cajunrider]

A junction where 2 branches meet won’t cause inverse taper. It’s when you have 3 or more branches originating from the same spot (or very close to it, even if one is offset a little) that inverse taper becomes an issue. The trunk counts as a branch in the above statements.

A junction where 2 branches meet usually won't cause inverse taper. However, if a tree was chopped and two shoots were allowed to grow right at the chop, sometimes reverse taper will form due to the 2-branch growth plus the scar. I have observed that in ficus and most assuredly in bald cypress.
If this were my tree, I would cut off one of the branches at the tip and encourage growth for a branch below that chop to avoid inverse taper.