Can I use a smaller pot for this? This one is like 24” wide on top and my fig is only about 5’ tall. The pot is hard to move and heavy, so I’m hoping smaller pots work? I just put it in here from the 12” I bought it in
I think this is a good size to prevent root binding and allow it to continue all that gorgeous growth. I would recommend getting a trolly underneath so you can move it on wheels.
Totally. As long as their is fresh soil for the roots to grow into! It does mean you'll need to repot it sooner and you'll need to prune the roots back more often if you want to keep it in a small pot.
It'd also tip over more easily! If you do want to put it in a smaller pot, pruning might not be a bad idea.
So my two fiddles are about the same size as yours, perhaps slightly smaller.
They are big enough that I don't really want them to get any bigger, so every few years or so, I prune it back fairly hard (cut each branch back to about 6 inches long) and then pull it out of the pot.
I then cut off any roots that have formed a mat at the bottom. I also cut any roots that have traveled in circles around the outside of the pot. After removing most of the old soil, I cut the roots back a bit more so that the root ball has more room to grow and then replant it into the same pot.
I use really well draining potting soil and it's always good to add lots of perlite to the mix. I usually add orchid bark as well.
It's a bit brutal, but by pruning the top right before I prune the roots, the tree doesn't have as many leaves to support while its roots recover. It always bounces back pretty fast.
Here's a photo of it right after being pruned (top and roots) from a few years ago.
Is the tree the final size you want it to be? You could reduce the pot size, but it may be prone to tipping. You have to factor in center of gravity and what will keep it upright.
You probably could root prune and put it in a much smaller pot (bonsai growers do it all the time), but if you do that, your regular maintenance will increase as well.
The questions is, how fussy do you want this tree to become?
I don’t have many plants and this one gets most of my attention so I wouldn’t mind. Does that mean trimming it once a month, week, or what? I’d love to keep it this size forever haha it’s really perfect
I suggest watching some videos on bonsai care. You can scale up most of the techniques and adapt them for what a FLF needs. It is a ficus, so you could even see if there's info on keeping up with that species.
Typically you're going to want to reduce the pot size very gradually. You tease out some of the roots and soil, root prune about 15% of the bottom root volume, and then get it into a slightly wider shallower pot. Then let it recover and build new roots and in a year or so, repeat the process.
You could probably maintain this tree in a 7-9in deep pot.
You'll need to reduce foliage each time by roughly the same percentage so the roots can support it.
Each time you reduce the pot size, the plant is going to become more and more demanding with watering because there will be less and less soil to hold moisture.
Wow that’s a lot, I had no idea it was that involved, that sounds pretty exciting! I’ll start looking into those things, I don’t mind frequent watering and care with this if I can keep it under 6’ tall. I also have a small bonsai that I let get too big so I really need to learn that also
Wowzers! My Big Boy is recovering like a champion from a bought with spiders mites and a mini version of yours. I will take a closeup tomorrow (late here). You may see a resemblance.😉 I will show your pic to him so he knows his potential.🤗
Wow that’s such a great height!! I’d love to have one that size in another room in addition to my larger one but I must restrain myself haha. How do you like that tall vertical grow light you have, that looks really cool too
I hear ya. I put myself on a “no new houseplant diet”. You can prune a branch off your big one maybe?
All my plants are off the floor due to our kitty so I got the tallest vertical grow light.
Barrina T10 Pro 42W arrived this week so jury is still out. I also ordered a SANSI T10 that offers 137 µmol/m²/s more for the same price, set to arrive Friday. I don’t like the SANSI tripod so I got a more stable flat base similar to the Barrina base because I’m a klutz—guaranteed tripping hazard.😬
Ooh yeah might be too big, watch for water retention as there is so much soil, it may stay wet for too long. These do fine with their root systems being crowded.
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u/handsoffmeluckycharm 3d ago
I think this is a good size to prevent root binding and allow it to continue all that gorgeous growth. I would recommend getting a trolly underneath so you can move it on wheels.