Solved I.D. help needed please

We have just had a refurb at work so these two trees have been made homeless ,any ideas what they are please?,they stand about 5ft tall,no idea how old they are but they have been in the mall for a few yrs at least,Thanks x

 

Hi joolz, They look like Ficus benjamina but I stand to be corrected...I'm not very good with houseplants

 

Thank you both xx ....i agree it looks like Ficus bejamina, they even have the platted trunks
No idea what im going to do with them,they are squashed in the greenhouse at the moment which isnt tall enough so they must be 6ft high
@noisette47 @wiseowl

 

Looks like your gonna need a bigger greenhouse.

 

Joolz, I confirm they are Ficus 'Benjamina'. Don't leave them in the greenhouse, they will drop their leaves and die very quickly. They are very temperamental as they don't like being moved about, don't like drafts and prefer to be starved. So stick them in a warm and sunny place if possible and forget about them.

 

Ive not got any room in the house for them so im afraid they will have to take their chances xx
Can i chop/shape the leaves into a smaller shape? i could maybe fit them in then

 

You could try cuttings

 

I wouldn't, it'll ruin the shape and they tend not to produce new branches as an older plant. A word of warning if you do prune it, it will ooze a latex type of sap that's very sticky and can be an irritant. Sorry Joolz, they are best left to do what they want to do.

As Pete says you could take cuttings, they root fairly easily and put on growth reasonably quickly. I had them for thirty years until recently as I fancied a change of plant, that hasn't worked out so I wished I kept one now.

 

Seen as pete had a grand idea i will try and do you a cutting @Sheal before they pop their clogs
I will have to try and rehome them x

 

tTake half a dozen tip cuttings about 4 to 6 inches long.
Put them round the edge of a pot of gritty compost and keep them warm.

Perhaps not the best time of the year, but worth a try.

 

Looks like Pete and I have different growing ideas.....take your pick.

Thanks Joolz. I pulled them off with a heel attached and put them in water on a window cill, they take a good few weeks to root though.

Try and sell them, they're not cheap to buy as mature plants.

 

Must admit, I've never grown F. benjamina, my experience is based on F. religiosa which is kind of similar.
But if @Sheal has done it in the past her way, I'll not argue.

 

I've grown them both ways Pete and laziness makes me opt for a drop of water in a glass, it takes up less room and doesn't need watering.