Got this ficus about two months ago, found roots getting into humidity tray

Mattfly

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Hey everyone, like the title says I just found roots coming out of the bottom of my ficus’ pot. It’s been exploding with new growth lately and I was wondering if I can just trim back the roots or will it need a full on repot and root prune? I’ve also noticed roots growing upwards from the top of the pot which I thought was odd. I’m in Maryland, US, it’s the middle of spring and it’s an indoor bonsai.
 

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Carol 83

Flower Girl
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It's just really happy! I usually repot my tropicals in the summer. You said it's an indoor tree, but it would really enjoy being outside until nighttime temps drop below 50 degrees.
 

Mattfly

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It's just really happy! I usually repot my tropicals in the summer. You said it's an indoor tree, but it would really enjoy being outside until nighttime temps drop below 50 degrees.
Yeah I plan on it being outside towards the end of spring/early summer. And awesome that’s great news! Happy to have a happy ficus
 

Mattfly

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Yep! Look like a happy ficus! Just watch out for the wire and make sure it doesn’t bite in. Ficus can thicken up quickly when it’s happy.
So would you say just let the root do it’s thing until I give it a bigger pot in the summer?
 

Shibui

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So would you say just let the root do it’s thing until I give it a bigger pot in the summer?
No right answer here so your choice.
Letting roots run in the gravel will usually give a boost to growth above. That may be good or not depending whether you want the trunk thicker or keeping growth short is more important.
Roots can be snipped off at any stage without harm to the tree.
As escape roots grow they also thicken. Sooner or later the root will plug the drain hole and create a swimming pool inside the pot. Not good for existing roots so best to snip or repot before that stage.
Does this tree really need a bigger pot? We use a bigger pot to allow the trees to grow more and thicken more. Bonsai can stay in the same sized pot for many years but still need regular root reduction so there's space in the pot for new root growth. Cutting roots is just like cutting branches - they just grow back with more.
 

DBPooper

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You could pee on it and it'd probably be okay. Seriously, and seriously, its a ficus. It's happy. Awesome times. I love ficus.
 

Gabler

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Whereabouts? Eastern Shore? Panhandle? Southern Maryland? D.C. suburbs? I grew up on the Eastern Shore just south of the C&D Canal before moving to Wilmington, Delaware, recently for work. It’s been chilly at night this spring, especially out west toward the mountains.
 

Mattfly

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Whereabouts? Eastern Shore? Panhandle? Southern Maryland? D.C. suburbs? I grew up on the Eastern Shore just south of the C&D Canal before moving to Wilmington, Delaware, recently for work. It’s been chilly at night this spring, especially out west toward the mountains.
DC suburbs and yeah we’ve gone through a few fake springs already. I’m gonna wait till sometime in June most likely
 

Mattfly

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**So long as you’re not on any medications harmful to plants.
Just the occasional springtime benedryl. Hopefully it doesn’t send the ficus into some kind of dormancy
 
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