Ficus benjamina question.

[glass_shark]

Hey all, I have these 2 ficus that are exclusively indoor plants, theyre both doing pretty well. I want to shorten them both quite a bit, and take cuttings of the bits I chop off, but I know benjamina tend to be a bit dramatic, so I dont wanna do too much too quickly. I am a huge fan of the mame/shohin size, so thats where I'm aiming to get these. How should I go about this process? Start slow? Chop them to trunks today? Also if theyre kept inside, does the time of year matter? Any help is appreciated as always, thanks!

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I have never kept them inside, their growth would be 10 times better if you put them outside in the summer. Most Ficus work is done in late spring early summer for those that are outside, I would wait until then. When chopping benjamina, it is best to leave some leaves or buds on them otherwise you might lose them. You may have to reduce them in stages.

John

 

[MHBonsai]

X2 on the advice above. Benjaminas can develop really fast if treated right. Get them outside next summer and watch them explode.

They do look decently healthy, I see some new growth pushing so that’s good.

I’d recommend sketching out what you want your final tree to look like and go from there. If you want to chop them down I would do it once and go big next spring. Outside. No real reason to go slow, but always leave a couple heathy growing tips and leaves if you can.

If you have no leaves and no heathy petioles, the branch will wither and die typically. And they don’t reliably back bud like other ficus.

In exchange…they do ramify well in good light, they grow incredibly fast, and you can shape them in any style you like.

They propagate easy. Keep cuttings in moist soil or even in water in bright shade and they’ll root.

Welcome and have fun!