As long as the fiddle leaf fig’s stem and roots are strong, it can live without leaves. A barren fiddle leaf fig can be brought back to life if you can quickly identify the source of its illness. Water and warmth should be sufficient to treat its illness and revive it.
The good news is that your Ficus does not necessarily have to die if its leaves start to shed. There’s a good possibility you can save the plant if its stem and root system are still sound and whole. Let’s look more closely at how to restore a fiddle leaf fig that has lost all of its leaves.
Check your fiddle leaf fig’s stem and roots
You must first check your fiddle leaf for any lingering live signs in order to determine whether it has a good chance of surviving. This entails paying great attention to its stem, branches, and root structure. Work softly is the first rule, after all.
Feel the Ficus’ stem and branches. It’s possible that your plant has already passed away if the leaves are woody, dry, and brittle. There’s a strong possibility you can revive your plant if it is still flexible and slightly green inside.
Similar to that, gently examine the roots. You’re out of luck if they are dry and shriveled, but if they appear healthy, your plant has a chance.
Repot your fiddle leaf (if it has root rot) and remove any decay
You may want to repot your plant and remove any dead or decaying wood and roots if you suspect that your fiddle leaf fig has root rot and that this may be the cause of its abrupt lack of leaves. Having said that, fiddle leaf figs may find this process to be extremely stressful, so avoid doing it unless it’s absolutely necessary.
The ideal soil for fiddle leaf figs is often high-quality, well-draining potting mix, so be sure to choose that when repotting your plant. Spread out the root ball of the fiddle leaf and trim back any moldy, wet, or dead roots using clean equipment. Replant your fiddle leaf gently, securing the dirt around it.
Water your plant
Water is necessary to revive a sick plant, but there is a fine line between overwatering and underwatering your fiddle leaf fig. A fiddle leaf fig won’t require as much water if its leaves are absent since it won’t expend as much energy.
You want to keep the soil moist but not soaked when it comes to how frequently you should water a fiddle leaf fig. Your plant will suffer further harm from too much water. Every few days, check the wetness of your soil with the tip of your finger, hydrate as necessary, and watch out that extra water doesn’t collect in your fiddle leaf fig’s drip tray. Also, don’t wait too long to avoid accidently drowning your fiddle leaf fig.
Ensure it gets adequate warmth and sunlight
It’s possible that your fiddle leaf is losing leaves because of a lack of light because these tropical beauties appreciate warmth and sunlight. Make sure your plant is placed in a location where it will receive enough sunlight to meet the fiddle leaf fig’s light requirements in an effort to combat this. It’s preferable to be near a window.
On its path to recovery, a fiddle leaf fig can benefit greatly from warmth. Get your plant to a sunny location as soon as you’ve cleaned up and hydrated it so that it may begin the process of regrowth.
Prevention is better than cure
A violin leaf can surely be restored to its ideal condition, but this isn’t always attainable. This is why it is better to take care of any potential illnesses with fiddle leaf figs before the plant begins to shed its leaves.
By carefully checking your plant every few days for any indication of illness, you might be made aware of potential concerns. Brown spots, in particular, are almost always a warning indication and call for action on your fiddle leaf fig. If you do this, you might be in a far better position to save your plant than if you were left in the more difficult scenario of attempting to revive a fiddle leaf fig that had lost all of its leaves.
After losing all of its leaves, can a fiddle leaf fig regenerate?
Make sure you’re frequently watering your plant and keeping it in a stable location away from hot wind from a heater if you feel that your plant is losing leaves due to dry air or a lack of water.
Make sure the root ball itself gets wet when you water your plant.
Because water runs around the root ball and out of the container, some plants with very compact root balls may do without watering. This may give the impression that your plant is receiving adequate water, but the roots may actually be dehydrating. To ensure that the water is soaking through the roots, water slowly at the base of the trunk.
Address Light and Drainage
If your plant develops black or brown patches or starts to drop leaves, check your drainage and lighting conditions right once. Root rot in a fiddle leaf fig can be caused by a too big container, the incorrect soil, and an abundance of water.
The absence of sunlight exacerbates these issues. If you can, move your plant to a south-facing or big window if it isn’t in a particularly light spot. If the issue is serious, you should repot your plant into a new container with excellent drainage and use quick-draining soil to ensure that the roots of your plant can breathe.
Your fiddle leaf fig tree can fully recover as long as it still retains at least half of its leaves.
How can I regain my fiddle leaf fig?
Secret No. 6: Avoid letting a sick fiddle-leaf fig tree fully dry up. Make sure any extra water drains out the bottom of the pot when watering it once or twice per week. (I water mine in the shower and keep it there for a couple of hours so the pot can drain, then I put it back on the plant saucer.)
Secret No. 7: Even if the container is so tight that roots are visible at the surface, wait to transplant it until you notice fresh growth.
In conclusion, letting your fiddle-leaf fig tree heal slowly on its own is the greatest thing you can do to ensure its survival. Give it filtered sunlight, water once a week, and warm environments (a room temperature between 60 and 90 degrees would do). Furthermore, if there is even a remote chance that the temperature may drop below freezing overnight, don’t leave it outside.
Are you also attempting to preserve your fiddle-leaf fig? The Fig and I: 10 Tips for Caring for a Fiddle-Leaf Fig has more advice. Visit Fiddle-Leaf Fig Trees: A Field Guide in our selected plant guide for Tropicals 101 for additional growing, maintenance, and design advice.
Finally, consult our Creeping Fig: A Field Guide for additional guidance on how to effectively plant, nurture, and maintain a creeping fig.
Get additional tips on planting, growing, and caring for fiddle-leaf fig trees by reading our Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree: A Field Guide.
Finally, use our Houseplants: A Field Guide to learn more about how to grow and care for different houseplants.
Are you looking for additional tropical plants for your indoor or outdoor space? With the help of Tropical Plants: A Field Guide, you can learn more about how to cultivate and care for different tropical plants.
Finally, consult our Vines & Climbers: A Field Guide for more guidance on how to cultivate and maintain a variety of vines and climbers.
Severe dryness
You could be better off giving up and buying a new fiddle if practically all of your leaves have dried out from extreme dehydration and several of your branches have died.
If a portion of the trunk or stem is still alive, you technically could resurrect your fiddle, but it would take a lot of time and attention. Many violin owners just don’t want to do that since then you’d have to chop off all the dead parts and essentially start over. Think of this as your “practice fiddle and begin again with a fresh, wholesome tree. Also, remember to water it this time!
Severe bacterial infection
It is quite challenging to treat bacterial infections once they have affected the majority of the leaves. Furthermore, such illnesses may really spread to your other indoor plants!
For the sake of your sanity and the wellbeing of your other houseplants, you should give up if those medium-brown blotches persist despite your efforts. If you intend to reuse the pot, make sure to carefully clean the violin before placing it in the trash so it won’t come into contact with any other plants.
Severe root rot
It could be simpler to purchase a new plant if the majority of your fiddle’s root system has rotted away or if root rot has caused your tree to lose almost all of its leaves.
Make sure to dispose of the plant away from other plants, just as you would with a bacterial problem. If you’re not careful, root rot can still spread to other houseplants even though it doesn’t spread as quickly as other bacterial illnesses do. Before utilizing the pot for another plant, make sure to give it a thorough cleaning.
Complete leaf loss
Even though the stem or trunk of your tree is still technically alive, it’s okay to buy a new plant if all or almost all of its leaves have fallen off.
It will take a lot of work to repair the tree and encourage it to grow again, and it will take a long time before your tree is restored to anything approximating its former splendor. Severe leaf loss frequently indicates a major condition that could possibly be harming the roots. It’s ok to purchase a new fiddle if you’re not up to the challenge. Nothing to judge here.
Before properly mastering fiddle leaf fig maintenance, it’s not unusual for owners to go through a few fiddles. That’s okay!
Bring that fiddle back to life if you enjoy giving plants that are close to passing away a second chance! However, it’s acceptable to give it a few attempts if all you want is a vibrant green plant to liven up your room.
Is my fig tree going to grow back?
My fig tree has suffered severe frost damage. Should we let the dead alone or cut them off? It has always produced good, healthy yields.
A: Although many fig trees were harmed over the recent winter, most will recover. Once you uncover green tissue, begin chopping away at the browned branches. If not, entirely cut off that branch. The tree can then be shaped by cutting a few inches off all around if necessary. Use a general-purpose garden fertilizer or a granular fruit tree fertilizer to fertilize. If the summer is dry, keep mulch around the tree’s base and water it once a week. An elder tree like this one has a fair chance of recovery with your proper care, even if you don’t receive many figs this year if they are late-bearing.
A: My entire garden area is covered in ants. I can’t even enter to prepare the ground for planting because the situation is that horrible. Do you have any suggestions for how I might get rid of the ants before planting?
A: To get rid of these ants, you’ll need to treat the entire garden and the region around it. There are various options, but a potent pyrethrin spray can provide effective, quick control. Afterward, use a baited ant control in the vicinity of the garden to discourage them from returning.
Q: Help! My flowerbed has a weed that is currently in bloom and whose extremely long roots make it impossible to get up. The use of weed killers hasn’t been effective, and I anticipate new growth. Any recommendations?
A weed’s behavior indicates how to control it even if we are unable to identify it. Since it dies back in the summer, we can conclude that this weed is a cool-season perennial. This most likely indicates that it appears between the first cool spell in the fall and late winter. The best course of action right now is to get those blooms cut off and remove as much of them as you can, making it more exposed to the upcoming hot weather. Since it’s impossible to remove all of those tangled roots without completely digging up the bed, the plants will resprout. When it reappears, bring a sprig to your favorite neighborhood garden center and discuss a spray with the horticulture. Compared to the mature plants you are now facing, the new growth will be significantly more susceptible to weed killers.
Fiddle leaf figs produce new leaves, or not?
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.