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.
Will a fiddle leaf fig grow new leaves?
It is rather simple to identify the root of your fiddle leaf fig’s negative attitude if it is anything other than green and full. Indoor fiddle leaf figs typically have a problem with either light, irrigation, or both. You can restore its health with a little work before it’s too late. Simply keep an eye out for the warning symptoms listed below and administer the appropriate treatment.
One thing to remember with fiddle leaf figs is that once a leaf is injured, it can’t truly be repaired. We’re diagnosing the issue and taking action to maintain the plant’s health going ahead. The tree will likely stop providing energy to the injured leaves when new growth begins to emerge, and they will eventually dry up and fall off. Last week, I got home to precisely that circumstance. The lowest leaf on the tree with damage was this one. The plant consumed all of its resources until it was entirely dried out, at which point it let go of it.
Unlike rubber plants, which can recover fallen leaves, fiddle leaf figs cannot. Because once the leaf is gone, it’s gone, maintaining their health is crucial.
Be Patient
In February of 2018, Jackye embarked on a new fiddle leaf fig voyage. As of June, the majority of her new plants had not yet experienced much new development. New cuttings must be let at least four to eight weeks to root before they can begin to generate new leaves, which can take up to six months.
Before they notice the new roots, many growers give up on their cuttings and discard them, abandoning the tiny plants before they have a chance to start sprouting new leaves. But perseverance pays off; all but three of the 61 cuttings she took produced roots.
Expect Variability
By six weeks, the majority of Jackye’s cuttings had begun establishing new roots, but there was considerable variation. Some people got new roots in 3 or 4 weeks, while others needed 8 or 9 weeks. It’s critical to realize that every cutting is unique and that a variety of elements, including hormones, light, season, and time of day, influence the roots process. Prior to giving up on cuttings that haven’t developed roots, give them at least 10 to 12 weeks.
You Can Root Cuttings in Soil or Water
Cuttings of fiddle leaf figs can grow roots in either humid soil or water. The success of your project is unaffected by the growing medium, although there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Some of Jackye’s cuttings were rooted in both water and soil. After weighing both possibilities, she advises burying the roots in soil to avoid crushing the young, delicate roots while transferring them from water to soil. She did, however, like watching the new roots grow in the water.
A Rooting Hormone Is Critical
Use a rooting hormone whether you are rooting your cuttings in soil or water. Your plant receives instructions from the chemical powder to focus its efforts on growing roots rather than new leaves. Your prospects of success are minimal without it. On all of her cuttings, Jackye applied a substance resembling our Houseplant Propagation Promoter.
Soil Cuttings Don’t Need Drainage
For the purpose of being able to observe fresh development in both the soil- and water-rooted cuttings, Jackye rooted her cuttings in clear plastic Solo cups without any drainage holes. She never allowed them to dry out and maintained them uniformly hydrated. She put them into pots with drainage holes once the roots were strong.
Fiddle Leaf Fig Propagation Can Help Your Original Plant Grow
Jackye was pleased to observe new growth, including additional branches on each plant, after taking more than 60 cuttings from her original eight plants. Cuttings are not harmful to the mother plant when used for propagation, and they may even encourage new development.
Take Cuttings of New Growth if Possible
After a few months, Jackye found that the cuttings she took from the tops of her plants that were actively growing were the ones with the most new growth. For fresh growth, these terminal branches have already been programmed. All eight of the top cuttings she took began to establish roots and new growth in less than four months.
Jackye advises taking a branch or growing tip that is somewhere between six and eighteen inches long. Take off the leaves from the branch’s lower third or so. Place the sliced portion in potting soil after dipping it in rooting hormone. For roughly six weeks, or until you notice new roots, keep it very wet.
You can even divide a lengthy branch into multiple portions when pruning it, making care to leave a few leaves on each section. Fiddle leaf figs are quite powerful and hardy plants; Jackye even tried planting branches without leaves, and they ultimately began to grow again! Just a couple more months were needed.
Mild to moderate root rot
If you find root rot early enough, it’s extremely treatable but it gradually spreads and kills your plant.
Root rot is developing if you see brown veining or dark-brown or black spots growing on the lower leaves. Try our Root Supplement, or fix the issue right now by repotting the plant in new soil and a fresh container. Remove any rotten roots by trimming them. Within a few short weeks or months, your tree should recover with appropriate care, our Root Supplement, and excellent light!
How can a fiddle leaf fig grow new leaves?
It might be time to pot-up when your Fiddle Leaf Fig appears to be too large for the pot (aka move it to a larger pot). It will have more room to expand and become taller as a result. Additionally, it is a good idea to completely re-pot your FLF so that it has new nutrients to grow with rather than using the same old soil (this entails taking as much soil from the roots as you can, cutting, and planting it in new soil).
How to Train you Fiddle Leaf Fig into a Standard Tree form (from bush / cluster or small plant)
While it may be tempting to start trimming your FLF to make it immediately resemble a standard form using the secateurs, this may not be the best course of action. It’s really alluring looking at those drool-worthy interior design images! Although your FLF may not be in the best shape right now, if you give it some thought and time, you will end up with a much beautiful tree! To get the tree you desire, the process could take at least a few years or seasons of growth, but this is okay. Be patient and take pleasure in the training process.
To start with, don’t pick off the bottom leaves! These aid in supplying nutrients to the lower trunk, strengthening and thickening it as a result. The waif-like trunks of FLFs are well known, but if the trunk is too thin, it won’t be able to support the leafy treetop portion as you want it to, and it will always need to be anchored or lean. The bottom leaves should probably be removed last, in my opinion.
Separating a Cluster: If you have a cluster or collection of FLFs in a pot, you can cut them apart into individual trees. Remove them from their containers at the beginning of the growing season, gently dividing the roots, and providing each plant a root ball that is appropriate for its size (if you have to cut the roots apart, make sure each plant has a root ball that is appropriate for the plant’s size). Replant each in a separate pot.
Be warned that some clusters may not be able to be separated because they share a root ball. This may be the situation if your FLF has a group of stems that are quite near to one another at soil level. This type of cluster separation might cause damage to the plant or possibly cause it to die.
There are ways to encourage your Fiddle Leaf Fig to grow more branches if it now just has a single trunk. To promote new growth, one method is to clip off the tip or top few leaves of the trunk. Another method is known as “notching,” in which a tiny cut is made into the trunk right above a bud that needs to branch. The tree will be duped into branching out at this point by this.
Simply remove any branches near the trunk that you don’t want on your FLF. They can also be employed for cultivating fresh FLFs. This post will be useful for more detailed information on cultivating a FLF tree.
Are you setting out on a trip with a brand-new FLF? Please share your progress with me in the comments section below; I’d love to hear from you.
If you’re looking for more detailed information on fertilizing, trimming, supporting a leaning trunk, and typical FLF fallacies, check out my other Fiddle Leaf Fig postings here.
Why did the leaves on my fig tree fall off?
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.