Pruning a standard ficus
When is the best time to prune a standard ficus, I have this very large one
in a half wine barrel however it's canopy is quite spindly, I want to cut it back to try and make the tree alot denser. How far back should I cut it? Cheers Luke |
Pruning a standard ficus
On Mar 25, 9:08 am, "Luke" wrote:
When is the best time to prune a standard ficus, I have this very large one in a half wine barrel however it's canopy is quite spindly, I want to cut it back to try and make the tree alot denser. How far back should I cut it? Cheers Luke I am not sure what you mean by "standard ficus". If you mean the elastica type (rubber tree) they are damn near immortal. You can cut them anytime and almost any amount. Reducing it by half would not be a problem at all. If you want to be picky wait until August (I assume you are in Oz) but now would very likely be fine especially in the warmer districts. I have one about 3m high in a 40cm pot that has been there for 30 years (not joking). It has so overgrown the pot it falls over unless wired back to the wall. It is never fertilised or re-potted and rarely watered, I beat it back randomly as it is likely to escape the pot by sending a root up over the side looking for victims. Very dangerous plants ficus elastica, must be disciplined harshly. Keep an eye on small children and pets in its vicinity, toy dogs have been known to vanish mysteriously. Never, *ever* even think about planting it out. If you mean ficus benjamina (weeping fig) they are also tough and deal well with pruning but I would be less ruthless. Wait until August for major pruning and prune by up to a third, although you may well get away with more. If you water it and feed it come Spring it will respond very well and bush up. David |
Pruning a standard ficus
g'day luke,
anytime mate theyr grow like a weed so as often as you need to give it a trim to keep it looking neat and pretty is as often as you can do it. do it on a weekly basis if you so desire. sooner or later you are going to have to tip it from the pot and remove some root ball so you can freshen up the potting mix, unless you plan on potting on into ever larger and larger pots?? not a good way to go! oh and never be tempted to plant it out in open space anywhere dump it first. On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 08:38:38 +0930, "Luke" wrote: snipped With peace and brightest of blessings, len & bev -- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand." http://www.lensgarden.com.au/ |
Pruning a standard ficus
"Luke" writes:
When is the best time to prune a standard ficus, I have this very large one in a half wine barrel however it's canopy is quite spindly, I want to cut it back to try and make the tree alot denser. How far back should I cut it? Don't prune it just now, anyway. We are just into Autumn and could still get a scorching hot day, and the newly exposed leaves could get burnt. I don't know when the best time would be; but not right now. -- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email) |
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