I have a ficus Benjamina love the way it is growing but i need to transplant it and I think I need to cut it back. I have made some lines and labeled the branches, the same on each picture. The questions I have are:1. am I cutting too much?2. should I cut all of the little branches on the bottom or leave them to help make the trunk bigger?3. The 3rd branch comes in front of the trunk. I know as a rule branches should not cross in front of others. Do I need to cut it. (there is a close up picture labeled Branch 3)4. Is the gray Bonsai pot too big to transplant the ficus in?

Any advice is welcome! Thanks.

1: the tree looks healthy. Shouldnt be too much for the health of the tree.

2 and 3 is a matter of personal taste and the vision for the final bonsai. But I think you have allready sorted that out.

I just wanted to make sue I wasn't making a big mistake by cutting too much too soon.

In the last 2 pictures I put the plant in a gray pot. Is this size okay to transplant it.?


Thanks

Some people repot and prune at the same time, I dont. But the pot should be fine for that tree. It looks like the same volume as the old pot, maybe even bigger? For the final design you might want a shallower pot, but that is in a distant future.

I would add some movement on the main branch/trunk and cut a lil bit higher, but that's me, your option will do fine too, the plant should handle it easilly, don't worry about that. ficus responds very well to prunning, just make sure to add some cut paste if the cut get thicker than a pencil, if you don't have it, you can use toothpaste, it has antifungal properties

I like the idea of adding movement to the main branch. I am making the tallest brach the main branch. I am new and have been looking for pictures to give me ideas but can only find ones with bigger ficus trees.

Thanks

If you chose to keep the shorter branch, there will be mowement where it might prove hard to wire.

I am not sure I understand, Topfrog.

You wrote that you want the longest branch "the main branch". I thought you mean main trunk. But I used the same terminology as yourself. Look at the y bend where the highest trunk originates. If you shoose the other trunk as the leader there will be movement lower than you can possibly create with the other option.

That was only a reflection, not a recomendation. If you want to put mowement to the trunk you dont keep the trunk growing straight.

But really, I think you need to take a while and think what style, shape and size your end goal is and work towards that goal. After all it is your tree.

You are correct Topfrog. I did mean main trunk. And yes I think I understand what you are talking about.

I know it depends on what I want but I am so new that it help to understand the process when other people tell me what they think. So....

Are you implying that it would be better to have movement lower? Also the smaller branch has a little movement to it at the base. should I add more?

Could I add movement to both or would that be too much.

I think once I take off some of the smaller branches that will help me make some decisions but let me know what you think.

Thanks