The Fiddle Leaf Fig, known as “the darling of the houseplant world,” is a well-liked but notoriously difficult indoor plant. However, if you’ve discovered the correct balance and routine with this beauty, it can be an amazingly low care and quick growing plant. It can be a little particular about its light and water needs.
But what happens if it expands too quickly? Fiddle Leaf Figs are one example of a plant that can become fairly top-heavy and frequently grow unevenly (particularly if you don’t routinely rotate it). Our Plant Doctors advise staking the plant as a temporary fix to help it develop stronger roots and stand up straight if this is the situation with your Fiddle.
Staking can be used for practically any leaning plant with a trunk, even though it is most frequently utilized for trees and plants with fiddle-leaf figs. The following are easy procedures for staking your plant:
Do fig trees require staking?
Anyone should be able to successfully plant a potted fig tree because it is a relatively simple operation.
I had never planted any trees before receiving this plot of land as an inheritance. But having done it multiple times afterwards, I’ve discovered that the method I’m about to describe is the best for planting the potted fig tree. read on to view images and a video:
- Step 1: Purchase a potted fig tree. Usually, I buy potted trees at the neighborhood nursery. A tree should be purchased when it is around a year old. If you buy older trees, there’s a potential that their rooting system has already been established, making it harder for roots to grow and develop a robust structure. (Update: I now also propagate fresh fig trees from cuttings.)
- Find a nice site in step two.
- Where would be the ideal location to plant a fig tree? Figs prefer a warm, sunny environment. If you can find such a spot in your garden, your fig tree will flourish there and bear fruit for many years to come.
- Step 3: Get the ground ready
- Before any planting, the ground must be properly prepared. Soft ground is ideal for young fig trees. It encourages roots to grow widely and freely.
- 4th step: Make a hole
- Verify the depth of the hole. Typically, I make a hole twice as deep as a plant pot. It provides me with plenty of room to add fertilizer and a layer of dirt on top to stop fertilizer from harming tender roots.
- Add organic fertilizer in step five.
- For my brand-new plants, I typically apply organic farm manure. If you can’t find it, an excellent substitute is to get some organic dry manure pallet fertilizer from your neighborhood gardening supply store.
- Step 6: Fill a bucket with water.
- We need a lot of water. Large buckets of water should be filled and then allowed to settle in the hole.
- Step 7: Soak the fig tree container for a few minutes before planting it is a good idea to soak the entire container in water before planting it in the ground to moisten the tree’s roots well.
- Step 8: Take the tree out of the container and insert it properly into the hole.
- The appropriate depth should be the same as where the tree was originally put in its container.
- Step 9: Fill up another bucket with water.
- I always add another bucket of water before filling up the remaining portions of the hole to give the tree a head start in its new home.
- 10th step: plug the hole
- Make sure there are no air pockets inside the hole before carefully filling it with soil (dirt) to surround the newly planted tree. To ensure that the roots are totally covered and that there is no air around them, step slowly around the tree several times (see the video).
- Step 11: Insert a support stake or stick
- 30 cm distant from the tree, put a supporting stick. To stop a severe wind from damaging the tree, take a piece of elastic rope and tie it to a stick. The rope needs to be both flexible and sturdy. You can purchase some plant ties at your neighborhood gardening store if you are unsure of which rope to use. Whether or not you stake a tree depends on whether or not you anticipate severe winds in the area where your fig tree is placed. I keep supporting sticks for up to a year because my land faces north-east and is relatively vulnerable to north winds. By then, the fig tree will have reached maturity and will no longer require support because its roots will be deep and stable.
- Step 12: Regularly water it.
- Young fig trees may require regular irrigation depending on the climate. In my situation, I water my young fig trees once a week for the first year and only once a week for the second year because I live in the northern Mediterranean zone. After that time, the tree should be well-established and able to obtain enough moisture from the earth through its deep-rooted roots. I also provide some water to struggling fig trees for one or two more years during really scorching summers. In the area where I reside, well-mature fig trees (five or more years old) don’t require any additional irrigation.
How can a fiddle leaf fig tree be supported?
You can stake the trunk of a fiddle leaf fig to keep it upright if you need a quick fix to save it. By no means is this a long-term fix because staking will prevent your tree from developing the necessary strength to maintain itself.
While you do other things to strengthen the trunk, such fertilizing, correctly watering, offering lots of light, and regularly wiggling, staking can at least train your fiddle to grow straight.
To stake your tree, buy a stake the same length as the trunk of your tree and drive it into the ground near the trunk. Then use plant tape or ties to fasten the trunk to the stake.
Every few weeks or whenever you wriggle the trunk to test whether it can stand on its own, remove the stake. With regular maintenance, your trunk should begin to strengthen after a few months.
How can a fiddle leaf fig be trained to grow straight?
4. Maintain the Leaves
Finally, if you’re trying to achieve that desired tree-like shape, it can be very tempting to remove some lower FLF leaves. BUT because the leaves give the stem so much nutrients, they significantly contribute to its strengthening and thickening. My recommendation is to keep the lowest leaves on for as long as you can. When you eventually get that tree-like shape, the trunk will be able to support a canopy with a heavy top.
It’s also rather typical for lower leaves to gradually fall off as FLFs age. Therefore, you might not need to remove them manually.
Growing FLFs naturally develop larger and larger leaves, which may increase their tendency to be top-heavy. Do the aforementioned measures regarding light and air flow if you see that fresh, huge leaves are making the stem or trunk start to tilt. This will let the stem to catch up in strength to the leaf size.
In order to reinforce a weak or leaning Fiddle Leaf Fig trunk, follow these simple steps: If you can’t get it outdoors, wiggle the trunk and leave the leaves on to thicken the trunk. 1. Make sure it’s getting enough light. 2. Give it some outdoor time. 3. Give it a breeze. 4. If you can’t get it outside.
If you follow the following instructions, your FLF can usually be made to stand straight and strong on its own within 1-3 weeks.
I sincerely hope that this post has been useful to you. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or if you have successfully used these methods.
What causes a fiddle leaf fig to shake?
“To keep my fiddle upright while it was young and immature, I used a wooden dowel. I was able to remove the dowel and it no longer need extra support because it was able to strengthen itself over time as it grew and with frequent shakings, Paige added.
So even though I wouldn’t advise you to shake your plants firmly, giving them a gently rock would not harm them. In addition to your FLF, I can see this idea working well for Rubber plants, Monsteras, Alocasia, and Pilea plants. They all have thick stems that frequently need to support a lot of weight as the leaves enlarge. This will probably become a regular component of how I take care of my plants. Play some music, get moving, and invite my plants to join in. It seems like it would be enjoyable.
What happens if the top of a fiddle leaf fig is chopped off?
Your fiddle leaf fig probably has no other branches that will allow it to transition from a fiddle leaf shrub to a fiddle leaf tree. In addition, bear the following in mind before proceeding:
The amount of regrowth that results from pruning depends on how severe it was. The reason for this is that the plant is trying to grow again in an effort to balance the root system below with the shoot system above, which is now designed to support the plant at its bigger size before trimming.
Usually, the most active shoot growth takes place 6 to 8 inches after the pruning cut.
Make the cut on your fiddle leaf fig
Make a decision regarding the size of the Ficus lyrata cut. Once more, the branching will be more noticeable the longer a part is clipped. (And the less the plant will grow in height, at least for that shoot.)
Your fiddle leaf fig won’t be encouraged to generate as many lateral branches off of the main trunk if you simply pinch out the fresh buds at the top with your fingers.
If you want to encourage a little lateral development to make your plant appear fuller near the top, pinching is more helpful.
On the other hand, you’ll see a lot more branching if you remove 12 of the top shoots.
Choose the node that you want to cut above. The spots on stems known as nodes are where leaves, buds, or branches can grow. However, not every node has leaves or branches; some nodes may only have a mark and a little thickening of the stem. Internodes are the parts of the stem that lie between the nodes.
3. Make use of a clean pair of pruners. Just above the top of your node, make the cut. Cut just above the node rather than into it, which would harm it.
Any plant in the fig family, including your fiddle leaf fig, will exude an oozing, milky, white sap when cut. Simply avoid eating it, getting it in your eyes, or letting it land on the carpet because it can be annoying.
4. As a final piece of advice, wait to remove leaves from the trunk of your fiddle leaf until the new branches have begun to grow. Your plant should be as robust as possible because those leaves aid in the development of the new lateral buds.
(Are you wondering what to do with the plant pieces you pruned? Why not cultivate a second fiddle leaf fig?
I’m done now! Now, give your new lateral buds, which will eventually grow into branches, a few weeks. While the exact length of time varies on a number of variables, your chances of success are higher if you attempt this in the spring, when fiddle leaves are actively growing, as opposed to the winter, when they are largely dormant. In comparison to winter, when the plant will need more time to heal the cut and form new buds, springtime will see rapid new development.
Should I remove my fiddle leaf fig’s bottom leaves?
You should be aware of what those bottom leaves do before selecting when to remove them.
Lower foliage has the same function as that fresh, vibrant growth up top: the leaves work to mix that green chlorophyll, commonly known as “the meat of the leaf,” with sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce sap, the plant’s own sweet food.
So let them alone if you want the trunk, roots, and new growth to continue receiving energy from the sun through the foliar producers and absorbing it.
Another advantage of the lower leaves is that this is typically where the most frequent watering issues show up. To put it another way, many owners of fiddles may detect overwatering and underwatering based on early warning indicators from these bottom leaves. You lose access to one of the plant’s early warning systems if you remove them.
Keep in mind that the lower leaves should be saved for the very last stage of shaping because they AID in giving the tree its characteristic shape.
Once more, deciding whether or not to remove these lower leaves depends on what they do for the plant.
My fiddle leaf fig is leggy; why?
Leggy or unstable growth on a fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) typically indicates insufficient light. The entire plant could develop a weak trunk and grow tall and flimsy. Long branches may have leaves that are widely spread apart, or this may just apply to the lower branches if they are shaded from sunlight. Lower leaves may fall off if they don’t get enough light.
The brightest room in your home should have your fiddle-leaf fig tree, which should be placed just far enough from the window to avoid direct sunlight touching it. The plant will also receive the necessary protection if there is a sheer drape between the window and it. Position carefully so that all branches, high and low, have access to light, and move anything in their way. If your windows are high and light doesn’t reach the bottom leaves, you might need to keep your plant on a stand. Every time you water, rotate the tree a quarter turn to ensure that all sides receive an equal amount of light and that its shape remains balanced.
Keep leaves clear of dust, as an accumulation will limit the amount of light that reaches the leaf. In the spring, prune lanky branches to a node.
Our Guide contains more details on how to take care of your fiddle-leaf fig plant.