Simple and Easy - 5 Steps Manual on How to Shape a Ficus Tree

As you probably know ficusses are very common and popular with the gardeners. They are beautiful with those glossy leaves, undemanding, useful and easy to shape. With a little bit of practice any person can easily handle an indoor ficus care.

Planting the ficus benjamina is easy as the plant is undemanding. It needs indirect sunlight, warm temperature and regular watering. The general advices are:

• Provide the plant with the fresh water. Make sure the water is soft; otherwise salts can damage the root system.
• Ficusses love indirect sunlight. Direct sunrays damage the foliage. Do not leave the flowerpot in the direct sunlight for more than one hour.
• Repot it every other spring. Ficusses tend to have huge root systems as big as the trunk part.
• Provide it with the regular fertilization as well as compost. Use half the amount recommended on the package. During the dormancy time the plant needs twice less fertilization.

Ficus Benjamina Routine Pruning

No matter if you need to perform a routine late winter ficus pruning or the shrub is recovering from an illness and needs to be pruned from the damaged branches. Following these simple steps will make the process easy for you. Of course shaping ficusses is not hard and they are tolerant of pruning. But it is always better to follow the rules in order to get the best out of your plant and unleash its potential. Read on how to shape your ficus benjamina right:

1. Prune during the winter when the plant is in the dormancy. In case you need to cut off a dead bough or need to carry out an emergency branch cutting because the tree is touching the ceiling you can of course do so any time.
2. Get a pair of gloves and sharp pruners. You also need to have a plan and to decide what shape you would like to create.
3. Cut off the dead or broken branches. This will give you a better idea of the future shape of the tree.
4. Cut at a slant away from the growth node or the primary branch. This way the new foliage will cover the cuts.
5. Do not cut off more then a third of the plant.

As a beginner gardener we recommend you to go for one of the two standard shapes. Go for a single trunk tree shame or for the bush. The soft branches are easy to shape into the form you would like to see. Perhaps over time you would even want to try bonsai. This way you will be able to create a masterpiece tree of your own. Lay the plant over a tarp or linoleum to check the root thoroughly. Loosen the root mass and check for the damaged roots.

Besides the branches sometimes plant owners have to carry out the root pruning. The basic rules are similar. Do not cut off more than a third of the root when pruning it. The amount you can cut off depends on the strength of the plant.

Grow a Plant to Be Proud Of

Start pruning the plant at its first year. This way you will be able to perfect the shape in a few years. Using our simple tips you can easily prune like a professional gardener. And do not forget to send us a picture of your masterpiece. We would love to see the plant you get to grow using our advices.