Ficus Repotting

oldandrootbound

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Hello, from Central Florida. I'm new to the forum, but have dabbled in bonsai for decades. Due to recent health issues, my plants have dwindled to a precious few.

One is my oldest, a 35+ year old ficus. As a result of my neglect, it has become horrible looking, but has a magnificent trunk which I think I can turn into a handsome specimen.
But, the pot is overgrown with weeds of all descriptions and the soil, I'm sure, is also full of weed seeds, etc.

My question is, can I safely remove/wash away all the existing soil from the plant roots, to eliminate all the contamination, and repot immediately?
I think this would be the only solution to the weed problem.
Second question, how long after this repotting should I wait to cut and reshape the tree?

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas.
 

BrianBay9

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Healthy ficus handle bare rooting and root pruning very well. You should be able to start that process now, as long as your night time temps are in the 50 F range. If the tree is healthy, you can do pruning and wiring at the same time. If it's struggling then wait until you see good growth after the repot before you do anything else major.
 

oldandrootbound

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Thanks. I appreciate the quick reply.
I'm sure I'll be back for more help, and hope to better participate in the future.
:cool:
 

Redwood Ryan

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I'm very curious about this trunk you speak of...have any pictures to share?
 

oldandrootbound

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Images of my ficus. It is a mess, but I've had it for fully half of my life so I'd like to give it some care and a new look.
I yanked out a lot of weeds and debris to show the base of the trunk. I'd like to come up with a plan to keep it short (16 to 20 inches) but leafy. I marked two branches, A and B, as the ones I'd like to keep and go from there. The root ball seems to be in good shape, but some of the exposed roots have degraded. I have a tall slender branch from this tree that I cut and potted a couple of years ago, so I might make that a companion tree.

20210427_1001.jpg20210427_1002.jpg20210427_1003.jpg20210427_1004.jpg20210427_1005.jpg20210427_1006.jpg
 

Cadillactaste

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The health of a tree depicts the work we put upon it. A photo of the tree would allow one to assess how strong and healthy it is. For a healthy tree...being a ficus. Not an issue. BUT a weak tree it is not advised.
 

BrianBay9

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Looks like a F. benjamina? If so you should take a bit more care in cutting back hard on branches you want to keep. Benjamina don't back bud as well as F. microcarpa, so I would be conservative and not cut back farther that the leaves closest to the trunk. That being said, a lot of that stuff sprouting at the back near the base could be cleaned up. As you shorten the tree you'll just want to be careful cutting back your main trunk. Really cool base on that.
 

LanceMac10

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A good blog for you to look thru for some visual/horticultural guidance. He's posted many a "restoration"-themed blog. Should translate climate-wise nicely for you.
Good luck with your fig!:)
 

Cadillactaste

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If you are anywhere near Adam Lavigne. I might ask for a personal lesson. I had one back when he was in Cincinnati, Ohio. That tree is bare...he would know what you could do with it. Without risking harm. If you do Facebook...reach out to him in messenger...he's a great guy.

Benjamina can not be fully defoliated and need addressed to a degree making sure foliage is left or a viable healthy bud. Or dieback can come from it.
 

Michael P

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Given its species and condition, I suggest repotting into a somewhat larger container without much root work or pruning. Let it grow and become very strong, then do root work and/or pruning to get it back into the pot you want to use. In Florida, it might only take a few months.

You are right about the trunk, it can become beautiful and unique.
 

oldandrootbound

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Thanks for all the good info. Especially about letting it beef up a little before taking the scythe to it. ;)
I'll post my progress. And I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go along.
 

mrrlg

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Some long term thoughts to consider. Both branches A and B have reverse taper, in that they get thicker as the the eye travels up. This will have to be dealt with eventually. Were this my tree, I would start removing the majority of the sucker branches, reduce the canopy height to between 2/3 to 1/2 of the current height. The most important thing to do is to remove it from the current pot to a growing box. This box needs to be bigger than the current pot. This can be as simple as a black rectangular plastic box used for mixing concrete from Lowes. Punch a bunch of drainage holes in it and you are good to go. Plant the ficus higher in the grow box than it currently is in your bonsai pot.

Once the plant is established what you are looking for is if you can uncover any existing (or develop new) surface roots to widen the base of your ficus.
 

oldandrootbound

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Thanks, mrrig.
That is right inline with what I was thinking and have started to do.
Lots of help and good advice here. Glad that I have found and joined this group. I hope that I can be a giver as well as a taker in the future.;)

I had a beautiful 6 year old azalea that unfortunately did not survive my neglect. I an anxious to get another in shape for next Spring's bloom.
I'm one of those folks who take it personal if my plants die, and have gone to great lengths to save a $20 potted citrus tree. So the bonsai have always been dear to me.
 

MHBonsai

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Benjamina can not be fully defoliated and need addressed to a degree making sure foliage is left or a viable healthy bud. Or dieback can come from it.

Just for clarity sake...Benjaminas can be 100% defoliated, but you have to leave a growing tip on every branch you want to live. Petiole's are the names of them. The little green points at the base of the leaves. Just be sure you do it for the right reasons on a healthy tree.

You have an awesome tree that can really be something special! Get it in some good soil and growing like a weed, set your vision where you want it to be, and go to town.

Here's a read of mine and what's possible with these:

 

MHBonsai

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Capture.JPG

And you have some killer low branching already. I'd make a squatty sumo tropical look from this one. :cool:
 

MHBonsai

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Great explanation of a similar tree.
 

Cadillactaste

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Just for clarity sake...Benjaminas can be 100% defoliated, but you have to leave a growing tip on every branch you want to live. Petiole's are the names of them. The little green points at the base of the leaves. Just be sure you do it for the right reasons on a healthy tree.

You have an awesome tree that can really be something special! Get it in some good soil and growing like a weed, set your vision where you want it to be, and go to town.

Here's a read of mine and what's possible with these:

Right, but hard to leave the grow tip when chopping was discussed. 🤔 Not knowing the direction or degree this will be cut back. I also mentioned viable buds.
 
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Benjaminas can be 100% defoliated, but you have to leave a growing tip on every branch you want to live.

Very possible this is true in Tampa and/or Nashville. In my experience, growing f. benjamina under lights in a warm and humid grow tent, this practice's success is hit and miss. I cut the leaves and left multiple growing tips on three branches of the same tree. Of those three, one budded out right away, the second took months to bud out, and the third just shriveled and died. Vigor was not the issue, as the tree put on 1/4" of trunk diameter during the same time frame.
 
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