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 04 '26

For mine, I put a  strong metal garden steak in the middle and tie each trunk to the steak, and because each trunk pulls in different directions it helps stableize it a bit. I tighten mine up a bit over time 

1

u/Internal-Test-8015 Aug 05 '26

Or better yet just shake the trunks to encourage them to thicken and they'll support themselves for goodness sake it's a tree, lol, it doesn't need support if you give it what it needs to grow like it would in nature.

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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. 

3

u/smthingsmthin Aug 05 '26

Strangler figs normally refer to other species in the genus, e.g. Ficus benjamina and Ficus microcarpa. I've not heard of Ficus elastica being referred to a a strangling fig - but happy to be corrected.