More light, first of all.

More light definitely, maybe more/less water, maybe more/less fertilizer, maybe a larger container (assuming this is a houseplant in Zone 10 somewhere).

Help us out more.

Good news, is that it can make a complete recovery from whatever the problem (s) is/are.

i do not think light is the problem as it`s next to another one I posted here which is in good health. It gets good light during the day and direct sun for about 3 hours. The rest is good daylight in my backyard. The only thing I think of is that whenever I water it the leaves start turning yellow so I will stop watering it for sometime. Will it recover if I hard prune it ?

Some info about Maltese weather if it is useful:
The average yearly temperature is around 23 ðC (73 ðF) during the day and 16 ðC (61 ðF) at night (one of the warmest temperature averages in Europe). In the coldest month �" January �" the typical maximum temperature ranges from 12 to 20 ðC (54 to 68 ðF) during the day and the minimum from 7 to 12 ðC (45 to 54 ðF) at night. In the warmest month �" August �" the typical maximum temperature ranges from 28 to 34 ðC (82 to 93 ðF) during the day and the minimum from 20 to 24 ðC (68 to 75 ðF) at night.

Because all the growth is concentrated at the apices (ends of branches) I'm pretty sure your plant is horribly root bound. The soil is probably so compacted that water isn't getting to the middle of the root mass. Fix that and your plant will rebound.

As it is, your plant appears to be circling the drain, so a hard pruning, which would end the plant's ability to manufacture food (plants feed themselves via photosynthesis - fertilizer only provides the building blocks plants need to make cells and keep their systems orderly) would likely seal its fate. First comes 'restore the plant's vitality', then comes 'cut it back hard'.

Do you fertilize your plants?

Al

Thanks as always tapla for your help. So shall I first pot-up ( I am using this word as I read the post you made about growing ficus in pots) and wait for some time to cut it back or do both at the same time. I use Miracle-Gro Liquid All Purpose Plant Food, but I have`nt given this anything cause like I said I had not taken any care of it for the last 2 years. Is there a good chance to revive it and get it back to good life?
I am sure it is root bound after all this time.

Bringing it back around should be easy. Just repot it (different than potting up) into a fast-draining soil, keep it outside in full sun, and when it resumes growth, fertilize aggressively. What are the NPK %s of the fertilizer you have?

Al

I would also venture to say it's root bound. Mine burst the plastic pot it was in it was so bad (plant came with the house). I took a reciprocating saw, carved the root ball down to about a third of its original size, and repotted in a larger size pot with new soil. It's a very happy tree now.

NPK 12:4:8.

When I was given a sick ficus, i cut back three fourths of its stems, removing all the leaves(at a obvious risk of killing it..) I took it out of its pot and sawed away health of its root system, and rinsed all the old soil and put it in a slightly larger container than the original. Then i put it outside in full shade. It was slow at first but it made an amazing recovery. I moved it to its winter homes backyard a week ago, and it continues to thrive. I'm not reccomending it, I'm just saying that ficus is a resilient plant to harsh recovery treatment, as Al's bonsai treatment/pruning of ficus also shows. Oh thank you al for your informative outlines of houseplant care, they really help me:)

Teen - read what I said on Sun, Aug 24, 14 at 14:04 about cutting that particular plant back hard. It's too weakened to do it now.

The 12-4-8 is a very good choice.

Al

This is what I found beneath buried in the soil. What to do before putting new soil and bigger pot. Do I bury the bound trunks or leave some at the surface

More pics

Another angle

another

Okay tapla, i read it with more detail and I wasnt suggesting doing quite what I did, I was just saying that they are resillient. I 110% agree with your idea.............

What am I looking at here?
Are those ROOTS??

Malta - was this ficus in the same pot for 15 years?

I knew I was gonna make some of you here go crazy. But like I said I had not taken care of this at all. I guess It `s been in the same pot for the last 8 years or somewhere around. I know it looks so so awful and I hope I can do something good to it now

Malta, I find it fascinating!! It's like a whole 'nother life form in there, haha. I cannot help you, as I'd probably chop the roots in half and plant in a huge pot just to experiment. But if ANYONE can tell you what to do about this, it'll be Al.

FASCINATING!!

Yeah totally agree. It`s out of this world and I never thought it would end like this. I know Al is an expert on these but I am sure he`s going to be overwhelmed when he see this but like I said it`s been sitting there in the corner for so so long without any care and attention. I know nothing about plants cause like I said I am a beginner in all this but when I saw this I did not know what kind of help to look for.

Many species of ficus have somewhat specialized 'storage' roots, like Taiwan/ Banyan/ Indian Laurel/ Ginseng ficus - all the same plant) that allow the plant to store water and carbohydrates so they can grow longer into the dry season before they defoliate and go into a consequential (consequences of drought) dormancy, as opposed to a predictive dormancy, the later being tied to day length and chill. That's what you're looking at. I've seen many dozens of plants that look that bad. You'll feel pretty good about yourself if you manage to turn that one around, yes? ;-)

Does anyone have any questions pertaining to why root congestion impacts growth and vitality? Pretty self explanatory, I'd say - right?

What I would do is, cut through the fascicled tuberous roots at one of the constriction points, leaving 1 or 2 "tubers" attached to the major basal roots (the roots that attach to the tree(s) at the base of the trunk. Make sure your cutting tool is sharp. Repot the plant in the same or a smaller container, using a fast and free-draining soil, and keep the soil damp, never wet. Make sure you don't over-water. Put the plant in shade out of the wind and wait for it to start pushing. As soon as it does, it goes in full sun or the brightest light you can give it. At that point, start feeding.

Al

I love the tubers!

I would clean all the roots/tubers off and separate the three plants....then I would create three Bonsai style plants...

Like in the picture...

I am sure I will not be able to do this as I have no idea what to do. I have cleaned as much as I can from all the roots and I guess I just have to wait and see what happens

This is how it`s looking now

Did you take an 'after root pruning' picture so we can see what you did?

Al

Hi Al no unfortanetly I did`nt. I try to clean the roots as best I know and could but did nothing to the big ones. Like i said I tried my best and see what will happen. How about what I left in the outer part. Is that ok?

So you didn't remove any of the large congested roots?

What does "How about what I left in the outer part?" mean?

Al

No I did not. What I left in the outer part I mean the trunks I did not cover wirh soil