Was blocking my view, cut all foliage and removed 80% of roots so that it can fit smaller pot indoors. Other option was to throw it away. What is the chance of survival?

BEFORE- AFTER:
<IMG REMOVED FOR PRIVACY REASONS>

I don't think that is a ficus benjamina and the chance's are not too good.

Slim to none. Slim already left town and none is renting a car.

I wouldn't have face to come here with another failure :)
In 3 weeks.

Sorry for baiting you. I find it suprising, I thought it would not make through.
I think the key is to make this in March right before growth is to start.

Apology accepted.
However I won't answer anymore of your posts again.

@BigBill,

Why? Wouldn't you rather learn something interesting with a bit of play?

80% of rootmass removed, 100% of foliage removed... and yet still this one survived contrary to popular belief. My idea was not to offend, but to bring a bit of play to the situation. I did not think the tree would make it through honestly like you.

I understand that, I understand your motives. I get it.

It is just that I feel for the hundreds of people who post an honest question and expect an honest answer. Did you remotely consider that?
I am not condemning you or banning you but I find it distasteful to me personally. What if just 10% of those
posting did what you did? Don't you think that that would start to wear pretty thin after a while?

@BigBill

Point well taken, you are right, I haven't thought of that angle.

I am just amazed (and happy) how this one survived.

I hear you.
Good luck.

a peaceful interchange

CountingCrows, I am not surprised at the result after all, as you seem to have a lot of experience.

'tapla' posted some really good information (on DG) and one of this posts about sucessful root pruning amazed me.

Bill, I loved the slim to none joke

Ficus trees are very hardy and will survive as long as they still have some healthy roots remaining.

Good job. Glad you were willing to take the chance.

It would have been better to put the REAL before and after you had to share in the same post instead of baiting people. *shrug*

With all due respect, I think you should chill and not take a harmless bit of play out of context. I did not wait days to disclose it, I did it an hour after the first answer.

What is the harm in asking if it will survive or not (Even though I knew the outcome)? Clearly the consensus thought, like I did, it would not survive.

WillC said:Ficus trees are very hardy and will survive as long as they still have some healthy roots remaining.

Good job. Glad you were willing to take the chance.

Thank you. I am find it enlightening that most of what you write stands test of time.

sallyg said:a peaceful interchange

CountingCrows, I am not surprised at the result after all, as you seem to have a lot of experience.

'tapla' posted some really good information (on DG) and one of this posts about sucessful root pruning amazed me.

Bill, I loved the slim to none joke

sally, do you know what happenned to tapla? It doesn't seem that he has been writing many moons now. I learnt a whole lot from him and i did read each one of his posts carefully many times over. Such a knowleadgeable person.

I thought it would survive but the party was over before I even got here. Its hard to kill a Ficus.

DaisyI said:I thought it would survive but the party was over before I even got here. Its hard to kill a Ficus.

I killed so many before with overwatering, i think Ficus-Killer is my middle name. I wish there was some course we could take for container gardening instead of reading contradictory piece of information on internet or instead of using our flawed logic. I used to think keeping the tray full and letting the tree suck from that was a good idea.

I'd have loved to keep this going to get more samples, but as you could see, folks got offended and it is definitely not my intention to offend people who are trying to help. Apologies again.

Time to move on.

Ficus like to be on the drier side. Its harder to underwater than over water. Yes, letting a plant sit in a saucer of water for more than a couple hours isn't the best idea.

The problem is tree roots head for the bottom of the pot where excess water also accumilates (because of the bottom of the pot with just a little hole for water to escape) so, those lowest roots are sitting in too much water already. Adding a saucer of water makes it all worse.