41yo ficus cut back thoughts..

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Hi Bonsai creations -
I would also advise to do a cut back similar to areas as you've shown marked in Red. I was given an old fig (approx. 30ish) mid last year that had been growing in shade for most of it's life. Looked very neglected, large leaves & lanky. I cut back all branches around the same location areas as your showing and boom ! - shoots came everywhere, also in response to this came new aerial roots all over the trunk base which you could keep (tree will fuse to help with taper) or remove depending on your taste. They are extremely forgiving. I moved the plant to full sun & I can still hear it yelling "thank you" from the back yard.
Do you have a vision of what you would like the canopy to eventually look like?

[Bonsai_creations]

hello keep calm , That sounds good,any photos? soon as it warms up i might do a chop i think, just have to look at it more and figure where,haha.I do like the big canopy style,but yeah sometimes a change is good

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

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Hi again B.C -
sorry no photos as yet of the 30 yr old mentioned - but here is one that's been in development since 2004 originally from a long tall stick (reduced price nursery plant.) The foliage has been left to grow out here as its too cold to work on now, but has been defoliated x3 times previously this last summer gone. I try to use wires that pull branches down & tie off to any available exposed root lower down. I don't usually wrap/ coil wire around branches as they grow too quickly and scar easily. The more I cut - the more growth I get. I too like a big wide canopy. The one pictured has a canopy at the moment of 700mm wide

[Bonsai_creations]

oh that one is coming along great, nice shapes and the side roots are going to fuse, very nice.
Mine isnt in a good way at the moment , even some of my other ficus are getting to many yellow leaves, hate that,
done a cut back from good canopy around feb,started growing good but last 2 weeks its not happy. as seen in these photos.i hope by summer ,it has stopped throwing yellow leaves,so i can do a chop if i get the urge.

edit few times haha.picking photo.