I’m sure everyone is familiar with the fiddle leaf fig tree (also known as the ficus lyrata). They have a reputation for being both attractive and challenging to maintain alive. You could feel a little saddened by a fiddle leaf that is dead or dying. It’s a painful process to watch as those lovely leaves begin to fall. I hope this post is helpful whether you’ve had one die or if you’re just too afraid to get one. For this specific species, several plant aficionados have some tried-and-true tips. I enjoy learning about what other people do to maintain their fiddle leaf. I wanted to provide you everyone access to five of my favorite tried-and-true fiddle leaf tips. Potting: What do you do after bringing a magnificent fiddle leaf home? When you first buy these trees, the majority of them are packaged in flimsy, inexpensive plastic. When I arrive home, I prefer to remove my tree from these jerks. I use traditional terracotta pots for my plants.
My mother instilled in me the value of clay or earthenware pots above plastic ones because they allow the soil to breathe “breathe. Make sure the earthenware pot you choose has a drainage hole (this is crucial!). A fiddle leaf needs drainage to survive. Without a hole at the bottom of the container, water might collect within and rot the roots, which will destroy the plant. Fiddle leaves dislike being consistently wet. I’ll get a pot that isn’t much larger than the container it arrived in originally. The roots want a close fit in the pot.
Next, add some small stones to the bottom of the pot that are 1.5 to 2 inches high (you can get them at most plant stores). These stones aid in drainage and prevent soil from draining away when you water the plant. Make sure the tree stays straight as you pour mud along the sides. Once the sides are completely covered in soil, I press the dirt all the way down by placing my palm along the sides. My preferred potting soil is a cactus/palm blend that can be purchased at nearby hardware stores. Sand is a component in potting mix that aids in drainage and keeps soil loose. I’ve loved using this mixture for the past five years.
Light: This object adores it! Find a window with lots of light if you obtain a fiddle leaf. Make sure the light is direct and bright. Avoid hiding it in a dark spot away from the sun (if you can help it). Keep it in an area of your home that is bright and sunny since its leaves love to soak up the light. It is crucial to keep the leaves free of dust and grime because the tree thrives in strong light. When the leaves are covered in dust, they may literally “without a clean surface, they suffocate. I appreciate photosynthesis!
I use a moist towel to remove all the dirt and dust from the leaves around once a week. I use a leaf shine spray to make the leaves particularly glossy once they have been cleaned.
This tree will soon begin to slant toward the sun since it enjoys soaking up light. To keep the tree straight and balanced, rotate it slightly (some people do this once a month or every time they water).
The fiddle leaf does not like to be moved about much. Moving it around your home can actually make the leaves fall since it loves stability. You can move it to the sink to water it, but doing so repeatedly can lead to issues. Before I tried it and saw that my fiddle leaf did truly shed leaves, I had never really believed this. Avoid placing your tree in an area that gets a lot of drafts. A vent or door can significantly aggravate the tree, especially in the winter. Find a place in your house with lots of sunlight that is not close to a door or vent.
Watering: If you water your tree too much or wait too long (until it is completely dry), the leaves will turn brown and fall off. I usually water mine once a week, but I always make sure it needs water before I do. I occasionally wait two weeks (depending on weather conditions that affect moisture levels). I stick my finger approximately 3 to 4 inches into the earth to feel for dryness as a sign that it needs watering. If I detect any moisture, I’ll wait a few days and recheck. I’ll also lift the pot to see if the weight from the previous watering is still there. It’s time for water if it feels as though it has dried out. In the sink, I enjoy watering my (although this gets difficult with large plants). To remind you to water as needed, keep a nice indoor watering can nearby.
For their plants, some people like to use filtered water, but I just use regular tap water, and that works just great for me! Run lukewarm water into the pot and thoroughly moisten the soil’s top layer. I fill the pot to the brim with water, let it drain, and then refill it well. It takes about an hour for it to completely drain in the sink, after which I put it back where it belonged. Even if your fiddle leaf is too heavy to be carried to the sink, you may still water it thoroughly. I previously had a huge tree that was elevated on a plant stand. To water the plant thoroughly and let the extra water drain into the bowl, I would place a large bowl underneath the plant. The tree eventually ended up on Craigslist since our ceilings were too low for it and I lacked the skills to prune it. That gets me to my next piece of advice, which may seem a little frightening but is really not.
Did you know you may create fresh fiddle leaf babies by removing a branch from your tree for pruning and propagation? This about the fiddle leaf tree is wonderful. The plant that keeps delivering is this one! Your tree will grow horizontally if you prune it. When you prune the tree, it will actually grow larger. Until a local nursery worker demonstrated how to do it and then displayed the results, I didn’t believe it. Your cut will result in the formation of two new growths. It could be time for a trim if your tree is starting to look a touch spindly or top heavy. All you need is a little pair of pruning shears!
To prune, locate the node—also known as the point where a leaf joins the tree—and make a cut directly above the leaf. My preferred cuttings should have a minimum of 3–4 inches of bare branch on the bottom and a few leaves on the top. After you’ve chopped it off, immerse the cut in water and expose to the sun. The branch will begin developing roots during the next weeks. It’s a fantastic procedure! Once the cutting’s roots have expanded a little, you can pot it (I like the roots to be at least 3-4 inches long before I pot it). Be patient; this process could take a month or longer. To keep the water fresh, change it around once a week. You should have a ton of fiddle babies if you use the same potting procedure described above! I adore how adorable they are on my wicker side table.
I hope you will try this plant if you haven’t already. Any room it’s in gets a little bit of whimsy and delight from it (especially if you put it in a pretty pot like one of these). Try a faux fiddle leaf fig if you’re absolutely certain that you lack the green thumb necessary for live plants or the light required to keep one happy in your location. We enjoy combining real and fake plants throughout the house so that we may utilize both where appropriate. Please share any advice you may have in the comments section below, and be sure to check out all of our other plant care advice as well. xo. Janae
For a fiddle leaf fig, is one drainage hole sufficient?
For the best drainage, there are a few different ways to pot plants, but no matter what, your pot needs to have drainage holes. Because of its reputation for being especially picky, we do not advise planting this plant in a container without drainage holes. A fiddle leaf fig should never be grown in a container without drainage holes. For your fiddle leaf fig, you can establish drainage in a few different ways:
Use a container with a single, sizable drainage hole at the bottom, as is typical with terracotta containers.
How much drainage is required by a fiddle leaf fig?
Fiddle leaf fig plants prefer quick-draining soil and pots with lots of space for drainage so that their roots can keep consistently damp but never saturated. The plant never sits in water in the wild because the soil is always draining. However, it is difficult to duplicate those conditions in a container.
Your plant’s vitality will suffer if the roots are not healthy and there is insufficient drainage. The root ball is totally saturated and the extra water drains out the drainage holes when the plant has perfect drainage, which eliminates the possibility of moist soil and root rot.
Are fiddle leaf figs fond of small pots?
Floppy Leaf Only when they are root-bound do figs require an increase in pot size. In their containers, these plants typically prefer to be tight. Therefore, you should only repot a plant after you observe roots encircling the pot’s outside edge, masses of roots visible on the surface, or roots protruding from the pot’s bottom.
Holding onto the plant’s base or trunk, you can confirm this by gently wiggling and removing the plant out of the pot. The plant should come out of the pot pretty easily, and you can count the roots you can see to determine whether or not they are root bound (many roots going horizontally around the pot).
Every two to three years, you should repot your plant with new soil even if it isn’t root-bound. By doing this, the plant will be able to absorb new nutrients from the new soil. Instead of increasing the pot size, simply utilize the same pot to do this.
Before replanting with new soil, the dirt should be gently broken up and as much old soil as possible should be shaken off the roots.
How frequently should fiddle leaf figs be watered?
Overwatering or failing to provide adequate drainage are the two most common ways to destroy a fiddle leaf fig. About once every 10 days or once a week, water your plant. As we just discussed, FLFs are accustomed to receiving a massive amount of water with intermittent dry spells because they are native to a rainforest-like habitat. Therefore, it’s recommended to water indoor plants until the soil is barely dripping before letting the soil dry fully in between applications.
There are two ways to accomplish this. Bring the plant inside after watering it and letting it drip for an hour or two outside or in the bathtub. Place your FLF on a plant stand above a drip tray if you don’t want to carry it back and forth to be watered. Make sure the roots don’t spend a long period sitting in extra water, whichever method you pick.
Watering a Fiddle Leaf Fig
Overwatering or failing to provide adequate drainage are the two most common ways to destroy a fiddle leaf fig. About once every 10 days or once a week, water your plant. As we just discussed, FLFs are accustomed to receiving a massive amount of water with intermittent dry spells because they are native to a rainforest-like habitat. Therefore, it’s recommended to water indoor plants until the soil is barely dripping before letting the soil dry fully in between applications. There are two ways to accomplish this. Bring the plant inside after watering it and letting it drip for an hour or two outside or in the bathtub. Place your FLF on a plant stand above a drip tray if you don’t want to carry it back and forth to be watered. Make sure the roots don’t spend a long period sitting in extra water, whichever method you pick.
Not sure of the next time to water? Simply press your finger into the soil’s top 2 inches. If it’s still wet, don’t touch it. Don’t believe in yourself? Purchase a cheap soil moisture meter, and water when it indicates that the soil is practically dry.
Having trouble deciding when to water your fiddle leaf fig? Simply press your finger into the soil’s top 2 inches. If it’s still wet, don’t touch it. Don’t believe in yourself? Purchase a cheap soil moisture meter, and water when it indicates that the soil is practically dry.
Are fig trees drained?
Now is the time to begin digging! To begin, dig a hole that is exactly the same depth as the root ball and three times wider than the pot. Figs tolerate soils with a moderate amount of alkalinity but do best in slightly acidic soil (pH 5.5–6.5). Most typical garden soils have a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. A pre-plant soil test should always be part of soil preparation. Use dolomitic limestone to raise the pH of your soil if it is too low. Till the soil after equally distributing the limestone across the entire area where the figs will be planted. Till a minimum 6-foot-by-6-foot area if you can so that each shrub may be planted at least 8 inches deep.
However, they will grow on many other soil types and are tolerant of heavy clay soils if drainage is excellent. Fig trees grow best in well-drained, organically rich soils. It will be worthwhile to add some organic compost to the native soil in poor fertility or dense clay soil. When the fruits are growing in the summer, they prefer the soil to hold a sufficient amount of water, but not so much water that the soil is continually soggy or damp.
In a row, bush-grown figs can be spaced as closely as 10 feet apart, and between rows, 15 feet. Figs grown as trees need to be spaced out 20 feet between rows and 15 to 20 feet between each row. Plants grown in containers don’t require pruning to be transplanted; simply take them out of the container, spread their roots, and place them in the planting hole. After adding soil to the hole, water it deeply enough to help the earth settle around the roots. When planting, avoid placing fertilizer in the hole.
Figs respond favorably to organic mulching. Mulch may mitigate nematode issues’ consequences.