My FLF tree is currently in an 8.5 inch pot. The roots are now coming out of the container so I think it’s starting to get root bound. I don’t want to upsize to a bigger pot because the size right now is perfect in my space. Has anyone tried just pruning the roots? If so, is there a big chance of survival for this kind of tree?
by mid_yoghurt
1 Comment
I haven’t tried, but I’ve heard of others cutting the bottom 1/4 of the root ball off on bigger plants to control their size. I think a bit of pruning on this lil guy should be alright.
It looks like you are already taking great care of it with lots of light, so just keep that going and it should be alright. Usually when I do an aggressive repotting of a ficus that does some damage to the roots, the plant focuses all energy on recovering its roots, and doesn’t grow new leaves for many months afterwards, which I imagine is your goal. New growth after that long period of no growth can come in a little funny, FYI. Some buds dry right up and then the new leaves are really small for 2-3 leaves until it is back to normal.
Over time I imagine you won’t be able to keep it like this forever, you’ll lose some leaves to various causes, and then you may have to prune it back up too and regrow some new leaves. It will sort of be like a bonsai tree, really.
Here’s a link of a guy doing just that:
[Bonsai fiddle leaf video](https://youtu.be/sS4l4UD9uWc?si=g_1tLXTSEJdvoCvE)