Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) advice

I could use some advice about how to handle this plant! :)

I recently bought a Fiddle leaf fig because they are just so big and tropical looking and inexpensive. It is the typical (I think) 3-trunk in a large, one gallon, black plastic pot configuration. I know it needs to be potted up, big time, but what I would really like to to is separate the trunks into two or three pots. Is this possible, or could I harm the plant? I'm only assuming that it's 3 separate plants, I'm not 100% sure.

Also, will it branch out on it's own, or should I "pinch" the top growth?

Any help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

Even if it is 3 separate plants, given the size of the plant(s) overall I suspect they've been living together in that pot for quite a while which means the roots from the three are probably very tangled up among each other, which will make it difficult to separate them. If you take it out of the pot and the roots are still loose and fairly easy to untangle from each other you could take them apart, but I suspect you're going to find inside the pot is one big huge mass of rootbound roots and to try and separate into individual plants you'd probably need to saw the rootball apart.

Do you think it would survive the sawing? (I suspect you're correct in the "one big huge mass of rootbound roots" assessment!)

I haven't grown these so I don't know how they would do with that sort of root disturbance. Since it was cheap, if you think you could easily replace it and you really want it to be separate plants then you can always try it and see what happens. But if you really like the plant or might have trouble replacing it for a good price then I'd be inclined to leave it alone and continue to treat it as one plant.

hmmm, decisions, decisions :) I think it would be easy to replace.....I just hate to kill anything. I'll have to think about it.

Thank you for your thoughts!

The lyrata is pretty tough and should come good pretty quickly after separation. just keep it warm, keep it moist, don't let it get soggy, and it'll recover quickly.

Thank you, Tropicbreeze! I would really like to separate it - I have the additional challenge of trying to figure out what to put it in. I prefer clay, but it's so heavy. I could buy a little time separating it and putting it in three smaller ceramic pots. As it is now, it keeps blowing over with the slightest breeze.

Make sure the ceramic pot has good drain holes. If you soak the plant and then wash off the soil you should be able to tease the roots apart.

Mary, you will certainly shock the plant quite a bit if you separate the 3 trunks. What might be a good idea IF you get them apart is to prune down the top growth especially of the two smaller plants, and keep them in the shade for a few weeks until you see new growth starting. Use some root stim like Super Thrive or Quick Start. Mist them so the leaves don't dessicate while they're recovering, too.

It's a beautiful plant the way it is now, you could just leave the three together, and get a big, heavy pot to put it in. Doesn't bode really well for the plant living very long, but in time, you may be able to just prune out the two smaller trunks and keep one plant that way.

They get BIG down here, in the ground - 25ft. or more, and have lush, bushy growth. As long as you can give it lots of sun, and keep it warm in the winter I wouldn't think you'd have to pinch the branch tips.

Hm, here's a thought - if you plan to bring it indoors in the winter (it won't survive unless you do) it might be best to leave the three trunks together. It will naturally stunt the growth, but that may be a good thing, considering in a couple of years they'll very likely be too big to get in the door if you separate them. It would be a shame to grow a lovely 10ft. tree one summer, then turn around in September and have to hack the top 4ft of it off to get it in the house!