Prune ficus benjamina involves giving it the proper form, removing dead branches, trimming extra leaves, and restoring vitality.
In this essay on Ficus benjamina pruning, we will discuss several pruning strategies like thinning, return cutting, and trimming.
You will also learn how and when to prune the branches to restore vigor or the desired shape.
At the end of reading, you will know all the basics of Ficus benjamina pruning and exactly where (and how) to cut to achieve your goal.
Why Do You Need To Prune The Ficus?
Ficus pruning has two main purposes: giving the plant the desired shape and reinvigorating the branches and foliage.
This promotes greater lignification and the formation of new vigorous and energetic branches.
Apart from achieving the intended visual effect, every incision guides the sap in the direction of the buds underneath it, which will eventually sprout new leaves or branches.
Depending on whether they are primary, secondary, or older branches.
Lastly, proper pruning promotes improved light and air penetration into the leaves.
Additionally, it keeps the Ficus from losing its leaves or having them turn yellow from too much humidity and not enough sunshine.
When To Prune Ficus Benjamina
The ideal period to prune Ficus benjamina in our hemisphere is towards the end of winter (March), just before vegetative growth.
In this period of the year, the plant produces less sap, and pruning is less stressful than in the period in which growth is active.
As long as it involves minimally invasive pruning on small branches, it is possible to do it for the rest of the year.
In the spring-summer period, the Ficus loses a lot of latex from the cuts; in this case, it is important to dab it to reduce the loss of sap.
In the case of drastic pruning, where a lot of wood is removed, I strongly recommend moving when the plant is at rest.
As mentioned, between the end of February and the beginning of March.
Ficus Benjamina Pruning Techniques
Among the most commonly used techniques in pruning Ficus benjamina we find thinning, trimming, and backcutting.
As already mentioned in the text, the aim is to give a harmonious shape to the foliage and maintain the general vigor of the plant.
These techniques should always be combined and never used alone.
Adopting only thinning pruning, for example, would lead to extensive and less dense foliage.
Using only trimming instead would create too thick foliage, and the leaves inside would fall due to the lack of light and high humidity.
To learn more about these techniques, read my other article on how to prune a bonsai tree. READ NOW.
Let’s delve deeper into these three techniques to understand how to use them to our advantage.
Thinning
Thinning consists of removing entire branches directly at the insertion with the trunk or the branch (or branch) that precedes it.
This pruning aims to give the Ficus a homogeneous and balanced development in which the branches have more or less the same vigor.
The main advantages of thinning are improved light filtration and air circulation inside the leaves.
This gives the plants new life and lowers the possibility of fungal infections and parasite infestations.
Return Pruning
Return pruning consists of cutting the terminal part of a branch (primary, secondary, or branch) just above another branch, usually the largest and most vigorous one, while maintaining the direction of growth.
The sap is conveyed towards the latter, which will replace the cut branch without encouraging the spurt of secondary branches along the underlying nodes.
Trimming
Trimming consists of removing small apical portions of the branches, aimed at reducing the plant’s growth and promoting the formation of denser and thicker foliage.
The sap is forced to redistribute itself along the lower lateral buds, which are stimulated to vegetate by pruning the vegetative apex.
This is one of the most intuitive and least invasive containment techniques, even if, over the years, the branches will need to be thinned out to avoid having too thick foliage without dominant branches.
The funny thing is that all the branches cut during trimming can be used to make cuts.
How To Prune Ficus Benjamina Step By Step
tools need
- clean pruning shears or scissors
- Sterilizer to avoid spreading diseases
Determine the shape you want.
Select the shape you wish to give your bonsai tree. Be specific about the look you want it to have so you can use scissors to cut off any potentially dry branches.
Determine which branches need pruning.
- First, look for branches that are sick, dead, or damaged. These ought to be eliminated.
- Look for branches rubbing against or crossing one another to keep a healthy structure. These branches should be removed since they might cause harm.
- Think about the size and shape of the plant that you want. Eliminate any branches that are crowding one another or developing in undesirable directions.
I recommend you read this post on how to prune a bonsai tree. READ NOW
Style Of Pruning: Ficus Benjamina
Depending on its size and desired aesthetic outcome, Ficus benjamina can be trimmed in various methods.
Recall that the primary goal of your pruning is to get the ideal appearance by shaping, thinning out, shortening, or thickening the hair.
We tend to prefer training pruning in which unwanted branches are completely removed on young specimens.
Cutting them at the base of the stem (or branch, i.e., the primary branch that grows from the stem) to force the plant to grow in the direction we have chosen.
This shape, or skeleton, will be maintained over the years as the plant grows and strengthens the stem and branches.
On large specimens, however, containment pruning is mainly adopted to reduce the size of the foliage so that it adapts to the designated space.
Combined with thinning pruning, the branches growing in the desired direction are kept while the others are cut.
If the foliage of the Ficus is empty, disordered, or unbalanced, techniques aimed at general or localized thickening in specific areas can be adopted To have rich and tidy foliage as a final result.
In other cases, however, you want to obtain the opposite result: to open the foliage while maintaining the branches that grow outwards so that, over time, they cover a greater surface area.
If you aim to obtain a small bonsai, I recommend you read this post on pruning Ficus ginseng. READ NOW It can also be put into practice for Benjamin.
Let’s quickly see what interventions are usually used on Ficus benjamina.
Pruning Of Dead Branches
All dry branches and twigs of the Ficus can easily be cut at any time of the year. We are talking about dead parts on which no leaves grow and serve no purpose for the plant.
By pruning them, you immediately have a healthier and tidier appearance to the foliage and a better view of the remaining branches.
Training Pruning
Training pruning aims to give the Ficus plant the desired shape, be it a bush, a small tree, an umbrella, or any other.
In addition to shortening branches that are too long or untidy with return cuts (I’ll explain them shortly), you can prune those that don’t contribute to giving the plant the desired appearance at the base.
For example, if I wanted to get a Ficus tree, I would remove all the branches that grow along the lower part of the stem up to the height at which I want the foliage to grow.
Once this is done, I will trim the vegetative apex of the central stem so that the sap is redistributed along the remaining branches.
The following year, I would trim the vegetative tips to promote the thickening of the foliage.
If I were aiming for a more natural-looking plant, I would mainly prune the tips of the higher branches to encourage the growth of the lower ones and the production of dense foliage.
Of course, I would cut off any branches that cross each other or deviate completely from the shape I intend to achieve.
Containment Pruning
Containment pruning is mainly carried out on Ficus benjamina of considerable size to prevent them from growing excessively and staying indoors.
This can be more or less drastic, depending on the size of the plant and the pruning we intend (or do not intend) to do in the following years.
This technique involves cutting the branch along its length to shorten it and promote the birth of new lateral shoots from the underlying buds.
The least invasive containment technique is trimming, in which only a small apical portion is removed, followed by shortening, and finally ramming (in which only 2-3 proximal nodes are left).
Generally speaking, the deeper the cut, the greater the vegetative growth of the remaining buds.
Since fewer of them remain, they will receive more sap and give rise to larger, more vigorous branches.
Conclusion
Now that you know the right way to prune a prune ficus Benjamina bonsai, it is essential to use a sterilizer and sharp and clean pruning shears or scissors to avoid spreading disease to the rest of the plant.
I recommend you read this post on how to wire a bonsai tree. READ NOW.
Also, read how to prune a monstera plant. READ NOW.
