How to Prune Ficus Trees

There are many reasons to prune your ficus tree. Pruning your tree controls maintain shape and size,
promotes growth
allow more light and air to the plant and gives you an opportunity to
remove dead, diseased or pest infested foliage.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Ficus are very tolerant trees and allow room for mistake. It is hard to prune a ficus wrong but never prune more than 1/3 of the tree or the tree may go into shock.

2. Always use a smooth clean cut, and always make the smallest cut possible. Cut just above where a leaf is attached or a branch splits off, at the "nodes".

3. The pruned area will leak a milky substance so you may way to cover your floors. If the milky substance is allowed to dry it will form a protective scab over the area.

4. Dead or dying leaves and branches should be removed first. Ficus plants love light and these branches block light from the rest of the leaves.

5. To control the size of you ficus you can prune back to 2 or 3 leaves after 6 or more have grown out. The pruned area will leak a milky substance but if you allow it to dry it will heal over the area

6. Brances that are growing out of the desired area can also be trimmed. These brances should also be cut just above where a leaf is attached or a branch splits off.