ficus from tiki tiki reptiles

[ruru]

i just bought a couple more from them. and i was wondering .. is there a way to get the stems of the plant to stay together or any way to make them look neat/pretty without out killing them?? im definately not the person known for my green thumb
but i was thinking maybe cut a few of the smaller ones and tie the bigger ones together?

 

[andy10869]

the plants i bought today have little green plastic rings with a cut in them their springy enough to hold the branches together without being noticable but i think you could buy some garden tie wire its green and you can twist it to fix not too tight though.

 

[ruru]

il havce to try it b/c i dont want it growing all wild like in the cage when it gets bigger lol

 

[pssh]

You could learn how to braid the trunk/stems so that it stays that way and grows that way! Also, pruning the dead branches and smaller branches on the lower half of it will help it to focus it's growth on the tops. You can also buy that green rubber stuff that they use to keep new trees upright with wooden posts. Don't leave anything that doesn't stretch on it too long or the tree might grow over it.

 

[ruru]

do you know of any sites that will tell me how to braid it? i figure since its leaves are falling from being moved might as well get this part over with too ... i rather have it braided and be done with instead of having to re-adjust things.

 

[pssh]

There are a bazzilion sites and videos on google when you search, "how to braid a ficus tree."

 

[luevelvet]

Or you can create a branch system using wooden dowels and let the plant do it's thing.

Luis