Getting a ficus ginseng to back-bud

[bonsai_brooklyn]

I've had a ginseng ficus hybrid for about seven years now, and the tree is quite healthy. I've tried pruning it back but all that did was eliminate the growth from that point forwards, and now all the new growth is very far out on the branches. I've read that to get the tree to back bud you need to prune far back on the branch towards the trunk but am concerned about losing the entire branch. What is the best way to get the tree to back bud?

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Never thought I'd buy a ficus until I found one with no leaves on sale... now what?

I picked this critter up today while shopping for some more junipers. On my way into the nursery I took a detour to peek at the cacti and found him sitting alone on the shelf marked down 50%. As you can see from the photos it's dropped most of it's leaves. There is a lot, too much, info...

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

 

[Eckhoffw]

If it is healthy, it will definitely push new growth after low chops. I’d go for it. Of course easy for me to say as it is not mine- it will take some time to redevelop

 

[leatherback]

I would get it outside in spring. Get is acclimatized to sun exposure and get nice fatty lush growth on it. Once you see it move away from hestitanly growing a leaf towards unstoppable pushing, defoliate, clip of all the terminal buds and move it to a more shaded position to avoid burning the bark (Doing this during a cloudy reainy week is even better). In 1-2 weeks you should see buds pushing everywhere and you can trim back to new growth once it starts to take some established look.

 

[Shibui]

Ficus are very apical dominant. If pruning is light new buds will only grow near the tips. If some branches are left longer that's where new buds will form.
To reliably get buds on ficus you really need to prune hard. Remember new buds will mostly grow near the ends. New shoots will always grow out and longer so initial prune needs to go way back further than the planned outline. New shoots will then grow out to where you want them.
Ficus respond much better when they are actively growing so late spring and summer are ideal time for hard pruning like this.
Fortunately most ficus are really good at buds on bare wood so you can prune hard without undue worry in the growing season.

 

[Forsoothe!]

When you prune hard is just as important as how hard you prune, it must be done in these difficult cases at the peak of growth, like May 15th in NYC, in full sun. Once it starts you need to tip prune more or less continuously to maintain control, especially as opposed to letting it grow all year and shaping each spring. Remove or at least damage the buds when they are the size of a pencil point on branches where you want to limit the length of the twig and redirect growth in the direction you want.