Hi everyone!
I "inherited" a ficus tree that I'm pretty sure is a weeping fig. The tree has been through some trauma - during the first three months of Covid it was totally neglected, and some of its branches died. I clipped them away and nursed the tree back to full health. However, I had to bring it with me when I was required to move suddenly, and there wasn't a great place to put it in my new apartment. Most of the tree has done fine, but branches in one corner started to die. I realized it was because there was no light in that corner, but it was too late for the branches.
I'm now moving overseas, and I have friends who are willing to adopt the ficus. If possible, I'd really like to leave them with some kind of system to deal with the "lopsidedness" of the tree. The fact that many ficuses are braided at the bottom made me wonder if it is somehow possible to gradually guide branches to the other side. I even thought about getting another plant and braiding it with that?! If these options are as infeasible as they feel when I type them, would anyone recommend pruning the full side to redistribute the balance a bit? To some extent, I'm guessing that moving the sparse side and even the center into the light will help the problem automatically because new leaves will grow. Any other ideas are more than welcome!
Thanks!
Ariana
