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.
Fiddle leaf figs can they survive in low light?
The fiddle-leaf fig will not withstand situations with both low light and high light, in contrast to other plants (looking at you, monsteras!). It must be placed in an area with lots of bright, indirect light. Furthermore, it requires a few hours of direct sunlight each day.
“Lighting is the first and most crucial factor you should take into account before purchasing a fiddle. Little did I know that by placing my fiddle in a room with a north-facing window when I first took it home, I was sort of setting myself up for failure “Greene explains. “Fiddle-leaf figs like lots of light, and they frequently need up to five hours of direct light each day,” says the author. It thrives “near to south- or west-facing windows, or directly in an east-facing window,” according to Greenery Unlimited, and nothing can be anything blocking that light (like a building or trees). Additionally, because it grows toward the sun, you must rotate it once a month.
In addition to these lighting requirements, you also need to gradually introduce sunshine; you cannot expose it to too much sunlight at once. Otherwise, the lovely green leaves of the fiddle-leaf fig can burn and get brown spots. On the other side, too little sunlight will cause its leaves to become brown or yellow, or even worse, fall off. It also hates being moved around a lot since it could lose its leaves. Most likely out of spite. Even if your plant sustains some combat wounds in the process, you’ll finally locate the best location for it, even if it takes some trial and error.
“Adding a grow lamp ($23) is one of the things you can do to supplement that light if you already have a fiddle-leaf fig but feel like it’s not getting enough,” advises Greene. They’re fantastic since you can automatically control how much light it receives each day, especially if they include a timer.
Can the ficus lyrata grow in dim conditions?
The fiddleleaf fig has enormous, fiddle-shaped, dark green leaves that have remained a popular indoor plant for decades. The glossy, prominently veined leaves can up to 15 inches long and 10 inches wide. To propagate new plants, root the stem tips with a leaf still attached after pruning the top of the plant to make it bushier.
Ficus lyrata requires typical room temperatures for growth. Apply a full fertilizer on a regular basis, excepting the months of fall and winter. Provide a basic indoor potting soil that is moist but not soggy (like a squeezed-out sponge). Mist throughout the summer and, if the inside air is warm and dry, during the winter. Allow the soil to gradually dry out between waterings in the winter; excessive watering (or letting water gather in a saucer or cachepot) frequently causes leaf drop. (Unaware owners may increase water because they believe a lack of leaves is a sign of a drought.) Ficus lyrata can endure poor lighting and doesn’t need a huge container, but you should secure a big plant in a small pot to prevent it from toppling over. Keep the leaves clean by wiping them with a damp cloth or giving your plant an outside shower to maintain health and the best appearance.
Does the fiddle leaf fig require intense light?
The light that most homes and apartments naturally provide—not too much, not too little, nothing too bright, nothing too dark—is what the fiddle-leaf fig needs to thrive. An east-facing window is suggested by Harnek Singh, a gardener at Wave Hill Public Garden in New York City. According to him, fiddle leaf figs require both direct sunlight and a lot of indirect light. “South or west-facing windows will receive too much afternoon sun.
So keep in mind that your fig requires adequate sunlight in your home just like the nourishing rays that come through the deep canopy of the jungle. Cacti and succulents that live in the desert should be placed in the south-facing window.
Singh also advises buying fiddle-leaf figs from reliable sellers to prevent encountering the opposite issue. He claims that many of these plants are frequently already declining as a result of spending too much time in the dark. Foliage that is flagging and leaves that are pale, spotted, or wan-looking are indicators of improper light exposure. If your plant displays these signs, try shifting it to a different location for a week or two.
Height
When you consider how tall fiddle leaf figs may go, one of the biggest problems with growing them becomes apparent. They can reach heights of up to 50 feet when living in their natural habitat, the West African rainforests. You should count yourself fortunate that they typically do not reach those heights outside of their natural habitats, given that you most likely do not have 50-foot-tall ceilings in all of your rooms. Even a potted plant has a 10-foot height limit. Small fiddle leaf fig plants may be purchased for under $40 at places like Home Depot! A good place to start is with these little plants.
Time
You have to put in effort if you want good results, as is true for the majority of things in life. This is also true of the fiddle leaf fig tree. It will take some time and work to make your plant into the focal point you want because it is one of the more difficult plants to grow. Plants that make fiddle leaf figs dislike:
- Frosty drafts
- too moist soil
- Arid soil
- Overly bright
- inadequate lighting
- Dry air
They are highly particular, as you can see, so you will need to spend a lot of time observing and responding to your plant to locate the sweet spot it needs. The majority of plants will tell you something is wrong by the way they look. Leaning in one direction typically means that is where the light is. Yellow leaves can be a sign of a variety of plant problems, but if you take the time to listen to your plant and provide it with the greatest environment possible, you will see the benefits.
Light
The light may be the most crucial factor in plant growth. Using carbon dioxide, water, and light to perform photosynthesis, which enables them to produce additional plant mass, is how plants develop. A plant’s growth will be stunted by insufficient light. Your plant’s leaves will burn if there is too much light. About 6 to 8 hours per day of moderately bright light are needed for fiddle leaf figs. We advise using a plant light to help your plant get adequate light if you don’t have a window big enough or live in a place where it doesn’t get continuous sunshine.
How can I tell if the light reaching my fiddle leaf fig is adequate?
Measuring the space between the leaves on your fiddle leaf fig tree is another proven way to determine whether it needs more sunlight.
The leaves of a fiddle will grow more closely together than those of a fiddle that must reach for its solar energy.
Here is an illustration of a fiddle leaf fig that displayed these precise signs. Just two years ago, I gave my mother this beautiful plant:
As you can see, the leaves were able to remain near to one another without suffocating one another due to the abundance of sunlight offered by the greenhouse environment. It was flawless.
I sent it over to my mother without checking for a bright spot in her home. The greatest spot she could locate in her house was close to a window, although it received little natural light.
After a year, she was able to move the large plant outside for some summer heat and humidity, but as you can see, the branches had already started to spread:
This fiddle leaf fig tree had a terrific summer, but when winter arrived, it had to return indoors.
It is now as follows:
Watch for this lanky, “reaching” appearance and address it right away by moving your plant steadily closer to the sun.
Where in a house should a fiddle leaf fig be placed?
The Ficus lyrata, commonly known as the Fiddle Leaf Fig, is featured on the covers and in images of numerous design journals. Its tall stature and large, graceful leaves add drama and height and unify entire rooms. Despite where you’ve seen Fiddle Leaf Figs in pictures, some individuals don’t aware that they need to be placed just in front of a window. They can be challenging to care for until the plant adjusts to your environment and until you figure out when to water them. Continue reading to discover how to keep your fiddle leaf fig alive and healthy for many years to come.
The best setting for Fiddle Leaf Figs is in front of a window that gets direct morning or afternoon light. The ideal window to choose has a primarily unobstructed eastern, western, or southern exposure. You don’t want the window to be shaded by nearby trees or buildings. If your Fiddle Leaf is positioned right in front of the window, a north facing exposure can also work if there is enough room and nothing blocking your view of the sky. You should gradually adapt your tree to being in several hours of direct sunshine if you plan to set it in front of a southern exposure. The leaves could burn and develop brown scorch scars if they receive too much direct sunshine too rapidly. Over the course of 1 to 2 weeks, gradually increase the amount of time it spends in front of a southern window.
The amount of light your Fiddle Leaf Fig need to thrive depends in part on its size. The amount of light a plant needs will increase with its size. For instance, a window would need to be much taller to accommodate a 7′ tall tree than it would a 4′ tall tree.
In general, your fiddle leaf fig will require more light to preserve its existing leaves and spur the growth of new ones the more leaves it has. In order to tell us that it isn’t getting enough light to support all of its leaves, a plant will respond when it isn’t getting enough light by losing lower and interior leaves.
It’s crucial to maintain your plant in front of the window during the winter months when natural light isn’t as abundant but also ensuring sure it doesn’t catch any chilly air from drafts that blow in. If your windows are drafty, try moving your Fiddle Leaf 2 to 3 feet away from the window to observe how it reacts. In most cases, keeping plants at this distance allows them to avoid any sporadic cold air blasts while yet receiving an equivalent quantity of light. For more advice on winter maintenance, keep reading.