Ficus Hard Chop Input

Alaskanrocket

Yamadori
Messages
90
Reaction score
237
Location
Fairbanks, Alaska
USDA Zone
3
Im sure everyone is excited to read, yet another, new guy ficus question so apologies in advance. I have had this Benjamina for about a year and didn't really have a well thought out direction. Its currently an inside tree until summer comes, its pretty healthy, never have had an issue with it growing back in regards to minor cutbacks and defoliation. This started life as someone else's houseplant and basically was left to its own devices until i got it. Admittedly, I realize that I have continuously trimmed it back and should have just left it go until a I made a decision on the direction I wanted to go. I digress, Im wanting to chop it back and use its "natural flow" (as I see it) to train in a broom style direction. I think for now, unless instructed differently, hard chop the current branch structure, let it go for a year and go from there? The pictures should explain better what Im thinking. Ive done a bunch of research on when to chop back but considering I live in Alaska and this tree is forced to spend 3/4 of the year inside, Im kind of tripped up on when its ok and not ok to make drastic chops and Ive become very attached to this scraggly little thing. As a newb, Im completely open to suggestions, opinions, criticisms. Thanks for reading all this!
f1_LI.jpgf2 (2)_LI.jpgf3 (2)_LI.jpg
 
Messages
183
Reaction score
200
Location
Fernandina Beach, FL
USDA Zone
9a
That plant should be fine with that proposed cut. Now I understand I'm in FL where it's just about impossible to kill a Ficus. Maybe someone with more experience keeping them up north will answer.
 

Arnold

Omono
Messages
1,760
Reaction score
2,665
Location
Canary Islands, Spain
USDA Zone
11B
You can keep it outside in summer? Or you put it in a greenhouse or something? I would wait to chop it until is warmer and the tree is actively growing. The natural growing season must be short up there in Alaska, when you guys start spring?
 

Colorado

Masterpiece
Messages
3,106
Reaction score
8,231
Location
Golden, Colorado
USDA Zone
5b
Agreed to wait until it’s in peak growth for this kind of chop.

Benjamina can be less bulletproof that some other ficus. I’d cut back to a leaf on each trunk just to be safe.
 

Lorax7

Omono
Messages
1,428
Reaction score
2,113
Location
Michigan
USDA Zone
6a
If it was my tree, I’d let it grow wild outdoors all summer (not trimming anything), then do the big chop in early fall so it could sit out on the bench in full sun during the period between when you do the trunk chop and when it starts to put out the new leaves (some photosynthesis occurs in the trunk). Then, it can come indoors once the new leaves start to push and the leaves will adapt to your indoor light levels.

My reasoning for letting it grow wild all summer is to accumulate excess energy reserves in the tree to give it the resources to recover and hit the ground running after the chop. My reasoning for the timing is that it’s a fairly common practice to defoliate when bringing ficus indoors for the winter anyway to get new leaves that are adapted to the indoor light levels. Often, if you don’t defoliate when bringing them indoors, they drop their leaves anyway in response to the change of environment (light & humidity).
 

Alaskanrocket

Yamadori
Messages
90
Reaction score
237
Location
Fairbanks, Alaska
USDA Zone
3
If it was my tree, I’d let it grow wild outdoors all summer (not trimming anything), then do the big chop in early fall so it could sit out on the bench in full sun during the period between when you do the trunk chop and when it starts to put out the new leaves (some photosynthesis occurs in the trunk). Then, it can come indoors once the new leaves start to push and the leaves will adapt to your indoor light levels.

My reasoning for letting it grow wild all summer is to accumulate excess energy reserves in the tree to give it the resources to recover and hit the ground running after the chop. My reasoning for the timing is that it’s a fairly common practice to defoliate when bringing ficus indoors for the winter anyway to get new leaves that are adapted to the indoor light levels. Often, if you don’t defoliate when bringing them indoors, they drop their leaves anyway in response to the change of environment (light & humidity).
OOOOH! Smart! Thats my plan then! Thanks!
You can keep it outside in summer? Or you put it in a greenhouse or something? I would wait to chop it until is warmer and the tree is actively growing. The natural growing season must be short up there in Alaska, when you guys start spring?
I use the term "Summer" fairly loosely as its more of a blink than a season. June, July, and August are the months where night time lows do not normally drop below 50F, the rest of the year it averages between 35 and -20. At least the sun never goes down during "summer", so there's a lot of light!
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
Messages
32,908
Reaction score
45,579
Location
Berwyn, Il
USDA Zone
6.2
I'd layer it first at the widest part of that light colored part. Get some good roots on it.

Before growing it out for summer, maybe ditch the fourth trunk and select which of the remaining will be the thickest and which the thinnest, so you can set it up to increase that size differential while you grow it out.

Ah they thread graft easy too.

Get the roots right while making a good slow plan for the top.

Sorce
 

19Mateo83

Masterpiece
Messages
3,180
Reaction score
6,713
Location
Charlotte, NC 7B
USDA Zone
7b
Im sure everyone is excited to read, yet another, new guy ficus question so apologies in advance. I have had this Benjamina for about a year and didn't really have a well thought out direction. Its currently an inside tree until summer comes, its pretty healthy, never have had an issue with it growing back in regards to minor cutbacks and defoliation. This started life as someone else's houseplant and basically was left to its own devices until i got it. Admittedly, I realize that I have continuously trimmed it back and should have just left it go until a I made a decision on the direction I wanted to go. I digress, Im wanting to chop it back and use its "natural flow" (as I see it) to train in a broom style direction. I think for now, unless instructed differently, hard chop the current branch structure, let it go for a year and go from there? The pictures should explain better what Im thinking. Ive done a bunch of research on when to chop back but considering I live in Alaska and this tree is forced to spend 3/4 of the year inside, Im kind of tripped up on when its ok and not ok to make drastic chops and Ive become very attached to this scraggly little thing. As a newb, Im completely open to suggestions, opinions, criticisms. Thanks for reading all this!
View attachment 427391View attachment 427392View attachment 427393
Where ever you do decide to chop it plan on air layering the trunks off or rooting them. Make 1 tree into 4 trees. These guys root very easily in water.
 

Ugo

Shohin
Messages
353
Reaction score
619
Location
Qc, Canada
USDA Zone
5A
Hi!

I hope you are doing well!

Its important for you to know I also a beginner that started last year.
Just like you I have an old ficus.. My mother had it for a while and I decided to chop a section and plant it in a pot...
The tree has been neglected, been in all kind of conditions but one day I got more interested by Bonsai and I decided to give it a second life.

I would for now forget about chopping the branches, do air layering as Sorce suggested and let the tree get more energy, you will see they are really vigorous.
You will have to "control' the growth on the branches so you can control the size of the trunks. For example letting a front one grow freely while removing some growth on a back one so all trunks stays in proportion and create a depth effect.

I was also planning to do a heavy trunk chop on my ficus but I changed my mind after drawing images of the future tree.

Here the thread I started a couple months ago regarding the styling of the tree: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ficus-retusa-styling-help.51163/

And the tree today, not the best picture but it can give you ideas for your before the big chop if you decide to go that route, I just pruned this tree as some of the branches were growing out of proportion:
20220328_000531 (2).jpg

its starts getting crowded in there but you can see where this is going.
The nebari and roots still represent alot of work but I will learn during the process Im sure!
20220328_000704_07.jpg
 
Last edited:

canoeguide

Chumono
Messages
603
Reaction score
1,175
Location
central PA
USDA Zone
6a
That's not F. benjamina, it looks like F. microcarpa. This is good news, as they are more forgiving of hard chops than benjamina.

Your plan to cut it all back where you've indicated seems fine. If it were me, I'd stagger the cuts at slightly different heights. I'd also try to get aerial roots to grow down and cover up ball-shaped trunk, but I'm not sure how easily this can be accomplished in AK, indoors 3/4 of the year.
 

Alaskanrocket

Yamadori
Messages
90
Reaction score
237
Location
Fairbanks, Alaska
USDA Zone
3
That's not F. benjamina, it looks like F. microcarpa. This is good news, as they are more forgiving of hard chops than benjamina.

Your plan to cut it all back where you've indicated seems fine. If it were me, I'd stagger the cuts at slightly different heights. I'd also try to get aerial roots to grow down and cover up ball-shaped trunk, but I'm not sure how easily this can be accomplished in AK, indoors 3/4 of the year.
Yes, that bark color and texture is microcarpa for sure
Ah yes, In my native language Benjamina actually means Microcarpa. 😁

Well thats good to know! Thanks guys!
 
Top Bottom