Question
Hi.. My ficus that I have had for approx 21 years, looks like it's dead on the top!!! The leaves started falling off from a move but came back green on the bottom half. Is the top part dead? Should I trim off the top part? It's about 1/2 of the tree that looks dead!!!
Please help, I've had it so long and want to save it..
Thank you
Candie

Answer
Candie,

The top could have been wind burnt when you moved or sun burned that caused the leaves to die. I would remove the leaves and wait. If the twigs are not dead and shriveled they are not dead and will probably produce new leaves quickly. Ficus trees are very resilient. Be patient. If the twigs and branches are shriveled and there is no green under the bark you can prune them off but again, do not give up. The tree has a full set of roots and will probably send out a lot of new growth quickly to replace that top. The more sun it gets the more growth you will get. Put it in the sunnniest location you have. Good luck!

Darlene