moving potted outdoor ficus to indoors, pruning help etc

[YoungEl]

So I am thinking of moving this indoor ficus to my room(I'm a young adult) and I'm curious how I should prune it and transition it. Among other concerns I have is how it will do in my room which has little light, and getting this tree pest free. It has scale and I've recently been spraying pesticide near the pot and external roots and on any bug I see, but I don't know if that enough. Before taking those pictures I watered it focusing on wetting it's leaves so pests would come off, though I took out some spiders in the process and probably overwatered it. I know that I'll change the soil to indoor potting soil when I move it to my room. Is its pot too small? Should I fertilize and give it mulch when I move it? This plant has been at my house for a few years, but it had a previous owner so I don't know how old it is exactly. It looks more thin and bony than the ficus I see on the internet.

Thanks for reading the worries of a noob!

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum! It definitely looks to me like it needs repotting in a much bigger pot. They prefer a bright place indoors (although not direct light ideally) so I'd be worried that it wouldn't do very well in your room unfortunately

 

[kgord]

Yes, I had a ficus inside one time. It was too dry for it in the house I think as it was always dropping leaves. Keep it hydrated always. Of course, the whole cause wasn't helped by the kitten I had at the time...who liked to shake it, and attempted to climb it a few times. However, read as much as you can about having ficus indoors, it may work in the right location.

 

[Corzhens]

Our ficus in the front yard is more than 15 years old but we have maintained it to be less than 4 feet tall by regular pruning. We cut the top and we also remove the branches growing by the sides. And although it is planted on the ground, we want it be a little smaller but not a bonsai though.

@YoungEl, your ficus looks good although quite malnourished. I agree with @Becky that it needs a bigger pot because it seems tall enough for its base. But if you want to maintain it that pot then I guess you have to lessen the height by giving it a topwork.. remove 10 inches off the top. Don't worry with pruning, ficus is not delicate with that.