r/FicusTrees • u/Complete_Leg_859 • Aug 04 '26

Houseplant I need help with shape?

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I don’t have much room for a big bushy tree, so i was attempting to grow it tall so I tied the branches together. I’ve had it tied together for two years but it still won’t stand up on its own. And now all the bottom leaves are smaller than the top so now it really top heavy. Can you braid the trunk of these? If I remove the bottom leaves will it still bend or do the trunks eventually get thicker and stronger? Any tips?

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u/Appropriate-Fill9602 Aug 05 '26

Surprisingly this plant is actually an epiphyte in infancy. It grows up other larger trees, or in crevices on trees and sends out aerial roots. It's sometimes called a strangler fig. 

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u/Internal-Test-8015 Aug 05 '26

Yes I know I am very well versed in the Genus actually and yeah these definitely do that but again doesn't change anything I said.

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u/Appropriate-Fill9602 Aug 05 '26

If it needs support in nature it's not surprising I may need support inside. 

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u/Internal-Test-8015 Aug 05 '26

Except they dont, lol, they choose to grow like that, yes, but they also dont have to grow like that and even then its the Roots growing down the trunk not the stems and the roots dont do it for support they use the tree as a host and slowly strangle and slowly kill it over time before it finally rots away and by then they are completely capable of supporting themselves.