Question
Hi Justin, I have a normally healthy ficus tree that recently got covered with a very heavy plastic sheet. The heaviness of the plastic forced the branches down but did not break any of the branches. My hope is that the plant wont die as a result and my question is what is the best way to nurture my ficus. should I stake the bent over branches? Thanks so much for any recommendations.

Answer
Hello Dee,

Your plant should recover just fine. The branches should naturally begin to grow upwards again or you can try to gently bend the branches back. I don't really know much about bonsai but these people should be able to help you with reshaping it.

 http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/bonsai/

Now don't be surprised when it drops a bunch of leaves. Ficus trees are very picky about light and often drop leaves when it changes it may also have gone dormant if it was under the tarp for a very long time. Just put it in a sunny spot and if it does drop a lot of leaves be careful about over watering. It should bounce back in no time at all.

Justin