The Best Way to Prune a Ficus
Typically thought of an an indoor houseplant, ficus trees can reach up to 100 feet if grown in jungles, according to the United States Forest Service. The ficus tree benefits from annual pruning to remove dead wood and shape the tree. Houseplants can be pruned at any time of year, but outdoor ficus should be pruned in spring after the danger of frost has passed. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Grasp dead, damaged or diseased branched as their base. Cut the branch off with anvil pruners, pruning just beyond the branch collar, which is the swollen tissue around a branch that's part of the trunk.
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Discard dead, diseased or damaged wood in the trash bin.
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Identify crowded areas of the tree that can be thinned out. Prune away weak or small branches from dense areas of the tree canopy by cutting them off at the base.
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Cut off any branches that grow downward.
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Trim back tall branches with anvil pruners. Grasp a tall branch and cut it back to a lateral shoot closer to the trunk of the tree. Work in this manner to shorten the height of the ficus tree to a desired size.
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Tips & Warnings
Inspect the branches of the ficus tree before pruning. Identify any branches that appear damaged, diseased or dead. Damaged branches may have cuts or nicks and diseased branches bear physical discoloration or deformity. Dead branches feel light or hollow to the touch.
Wood that's not diseased or dead can be composted.
While anvil pruners should be sufficient to cut a ficus, use lopping shears on any large limbs that you can't cut with pruners.
Ficus trees need air circulation to stay healthy, so thinning heavy areas will increase air circulation and light.
Leaving dead, diseased or damaged wood in the yard can infect other trees.
References
- Photo Credit loppers image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com
