Broom Ficus Styling Help

[MSU JBoots]

I know it’s tough to give advice with 2D pics so I did my best. I plan to make a broom style design but am worried there are too many branches from the same node which will cause an ugly swelling at that junction. Currently there are 4 primary branches. My question is do I cut down to 2 or 3? Maybe even leave all 4? The branches A and C are quite thick and could be easily cut back to a smaller secondary. Also tough to tell from the pictures (especially the front view) but branch D is literally straight up. Any advice is appreciated. I won’t do anything for awhile since it’s been middling in my basement this winter and trying to regain foliage after a considerable leaf drop.

 

[MSU JBoots]

Found markyscotts broom thread. That was very helpful. Not sure I’m ultimately going to go that direction though. I’ll probably keep sitting on this as it gains strength and keep staring at it for inspiration.

 

[ShadyStump]

Is that a benjamina? I have a few, but still not quite to the big styling decision point on most.

If you're not in a hurry, you could start from near scratch on the branching. Cut all but one or two of the major branches, and use one as a new leader just to grow something with more nodes to work with.
You'll have to deal with the scarring, and thickening a new section of trunk, which can add several years to the project, but may be worth it in the long run.

I hear conflicting accounts about how well they back bud from old wood, so I wouldn't suggest counting on that too heavily.

 

[19Mateo83]

Is that a benjamina? I have a few, but still not quite to the big styling decision point on most.

If you're not in a hurry, you could start from near scratch on the branching. Cut all but one or two of the major branches, and use one as a new leader just to grow something with more nodes to work with.
You'll have to deal with the scarring, and thickening a new section of trunk, which can add several years to the project, but may be worth it in the long run.

I hear conflicting accounts about how well they back bud from old wood, so I wouldn't suggest counting on that too heavily.

If it is a benjamina I have had the best luck getting it to back bud on older wood by keeping the new shoots trimmed back to 2 nodes long and defoliating. It’s still a crap shoot weather it will back bud. They seem to have a mind of their own sometimes.

 

[MSU JBoots]

Is that a benjamina? I have a few, but still not quite to the big styling decision point on most.

If you're not in a hurry, you could start from near scratch on the branching. Cut all but one or two of the major branches, and use one as a new leader just to grow something with more nodes to work with.
You'll have to deal with the scarring, and thickening a new section of trunk, which can add several years to the project, but may be worth it in the long run.

I hear conflicting accounts about how well they back bud from old wood, so I wouldn't suggest counting on that too heavily.

Yes it is benjamina I meant to add that to the initial post. It defoliated itself this winter in my basement and I am starting to see some back budding on some of the branches.

I am definitely leaning the direction of cutting back this summer to a couple branches after I let the trunk thicken. I like the buttress at the bottom (hidden somewhat by the sphagnum moss) I just don’t want the upper part to introduce inverse taper particularly a nasty looking swelling where all those branches originate. A couple of those first branches are already so close to the size of the trunk.

 

[ShadyStump]

And I see what you're talking about there, too. I think that might be your only shot.
I have seen some well done inverse taper in pics. If you can avoid just a big bulge, it creates an hourglass type figure that can be very eye catching. Comparable to lounging on a warm beach I imagine it's no small task to keep the proportions balanced, though. I wouldn't try it at any skill level I'll have for the next 10 years.

Do you know why it she'd on you? Just the big change of environment when you moved it inside, or something go wrong?

 

[MSU JBoots]

I inquired about that in another thread. Pretty sure it was because I had been watering it less frequently in an attempt to get rid of fungus gnats. I was successful in that but at the suffering of the tree unfortunately. My Fukien tea I had with it died but that was due to several other issues in addition to the spare watering.

 

[ShadyStump]

Ah, I seem to recall reading that one.
Recently I was advised to use 50/50 diluted hydrogen peroxide solution to treat for mold and fungus on some stored hardwood cuttings. I imagine it'd also help with eliminating food sources for gnats. At work I have big philodendron that's had gnat problems (probably related to my using paper from the shredder to bulk up the soil because I underestimated how much I needed) and I was going to try it on that. Used some on a giant pot of grass clippings I'm planting potatoes in, and it's at least helped the decomposition smell from the wet grass.