mmmh I don't know if I can still ask something . I just inherited a 14 feet Ficus Benjamin It was standing in a mansion by an indoor pool behind sort of slightly light filtering drapes with like 25 feet ceilings. I have NO ceiling of that height ours are usual 2m40 +-(8 feet) Now this tree has leaves starting way above 9 feet . In the moment to sort of try to save it I put in in a corner of our garden in a semi shaded spot ( a pink dog wood tree is between it and the mid day sun but it will get later afternoon to evening sun. BIG question if I cut it down to say the maximum of my ceiling ( as it may looks all its leaves anyway due to change of position) will it or should it make new shoots at a lower part of the main trunks it has a few very small ones at this time ... I also got a 10 feet tall Legionaire palm long thin stems cream color with little bunches of green palm leaves at the end ...Will these two survive a summer OUTdoors in Vancouver till and what about winter ?
Re: Ficus benjamina--help! Vic, your Ficus benjamina will do fine with the heavy pruning down to a more managable height. You'll want to watch for sunscald, or just keep it in high shifting shade, but I'd anticipate new growth in a couple of weeks.
Re: Ficus benjamina--help! Hello Thank you for your advise. Can I ask some more . Considering pruning back to say normal home heigth should it be done now ? or in Automn when the sap goes down as its an ever green I wonder does the sap go down at all? Its a bit mad to cut down most of everything NOW and not take adavantage of this beautiful tree BUT if doing it in automn is too than I guess we have NO choice but doing it now and hoping for new shoots to emerge now in spring summer. Thanks again..
Re: Ficus benjamina--help! Ideally, you would do it in late winter. You don't have that luxury. I would do it now, since it will have the rest of the summer to recover. I have hard pruned F. benajamina at any time of year, though. Mostly to rescue moribund plants, but they always respond in due time.
Re: Ficus benjamina--help! HaHa ..That's funny Especially you live in a country where you have the luxury of pruning in tropical weather anytime. Here in Vancouver we are pressed for time what would you recommend me feeding "special" that F.B. after pruning. Do I need to put wax where I cut off the stem ? Any fertilizer to give it a boost of energy ? Thank you so much for replying to my questions it means a lot to me. Bye4now.
Re: Ficus benjamina--help! I wouldn't put any wax or paint on the cuts. Just slant them a bit so the larger ones don't collect rain or dew in a damp cap that would promote disease. No particular fertilizer needed but if the soil it's planted in looks depleted, an all purpose one would be okay.
Re: Ficus benjamina--help! It is in a fairly large pot and the there was a sort of 1-2" gap from the root ball the inner edge of the pot. So I filled it all with fresh potting soil and added like 4inch on top of it. Well I still need a LOT of strength to stand up to it and CUT the main branch as there will be no leaves left at all. Just the naked stem. But if it takes that to save the tree for the comming winter .. lets hope so. Thank you so much for you kind help.
