The fiddle leaf fig is one of the most well-liked plants. It seems to be continually popular on social media thanks to its easily recognizable big leaves. But do fiddle leaf fig trees cost more given their popularity? It differs, but in general you will spend a little bit extra for the reputation of this plant.
A mature fiddle leaf fig tree typically costs around $100. The plants can cost anywhere between $20 to $250, depending on their age, source, and health. The best place to look for a fiddle leaf fig tree on a budget is during regional plant swaps.
Let’s investigate why fiddle leaf figs are so costly and how to identify a good one.
What kind of plant has fiddle leaves?
A kind of tropical evergreen tree indigenous to the tropical lowlands of western Africa is the fiddle leaf fig tree, often known as the ficus lyrata tree (Sierra Leone to Cameroon). The tree form has many branches at the top but no leaves at the bottom.
In the Philippines, how are fiddle leaf fig trees maintained?
- A Fiddle Leaf Fig will instantly become the center of attention in a space where it is placed.
- From the bottom of the pot to the top of the plant, it stands about 36 inches tall at the time of shipping. arrives in a decor pot with a 10-inch diameter.
- Sustain Fiddle Leaf For the best development, place your fig in direct, bright sunlight and enjoy!
- Once a week, give your fiddle leaf figs roughly 2-3 cups of water. Adapt as necessary to your surroundings.
- Large, dark-green leaves of fiddle leaf figs give any space a lush, tropical appearance.
Best places to find fiddle leaf figs to grow
Care for Fiddle-Leaf Fig. These plants are indigenous to tropical regions of Africa, where they may flourish in extremely hot and humid environments. The home grower will certainly find it difficult to replicate these humid conditions, making them fairly difficult.
What stores sell fiddle leaf figs?
- Examine the state of the leaves. Do they have any brown patches on them?
- Consider the size and shape of the leaves. Are they huge, bright, and powerful, or are they little, dirty, curled, or drooping?
- Hunt for fresh growth. The perfect plant is capable of producing new leaves.
- The new growth ought to be in good condition. A failing bud should be overlooked in favor of a fresh, cheerier-appearing new leaf.
- Use the flashlight on your smartphone to search the cracks and crevices for microscopic bugs. Just pass it up and remember to tell the garden center if you find anything.
The first thing to understand is that each online live plant shop has a unique way of presenting their inventory.
Therefore, you are unable to predict how far a knife will penetrate before coming into contact with live tissue. A razor-sharp knife is therefore very necessary. Simply using the least amount of pressure is ensured, lowering the possibility of a mistake.
A layer of bubble wrap serves as protection for my first fiddle leaf fig package. Despite popular belief, this is not only a better practice than the norm. And I appreciate that added measure of security.
The soil is then covered with masking tape so that when I tip them upside down, no dirt spills out. It’s just clever.
I paid between $4 and $5 for each of the tiny, immature fiddle leaf figs I ordered, each of which is around 2 inches tall. They will treat me nicely in the future if I treat them good now. I’m eager to provide them with the greatest care I can.
I have to approach unboxing a more mature two-footer plant differently.
Once more, having a sharp knife is essential. I can’t get my arms far enough into the box to reach that pot and pull it out since the packing is so tight. Instead of reaching down to lift the pot and the plant out, you will need to cut away the box.
I lightly press down one corner’s side with the tip of my X-Acto knife. Just to the pot, not all the way to the bottom. I can now open one side of it like a door. You can now remove the pot from the box.
I weigh it when I remove it from the packaging to gauge how saturated the soil might be. I had noticed a few little brown stains on those upper leaves. I’ll startle them in a moment to see whether they move. Since they are likely spider mites if they do.
Compared to the little babies, this plant’s evaluation is something I take very seriously. That’s not just because it costs five or six times as much, but also because there is a lot more foliage at this point to look for signs of issues.
Don’t be startled if loose dirt falls across your work surface as you remove the tape and paper. When you discover that there are no overt indicators of suffering, this is always a thrilling discovery.
You don’t need to use the stick to support the plant if it can stand upright on its own with a little pressure applied to the trunk. In fact, if you allow the trunk to rely too on that stick, you risk weakening it.
Test your plant’s ability to return to an upright position by giving it a little wiggle. I’ve been happy with the size of fiddle leaf figs I’ve been getting from online vendors. The more experienced ones are the ones that have caused me problems.
I was initially impressed by what I saw: a phenomenally robust, massive trunk, and few, if any, curled, dried, or brown-spotted leaves.
Along with the tree, a few insects that resembled fruit flies appeared. That indicates fungus gnats. I unwrapped the plant and started root-to-top inspection.
Experience has taught me that the top two inches of soil are home to white fly larvae. However, because they are minute, I knew that if there was a problem, I would only be able to see the adult fungus gnats. And I did see them.
The roots are protruding from the top of this dirt, and I can see them as I proceed up in my strategic inspection.
This is a sign that it’s time to repot other houseplants. However, our ficus lyrata rolls in this direction of its own accord. Thus, for this particular plant, you don’t need to be concerned with exposed top roots.
Then, once more, I see a big, sturdy trunk. Excellent. You might be wondering why the last plant I unboxed resembled a bush, but this trunk is naked. This one resembles a tree more.
Again, you’ll need to read another piece on our website titled Pruning and Shaping Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant to Keep it Healthy to find the simple solution. Your favorite plant will grow from a bushy shrub into a towering tree as described in that useful article, which will also teach you what to expect at different ages and stages.
It’s time for me to look at the vegetation right now. One thing I notice is a little hole that appears to be an injury in one of the leaves. Therefore, it is not an insect’s lunch. It won’t fix itself, but it also won’t become any bigger.
I’ll now set the plant down here so I can study the top leaves. And once more, I’m happy to see some new growth, which is the telltale sign of a healthy plant.
As I adapt the plant to its new environment, I rely on this clue to provide me comfort if the plant experiences shock. The nicest feature of this new development is that it is distinguished by large, fresh leaves rather than by little, underdeveloped, or reluctant little shoots. They merely boost my self-assurance as a caretaker.
The last thing I notice is the abundance of loose dirt. Many of the leaves and branches are being covered by it. So all this plant needs is a bath. I use 75-degree water because I want to emulate the tree’s native tropical West Africa, and I hope the tree will appreciate my thoughtful gestures like this while it adjusts to its new existence here with me.
We appreciate you learning more about the best ways to buy a fiddle leaf fig from a store or online. Make sure you know how to care for your plant after you bring it home. Happy expanding!
Fiddle leaf figs grow how quickly?
By perfecting your watering routine and locating the ideal location for your plant to flourish, you’ve taken on the difficult tasks. Just a few additional things are necessary for you to understand in order to preserve your fiddle-leaf tree.
Although dusting a plant may seem odd, you absolutely must dust those large, fiddle-shaped leaves. They gather a lot of dust because they are so big and frequently grow somewhat horizontally.
At least once every month, gently wipe the leaves with a moist towel. If you don’t, dust can obstruct sunlight from reaching the plant and clog stomata, which slows photosynthesis and makes the plant struggle to survive.
Fiddle-leaf figs expand rapidly. They frequently grow by one or two feet in a year. If you don’t rotate your plant and leave it in a corner, its growth may quickly become uneven as it reaches for the sun.
There are two options for handling this. Start by frequently rotating it. And second, if it starts to look uneven, make it even by pruning occasionally.
Turn the plant a few inches every several months. In order to remember which way we are moving, I turn Midori in the same direction (clockwise) every time.
Remove some of the leaves on the heavy side of your plant if it begins to grow lopsidedly to give it a more even appearance.
These plants will keep growing upward for as long as they are content. For aesthetics, optimal airflow, and to make sure the plant receives adequate light, trim the highest branches so that the plant remains at least a foot below the ceiling.
Remove any diseased or damaged leaves as well. These won’t recover and are just a drain on your plant. Furthermore, any infections that cause disease could infect the remaining parts of your fiddle-leaf fig and possibly kill them.
Giving your plant a tree-like shape by pruning is another reason you might want to do it. For a bushier shape, some gardeners choose to leave the leaves on the lowest section of the stem intact.
Fiddle leaf figs naturally take on that well-known trunk and canopy shape as they grow in the wild. However, the plant typically retains its bottom leaves indoors.
You can remove the bottom leaves and branches if you want the conventional tree appearance.
To promote excellent air circulation, you might also wish to thin your fig once a year. Any branches that are in the way should be cut.
Put on some gloves before pruning because the sap that is released when these are chopped can irritate the skin. Next, take out a fresh set of pruners. Although you can perform this activity at any time of year, if you do it in the winter, you won’t notice any new growth for a few months.
Cut stems off an inch from the leaf node or stem. Keep in mind that the plant will split where you cut it and sprout new branches as you stimulate the desired shape. If plants are pruned while they are developing, new growth should begin within a few weeks.
You can also remove any stems or leaves that don’t conform to the desired shape. Simply pick no more than a third of the plant at once.
Finally, you can use a pair of scissors to trim the brown pieces off or clip them off totally if some of the leaves have some dark spots at the edges caused by either overwatering or underwatering. There is no point in keeping them around because they won’t regain their color.
You can cut the entire trunk down to about a foot tall and start over if your plant begins to appear sparse as a result of leaf drop or lanky growth, or if you don’t like the shape. From the cut place, the plant will produce new branches, and you can reshape it.
Before you severely prune your plant, think about air layering. If you use the process outlined above, you might get two plants in return for your efforts.
Is the fiddle leaf fig a healthy houseplant?
Ficus lyrata is one of our most popular plants at Flora Grubb Gardens, our nursery in San Francisco, and we almost always have it in stock. Come get yours right now! Continue reading for advice on how to grow and take care of these plants.
The fiddle-leaf fig, or Ficus lyrata, is the ideal interior specimen plant. The plant has erect, violin-shaped leaves that are enormous, densely veined, and tall. Our retail plant shop in San Francisco almost always has Ficus lyrata on hand.
These plants are indigenous to the tropics, where they flourish in hot, muggy weather. As a result, the home grower may find it difficult to replicate these steamy circumstances, making them a little more difficult. Fortunately, they are rather resilient plants that can endure less-than-ideal conditions for a fair amount of time. Last but not least, F. lyrata are really produced as larger specimen plants. If you can place them in a floor-standing planter that will allow the plant to grow to at least 6 feet, that would be ideal. In tropical settings, trees frequently reach heights of 40 feet or more. These are not naturally trimmed down to reasonable sizes due to their enormous leaves, though they can be shaped with light trimming.
Ficus lyrata plants don’t require much maintenance. Spotting on the leaves, which is particularly obvious in a plant with such huge leaves, is one of the most prevalent complaints about these plants. This spotting is typically brought on by a leaf injury, such as mechanical harm or a mite infestation. When exposed to air, the sap of Ficus lyrata can produce these brown patches. The plants are also vulnerable to a number of leaf-spotting and fungus diseases, which are often brought on by poor air circulation and an excessive amount of moisture that collects on the leaves. By keeping the plant well-trimmed and eliminating any dead leaves or twigs that you spot, you can assist stop this form of attack.
However, if your plant is dropping leaves, it’s probably due to inadequate moisture at the roots, low humidity, and cold, dry air. To raise the surrounding humidity, try spraying the plant frequently. Finally, because these plants are particularly sensitive to high salt concentrations, flush your potting soil completely on a regular basis, preferably once a month, to avoid salt buildup.
Pests include aphids, mealybugs, mites, scale, and whiteflies can harm Ficus lyrata. If at all feasible, locate the infestation as soon as you can and use the least hazardous remedy.
Repotting: Healthy specimens have vigorous, quickly developing roots (which is pretty typical for any ficus). Try to repot the plant once a year, increasing the pot size by two to four until the plant is the required size or you can no longer handle the container. After placing plants in large containers, remove the top few inches of soil and replace it once a year with new potting soil.
Advice: Avoid often turning or moving this plant. The plant should be placed permanently, and to keep it clean, use an old T-shirt to dust it. As necessary, stake and prune. Only leaves facing the light will remain on Ficus lyrata; ones facing a darker wall or corner will wither away. If you move or reposition your ficus, be prepared for leaf loss.
Ficus lyrata need strong, filtered light. Even a little sun won’t kill them, especially if they’re in an eastern-facing window. When housed in a too-dark environment, plants won’t develop quickly.
Water: Keep it moist, but don’t let it stand in water because that will cause it to lose leaves and develop root rot.
Fertilizer: For plants that are not in ideal conditions or are recuperating from stress, apply Maxsea All Purpose Fertilizer seasonally and up to monthly.