Nothing is more scary for many fiddle leaf fig owners than discovering that their cherished plant has lost a leaf—or, *gasp*, several leaves!
Take a deep breath before you start watering, repotting, purchasing grow lights, moving your plant outside, or looking for insects out of sheer fear.
The good news is that fiddle leaf figs occasionally dropping one or two leaves here and there is actually natural and beneficial.
Because they are always producing new leaves, all plants eventually lose their old ones. Older leaves may just fall off while new leaves are produced by the tree to take their place.
Here are several indicators that the leaf-dropping on your fiddle is normal and not a reason for alarm.
What should you do if a fiddle leaf fig loses all of its leaves?
Similar to root rot, bacterial infections can spread and kill fiddle leaf figs, but if you discover the disease early enough, you can still save your fiddle. Use a fresh pair of shears or a knife to carefully remove the afflicted leaves from the tree if you find medium-brown patches on the leaves all over the tree. Don’t compost the leaves; instead, throw them away!
Repotting the plant into new soil and a clean pot may also be a good idea. For a while, ease off on the water and make sure your tree receives enough sunshine. It should soon get better!
Yellowing leaves
Yellowing leaves are typically a warning sign of excessive irrigation or poor lighting. But those are simple fixes! A nitrogen deficiency that can be easily remedied by incorporating a mild liquid fertilizer into your usual maintenance is indicated by yellow leaves.
Since Fiddle Leaf Fig Food is specifically formulated for fiddles and is meant to be used with each watering, you won’t need to keep track of a schedule, thus we highly recommend it! easiest solution ever!
What is the frequency of fiddle leaf fig leaffall?
If you recently bought a fiddle leaf fig, be prepared for some leaves to fall while it gets used to its new surroundings. To ensure that a larger issue is not at play, keep an eye on the overall number of leaves lost.
Typically, a plant that is recovering from shock will have between 3 and 7 leaves.
Give it Consistency
Make sure to maintain consistency in your plant’s lighting, humidity, and watering practices to aid in its recovery.
Keep your new plant away from heating vents and chilly drafts in a bright spot without direct sunlight. When the top one or two inches of soil are dry or once every seven days, water. Give your plant a couple of weeks to adjust to its new location. (This moisture meter is an excellent tool to use to determine when your plant needs water.)
What causes my fig to lose leaves?
During the winter, the indoor air quality is frequently rather bad. Plants are stressed by low light levels, chilly drafts, low relative humidity levels, and other environmental variables. Figs and other indoor plants may shed a few leaves in the winter due to the stressful circumstances. Leaf drop over the winter should be kept to a minimum with good, regular maintenance.
Fig trees favor locations near windows that are well-lit. Sites near windows facing east and west are frequently the greatest. Ensure that the plant is maintained away from sources of heat or cold. When watering a fig tree, keep applying water until it starts to drip out of the pot’s bottom. Get rid of the extra water. Before giving the fig tree another drink, let the top inch of the soil dry up. Figs, like the majority of houseplants, don’t require fertilization during the winter.
Do fiddle leaf fig leaves grow back?
Fiddle Leaf Figs are infamously difficult to grow. There are a few typical maladies of this plant, like brown spots and leaf drop, that can make it sick or, worse, fast bring about its demise. The secret to keeping your plant happy and healthy is to keep an eye out for them and catch them early. Keep an eye out for these indications of a possibly sick fiddle leaf fig.
Brown spots on the leaves
The leaves of fiddle leaf figs are incredibly prone to browning. Brown spots that start to form and spread should be investigated even though a few small markings here and there are not a cause for concern.
Due to two opposing factors—either overwatering or underwatering—most brown patches on fiddles are unfortunately difficult to diagnose. Here’s how to distinguish between them:
Overwatering, which results in root rot, is probably to blame for brown patches that appear in the center of the leaf and spread outward. A fungal illness called root rot will eventually kill your plant by spreading to the leaves. You should repot your plant as soon as possible if it has root rot. Take the plant out of the ground, wash the roots thoroughly, and cut off any that are brown or mushy. After that, repot the plant in new soil with adequate drainage and remove the damaged leaves.
Are the brown spots on your fiddle beginning at the outside border of the leaves and moving inside? The plant is probably too dry for this to be the cause. Give your Fiddle a thorough rinse, and make sure it’s not too close to any heaters or air vents because that will likely cause the plant to dry out more quickly than is desired.
Finally, trauma may cause brown spots to form at random. A plant can suffer trauma just by changing homes (i.e. changing environments). If only one or two of your plant’s brown, damaged leaves are present, remove them at the stem and give your plant some time to heal.
The new growth is smaller than the older leaves
A healthy plant always shows new development, and if your Fiddle’s leaves are getting big and strong, your plant is doing fine.
The presence of little, stunted new leaves, however, may indicate that your plant is deficient in nutrients. Consider repotting your plant if it has been a while since you gave it fresh soil, or just fertilize it in the spring and summer to give it the extra nutrients it requires.
Dropping leaves
Fiddle Leaf Figs can appear to drop their leaves out of nowhere. One leaf here and there is normal; but, if several leaves have fallen off in a short period of time, you must act quickly to rescue the tree. Once more, underwatering or overwatering are the most likely causes of leaf drop in fiddle leaf figs. How then can you distinguish between them? Look at the direction in which the leaves are falling from the plant: if the older leaves (at the bottom) are dropping first, overwatering is probably the cause. On the other hand, if the plant’s leaves are falling off all around, it’s probably not getting enough water. Here are a few more techniques for differentiating.
Leaves turning yellow
Do your fiddle leaf fig’s leaves appear to be yellow? There are several potential reasons:
inadequate lighting Fiddle Leaf Figs require as much direct, strong light as they can get. Even a little direct sunshine is acceptable, but stay away from locations with medium or low light. Remember that a Fiddle that receives insufficient light is more likely to overwater.
a lackluster diet. Due to a deficiency of nutrients in the soil, your Fiddle plant may have yellow leaves. You may want to attempt fertilizing it with liquid fertilizer.
Pests. If fiddles are being attacked by insects, their leaves may also turn yellow. If you have a suspicion that this is the case, thoroughly check the leaves’ top and bottom surfaces for any potential bugs.
Stunted or slowed growth
During the spring and summer, healthy fiddles typically produce new leaves every four to six weeks. It’s possible to see your plant add numerous new leaves in only a few days or weeks because growth usually occurs in spurts. It’s typical for there to be no new growth during the winter. Again, if you don’t observe the expected growth in this plant, it may require new nutrients in the form of a quality plant fertilizer.
Dirty or dusty leaves
When was the last time you washed your plant’s leaves? Plants breathe through their leaves in addition to absorbing sunlight through them. Your plant won’t be able to carry out either of these tasks as effectively as we’d like if a layer of dust is present on its huge leaves. A fantastic technique to keep your Fiddle Leaf Fig plant bright, healthy, and vibrant is to clean the leaves every few months. You may read about various cleaning techniques for your fiddle leaf fig here.
Fiddle Leaf Figs are known to be pickier than most plants, despite the fact that they can be quite low maintenance. Maintain a regular watering routine, fertilize in the spring and summer, and most importantly, ensure that your plant receives enough light year-round (yes, this may require moving it in the winter!). Keep a watch out for any of these symptoms since treating them quickly is essential to keeping your plant healthy and looking nice.
This article was modified from Claire Akin’s Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource. For additional information on how to take care of the fiddle leaf fig, see their website.
Why are the leaves on my fiddle leaf figs fading and dropping off?
Brown leaves on a fiddle leaf fig are most frequently caused by a fungal infection from the roots sitting in excessive dampness.
Root rot is brought on by excessive watering and inadequate drainage, and it spreads from the plant’s roots to its leaves. A fiddle leaf fig’s roots need to somewhat dry out between waterings for healthy growth. The fungal infection will eventually cause the leaves to slowly turn brown and then fall off.
Removing the pot and looking at the roots is the only way to be confident that your plant has root rot.
Are fiddle leaf figs leafless throughout the winter?
We questioned our farmer about the Fiddle Leaf Fig and the Alocasia, two plants that are particularly prone to winter leaf drop. It is well known that these plants require a little more care.
The absence of sunlight, coupled with cool temperatures and low humidity, are the most frequent causes of aloe leaf drop. Consider purchasing a humidifier and grow light to help it survive the colder months.
Alocasia plants receive increased heat and humidity in the greenhouse, therefore it seems sense that these plants would struggle in the winter when indoor temperatures and humidity are significantly lower.
When transplanted from their preferred location, Fiddle Leaf Fig plants can experience shock, but our smaller variety, Ficus lyrata bambino, is less picky. However, if it changes its environment for the winter, it might still be a little cranky. Additionally, fiddles are picky about their water and humidity conditions. Similar to how Alocasia leaf drop can be treated, Fiddle Leaf Fig leaf drop can be treated by providing additional lighting and humidity for plant health.
Should I remove the 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.
Are all the leaves on fig trees lost?
Fig trees shed their leaves in the late fall and then re-emerge in the early spring. Pear-shaped, dark brown to purple fruits are produced.
How can you determine the health of a fiddle leaf fig?
Akin developed the website and published the book to share how to grow strong fiddle leaf fig plants. Although many indoor gardeners wish to grow the plant, she discovered that there is very little reliable and comprehensive information on cultivating them.
You will find all the information you require in this comprehensive, simple-to-read guide to succeed with fiddle leaf fig plants. This involves determining whether your plant is healthy or whether it needs some additional special care and attention.
Akin lists numerous symptoms of fiddle leaf fig plant illness along with their causes. Brown stains on leaves, which may indicate over- or under-watering, are one of these. Fungal disease, which develops when leaves are overwatered, is what causes brown blotches in the middle of leaves. Browning on the leaf edges is a sign of dry, drafty air and inadequate irrigation.
Your fiddle leaf fig plant may be suffering from a lack of sunlight or inadequate nourishment if it is dropping leaves all over the plant and the leaves are yellow.
If your fiddle leaf fig has new growth and the new leaves are bigger than the old ones, your plant is likely healthy. Additionally, the plant will have glossy, brilliant green leaves and a beautiful overall appearance.
1. Ensure adequate drainage.
Plants of the fiddle leaf fig don’t respond well to wet soil. The plant roots’ ability to breathe and maintain good health depends on adequate drainage.
2. Prevent overwetting.
Every time you water, give the soil a little time to dry out. If you keep the soil moist, the plant will succumb to root rot. The book contains details on how much water was used to water fiddle leaf figs.
How can you tell if a fiddle leaf fig is on its last legs?
Let’s start by talking about the typical warning signs that your fiddle leaf tree is in trouble. Don’t give up on your plant until you’ve tried some simple solutions. Here are the key indicators that something is wrong and how to fix them.
How can you urge a fiddle leaf fig to produce new leaves?
Fiddle Leaf Figs can be encouraged to branch by notching, which doesn’t entail the plant’s height being reduced. Instead, tiny cuts or “notches” are made all the way up and down the stem or trunk to promote the formation of new growth lower on the plant.
There are two distinct notching patterns. The first slashes diagonally through the FLF trunk at a depth of about one-third, immediately above a leaf or node. Similar in nature, the second involves two cuts and the removal of a tiny “chunk” or piece of the trunk. To remove a small portion of the trunk, make the two slices just 1-2 mm apart.
It might be challenging to properly notch a plant without accidently decapitating it or cutting too deeply. It’s unquestionably a more sophisticated technique with variable outcomes. If you want to try it, I also advise going numerous notches. Not all of them have a 100% success rate. So if you want two or three branches, you might want to do six notches.
The best stem for notching is one that is more aged or woody. It might be advisable to wait till your FLF stem reaches maturity if it is still green before attempting to notch.
Tips for Notching:
- You may have more control over the notch with a craft knife than with a pair of cutters.
- Directly above a leaf or node, cut the notch.
- Cut the notch diagonally, about a third of the way into the stem’s depth.