My rubber tree is about 5 feet tall, with several trunks and some lower branches. I recently pruned the roots, and the trunks are fused together, so separating them would mean cutting roots. Would you prune the tops, trim only some stems, or leave it alone?
Would you prune a 5-foot rubber tree with several trunks?
Asked by TuesdayLantern
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It mostly comes down to the shape you want. If you like the height, leave it for now. You can always shorten it later, but you can't put that height back. If you want a fuller, shorter plant, cutting back a stem can encourage branching, though the result isn't guaranteed.
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I wouldn't lop every trunk at once. If you want to experiment, trim the top of just one stem and see how the plant responds before deciding about the others. That gives you a chance to shape it gradually instead of making one big change.
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If the bare sections are what bother you, notching near those spots is another option people use to encourage branching without removing the whole top. It may not fill in exactly where you want, so I'd treat it as an experiment. Since the roots were recently worked on, leaving the plant alone for a bit is also a reasonable choice.
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TuesdayLantern:
That gradual approach sounds less risky than cutting all the stems back at once.