Q. Happy New Year,I have a potted Ficus tree outdoors. It is extremely healthy but I now see that the roots have gone through the pot and into the ground.Can I cut the roots off at the bottom of the pot? or will this kill the tree? Sandy in Florida
A. Unless the potted ficus tree has been rooting in the ground for several seasons I believe that there will be no long term adverse effects to cutting off the roots if you need to move it. But short term ficus can react to being moved – especially when the lighting changes dramatically. It reacts by dropping a few to many leaves.