Is this a ficus? - new pics after chop

Hello everyone I have been lurking in the forums for a while and always find interesting discussions and some beautiful trees.
Speaking of not so beautiful trees I have recently been given a very large tree (at least by my standards) by a lady who had owned it for about 5 years and had almost succeeded in killing it several times. Before going to collect it I knew very little about it and not much more by the time I got it home. Its owner had no idea what kind of tree it was and as it had very little leaf on it (there are buds all over it showing signs of opening) it was hard to determine what it was. I think it may be some kind of ficus but would welcome any ideas if anyone can help me identify it from the pictures. Its about 3 feet tall inc pot and I had to take the top off to get it in the car! It has been kept indoors during the winter and outside rin the summer but had been allowed to dry out and had dropped most of its leaves while the owner was away.

This one is probably the back

There are only a few leaves on the top branch here.

The bark has some character possibly from old wire marks.

Its a Ficus atleast, and the marks is probably from 3 plants being braided together, and after fusing getting those lines.

Looks like a Ficus microcarpa 'Green Isle(Island)' to me

Torbjörn wrote:Its a Ficus atleast, and the marks is probably from 3 plants being braided together, and after fusing getting those lines.

Looks like a Ficus microcarpa 'Green Isle(Island)' to me

I agree with both of the above, maybe. The leaves don't look quite right but that could be a result of the poor growing conditions.
Please describe your growing situation. Is the tree inside or outside? It will tolerate 50 F easily and down into the 30's F for short periods, IF, it is healthy.
How are you watering and fertilizing? It appears you repotted it, did you bare root it or leave some old soil. Take all the old leaves off. BTW, Ficus sap is white, milky, sticky.

Thanks for the helpful comments.
Billy, the tree is currently outside, but as I have only had it a couple of days I have only watered it and removed part of the top (of necessity for transport). It was repotted last year I was told and the medium appears to be a gravel and acadama mix. I do not want to do too much until I see if the buds open and the tree regains some vigour. It had lost virtually all its leaves after being left without watering and is just starting to regain some foliage with only the top branch (in the third photo) having any leaves and they are very small.

If I am to keep this tree it will need to be much reduced in size to come indoors for the winter so any suggestions for major size reduction would also be much appreciated.

If you will reduce this further, remember that you can save the cutting. Ficus root easily.

If that first branch near the base develops, you could cut just above it and have the beginnings of a sumo tree.

I think this is one of those ficus that was imported from China. I brought one for a fried last year with similar shape, scar line and pot. However the one I bought the leaf are have sharp tip n most of the branches are grafted to the trunk.

Thanks again for the helpful comments.
My hubby has already suggested I cut it off much nearer the base as he knows I have adopted that type of approach on other trees of not quite such large proportions, so I like Billy's suggestion for the sumo tree and will probably take that on, assuming it responds to some TLC and produces leaves on the lower branches.

Is there any advice on timing repotting on ficus as a reduction in pot size would be helpful too in the medium term?

Jennyreyn wrote:Is there any advice on timing repotting on ficus as a reduction in pot size would be helpful too in the medium term?

Probably in your warmest month, in relative terms. I would repot today in Florida.

thanks Billy that's helpful but I will wait for the foliage to regenerate and hope any summer weather we may get in Scotland will arrive in a few weeks!

On return from holiday the tree had leaves on all the branches and a few buds on the trunk too so it was now or never if I was going to chop it back to Billy's sumo suggestion as the weather here in Scotland has been awful and although its slightly warmer now prospects are not great so on Sunday the saw came out and the resulting tree was also repotted into an old basin which I can at least lift unaided here is the wee tree front and back now.




Its back in the greenhouse for observation along with a few cuttings from the other branches. Any suggestions on treatment of the large sloping cut would be most welcome as none of the previous scars on the tree seem to have any bark rolling over the cuts.

I took Billy's advice and tried to root some cuttings from the removed top but only one has taken Probably due to the awful weather we have had. However the trunk section I removed ended up in a tub of soil and has sprouted several shoots. I though it might just be the sap and moisture left in the trunk but after 3 weeks almost they are still growing.