My willow leaf ficus needs some suggestions

[Stefan Kleinhans]

Hey everyone
I recently got given a willow leaf ficus that has a very long trunk that is pretty thin. It’s a cutting but the looks of it and I must say I’m not a fan of the current state.
Looks like someone put a branch in the ground and it somehow grew. Any suggestions as to making this tree better would be much appreciated.


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[Stefan Kleinhans]

Sorry here the pictures




I’ve wired some of it and am trying to pull the branches down


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[tgward]

looks like a long termer---- I would try to improve the root flare--- wash off the roots at the top and see what you have to work with--- you may be able to slow down the larger roots by shortening and encourage roots in the bare areas by scoring the bark and replanting deeper and leaving for a couple of years--- when more vigorous would try to encourage lower branches by hard pruning then later removing the top

[Stu]

Get it healthy and then chop the top off just after the first bend in the trunk. Or air layer the top off.

[Bougy Fan]

Hi Stefan and welcome. Firstly I don't think it's a willow leaf - looks like a hilli to me. How long has it been in that pot ? I think a repot and some seasol to bring it back to health is the first priority. I would put it in a nice free draining mix too.

[Stefan Kleinhans]

Hey everyone. Cheers for the suggestions

I went and got some lava rocks and mixed that in. I also went in and saw a lot of the roots where tangling and growing only one way so I loosed some up and started sending them all around. I’ll leave it to do it’s thing and then hopefully next year some time I can shorten the trunk.

Is it maybe a good idea to take current branches or leaves off so that the tree can focus on on roots or new growth?


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