ficus is several years old/10 to 12 feet tall & 8 feet wide/indoors/open to glass wall in commercial building/doing excellant but needs larger planter/please advise on type of soil (brand) and procedure/should root ball be wet?/currently root flare is very obvious/should it be repotted the same? any info will be greatly appreciated. the tree deserves the best!!!

Hi Mousey,

Any good potting soil would work. You will want something that isn't heavy and has a good mix of perlite in it. I don't like the ones with fertilizer in them because I don't think it's a good practice to fertilize when repotting. Repotting is stressful for plants and stressed plants shouldn't be fertilized. You will need to have the base of the tree at the same level in it's new pot as it was. Keep in mind that it will shed alot of leaves after it is repotted. Water it well a couple of days before you repot so it is hydrated. You don't want the rootball soaking wet, but damp. You should find these sites helpful.

http://www.plant-care.com/plantcaretips/090399.asp
http://www.ourgardengang.com/houseplants.htm
http://www.plant-care.com/PlantTips/2000/041400.htm

Hope this helps.
Newt