Styling question for a green mound ficus

[Cajunrider]

So a tiny branch at the main junction of this tree has an aerial root that landed. It then grew very fast and now I have an ugly cross right at the key location of thus tree. Any suggestion as to what I should do?

 

[Forsoothe!]

I have made the same error on a Burt Davyi. That single root supplying a single branch will make for bigger leaves than the rest of the tree and will be very prominate, so you need to do something. If all you do is prune that set of roots a lot that will slow down the process, nut you still have a stilt. Probably better to cut it off at the bottom of the branch and grow it on separately.

 

[John P.]

Maybe a little drastic, but:

 

[Cajunrider]

Bump...
So far I have one recommendation of basically lop off everything and restart. Any other recommendation?

 

[Forsoothe!]

It's pretty ugly and doesn't lend itself to any style known to mankind. I think I might cut off everything into vertical pieces and root them, surrounding, fairly tightly adjacent to and/or adjoining the stump, at any touching points, including exposing the cambium layers that touch each other, slathering Rootone on those surfaces and then repotting them up to their necks for a year. I would hope that the several touching surfaces would graft and roots would grow from many surfaces. After one year you should be able to uncover everything and pot it up about the way it is now and you'd have a large sumo base. An ugly clump, but you could then grow a new sumo hammock top with a million smaller, short intermingled stems.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I would get rid of that root, personally... take all the existing branches IN.. then wait... see what happens.

I like this tree! There’s definitely “goodness” to be had, if you are patient.

 

[Cajunrider]

After staring at it for a while… I cut off 2 branches and the big and high root that was out of proportion. Here are the resulting tree and the two cuttings.

 

[Colorado]

I like it, although I think you should go full commit to the cascade and remove the right branch. Nice!

 

[Cajunrider]

I like it, although I think you should go full commit to the cascade and remove the right branch. Nice!

I think you are right. Any other opinion?

 

[badatusernames]

I like it, although I think you should go full commit to the cascade and remove the right branch. Nice!

I was going to suggest something similar! Maybe bringing the branch down a bit and shortening dramatically it to create some asymmetry

 

[Colorado]

I think you are right. Any other opinion?

You could also leave it for a season or 2 and let it grow free as a sacrifice to really thicken the base. Depends on what you’re going for and how patient you are feeling

 

[Cajunrider]

View attachment 403166

I am going full cascade. I will remove the upright branch and develop it to go down further. The question now is whether to remove that aerial root. It looks like a supporting post. Yet on the other hand it us kinda cute to me.