You can stake the trunk of a fiddle leaf fig to keep it upright if you need a quick fix to save it. By no means is this a long-term fix because staking will prevent your tree from developing the necessary strength to maintain itself.
While you do other things to strengthen the trunk, such fertilizing, correctly watering, offering lots of light, and regularly wiggling, staking can at least train your fiddle to grow straight.
To stake your tree, buy a stake the same length as the trunk of your tree and drive it into the ground near the trunk. Then use plant tape or ties to fasten the trunk to the stake.
Every few weeks or whenever you wriggle the trunk to test whether it can stand on its own, remove the stake. With regular maintenance, your trunk should begin to strengthen after a few months.
What is causing my fiddle leaf to collapse?
Lover of Fiddle Leaf Figs, welcome back! Recently, people have been asking me more and more questions about their FLFs, which is fantastic because I love assisting you guys! In terms of what people require assistance with, I’ve begun to see some themes over time.
How to reinforce a fiddle leaf fig trunk that is weak or leaning is one of the most frequent queries I receive. Perhaps your FLF is sagging or is reluctant to stand up straight. The good news is that getting children to stand straight and strongly won’t take as long as you would think.
I brought my first FLF outside to rinse off the leaves when it was about 3 feet tall. It was upright within on its own. However, when it was exposed to the light breeze outside, it stooped almost to the ground. I had to keep it outside until the hose-down leak stopped, but I was terrified it might just break in half. I made an effort to keep it upright, but anytime I let go, it always appeared to want to touch the ground. “Weeping face” If only I had a picture to show you!
So I picked up a few bamboo stakes and set it back upright. Staking is excellent for an immediate, short-term repair like this. The bad news is that staking won’t make your plant stronger! Additionally, you won’t want to stake your plant in place indefinitely.
When a plant is staked, it never really strengthens because it doesn’t have to try to maintain itself. The good news is that you can get your ficus growing well on its own by following a few easy steps.
Here’s my steps on How to Strengthen a
Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaning:
1. FLFs are fans of light!
Your FLF’s health depends greatly on light. The leaves on your FLF will cluster together when it receives enough light. The trunk is greatly supported by this. They will’search’ for more light when they don’t have enough. If there is more than about an inch between leaves (referred to as the “inter-nodal space”), you will notice this. Your FLF can appear lanky or perhaps lean towards the direction of the closest window.
More chance for bending exists when there is more space between the leaves. Older growth won’t be fixed by giving your plant more light, but any new growth that appears should be stronger and more closely spaced.
Make sure your FLF is getting enough light first, then! They typically require more than we realize, I’ve discovered. If they’re indoors, it’s preferable to place them directly before a window. They can even grow in full-day sunlight in the natural world.
One fast hint is that reducing the inter-nodal distance can also be accomplished by using a fertilizer that has been carefully designed. For FLFs, I suggest Botanicare Grow Fertilizer.
To promote even growth, turn the pot as you water it each week. You might want to use a grow light to supplement some of the light if you can’t move your FLF closer to natural illumination. Read this simple tutorial to grow lights.
Because the leaves are so dispersed throughout the stem, you can tell that this FLF below needed additional light:
2. The Trunk’s Air Flow Will Be Trained
You won’t find a FLF that is unable to sustain itself in nature. Why? owing to air flow! A FLF must learn to endure the power of the wind when it is outdoors. It grows straighter and stronger as a result, with stronger trunks and stems.
Recall how my poor FLF hunched over the moment a breeze appeared? It is now taller and stronger than ever and spends half the year outside!
The majority of our beloved FLFs spend their lives indoors, which prevents them from having enough airflow to strengthen their trunks. Fiddle Leaf Figs eventually risk leaning due to the weight of their large leaves. FLFs are naturally top-heavy since the leaves get bigger and bigger as they ascend.
A new FLF that I recently purchased had a stem that was buckling beneath the weight of its fresh, big leaves. I placed it outside, and after a couple of weeks, the stem had become much stronger and straighter. Really, the breeze gets to work in no time at all!
Don’t be reluctant to let your FLF spend some time outside in a gentle breeze because they can withstand quite a bit of bending. You might want to loosely stake it while outside to keep it upright if it’s significantly crooked like my first one was or if you’re concerned that it’s too frail.
You should keep in mind that your FLF will require favorable outdoor circumstances. They prefer temperatures over 65°F (18°C), so be cautious to gradually acclimate them to any more sun exposure.
I hear you asking, “What if you can’t get your FLF outside?” There is a solution for it as well!
3. Make the trunk move
Are you serious? Of course! Many success tales of folks who strengthened their FLF trunks by wriggling them have been told to me.
The trunk basically imitates the wind by wriggling. This may require a little more work if you can’t get your FLF outside, but it will still work.
Take your FLF trunk and start to jiggle it from side to side two to three times every day. They can withstand quite an amount of movement, as I have indicated. Therefore, don’t be frightened to bend quite a bit! Spend around ten minutes on this.
Your FLF may take longer to strengthen with this procedure than it would under normal circumstances, but you should see benefits in a few weeks.
What form should my fiddle leaf fig take?
Similar to sculpting a masterpiece, shaping your fiddle leaf fig requires that you start with an idea of what you want the finished product to look like.
To ensure that the remaining foliage looks balanced, I find it helpful to label all the branches you want to remove with colorful tape or a Post-it Note before you begin. To lessen the risk of shock, start out gently and never remove more than 10% of your plant at once.
Decide on Your Ideal Shape
Fiddle leaf fig plants often have one of two shapes: a bush or a tree.
Smaller plants are typically bushier, whereas larger plants are typically more fashioned like trees. You might want to start shaping your little plant into a tree as it grows. Choose whether you want to prune your plant to maintain its compact bush shape or to give it a correct tree shape.
Plan to Remove Damaged Leaves or Branches
So that you can arrange to eliminate the least healthy parts of your plant first, evaluate the general health of each branch and group of leaves. Mark any sections that need to be removed if there are any leaves with brown spots or branches with smaller leaf growth.
Remove Crossing Branches
To increase airflow and relieve crowding, you should eliminate some portions of densely populated branches. You should take care of any branches that touch each other as well as any leaves that are preventing one another’s leaves from growing.
Create Your Ideal Shape
Any growth that is 8 to 10 inches or less from the ceiling, the surrounding walls, or the furniture should be planned for removal. Next, cut off any growth that does not conform to your ideal shape.
Remove lower leaves and branches to reveal a good trunk if you want to create a tree-like shape. Remove gangly or ugly growth if your plant is out of balance to give it a more appealing overall form.
How to Make Your Cuts
Pruning should begin once you’ve marked the sections you want to cut out and made sure you like the way the tree looks in its finished form. When pruning your plant, make sure the cutting motion does not crush or harm the stem by using a sharp, clean tool.
Cut each one away from the trunk or any leaves by about a half-inch. With no chance of infection spreading to the main trunk or any surviving leaves, this enables your plant to heal properly. In order to prevent the spread of bacteria and diseases, pick up and dispose of any falling leaves or garbage.
New Growth After Pruning
If your plant is healthy, it will typically divide the branch where it was pruned, producing two branches where one once was.
Eventually, this creates the impression of a fuller, healthier plant. Your plant might only continue to develop one branch where it was clipped if it is in pain or isn’t getting enough light. After pruning, allow access to lots of light to promote more development.
Fertilize After Pruning
Fertilize your plant frequently after pruning to promote new growth and aid in the plant’s recovery from the shock of pruning. (Are you unsure of the ideal fertilizer for your fiddle leaf fig? Test out our plant food! Within a few weeks to a month after pruning your plant, you ought to notice new growth.
Should a fiddle leaf fig be rotated?
Fiddle Leaf Figs need to be thoroughly watered about once a week to match their love of natural light. You should modify the amount of watering based on the size of the plant and, consequently, the size of the roots. As a general rule, water the plant thoroughly only after the top 2 to 3 inches of soil have dried up. This entails watering it till water drips out the bottom if it’s in a planter with a drainage hole. However, avoid letting the drip tray fill up with water for too long because root rot can readily develop in this situation. Remember to water the plant slowly and in a circular motion around it, making sure to wet all of the soil. Water will then reach all of the roots rather than just some.
A Sustee Aqua-meter is one of the greatest instruments for determining how frequently your Fiddle Leaf Fig requires water (available for purchase in our shops). We have discovered that there are particular seasons of the year when our plants are significantly more thirsty than usual since we started using these in our stores. The Sustee changes color from blue to white when the soil is sufficiently dry to prevent overwatering from occurring after it has become saturated with water.
You should water all tropical plants with water that is room temperature. A plant will undoubtedly experience shock if exposed to hot or extremely cold water, just as it would if the same conditions existed outside.
Prior to watering, aerate and break up the soil to improve water absorption. In order to ensure that water reaches all of the plant’s roots rather than draining out along the planter’s edges, we also advise watering very slowly around the top of the soil.
Maintenance
Fiddle Leaf Figs need some routine care, just like most other plants. One crucial maintenance procedure for your fiddle leaf coincidentally involves its leaves, which are also its most noticeable feature. Wonderful duty in the shape of routine dusting comes with great leaves. Fiddle Leaf Figs require frequent dusting due to the size of their leaves. As dust builds up on plant leaves, dust particles interfere with the plant’s ability to absorb sunlight and carry out photosynthesis. Given how much Fiddle Leaf Figs adore light, giving your plant a frequent dusting will go a long way toward keeping it healthy.
Rotating your plant monthly or biweekly is a good idea in addition to dusting the leaves. By rotating your plant, you’ll ensure that it receives an equal distribution of light, preventing one side from growing much faster than the other and resulting in a solid, symmetrical Fiddle Leaf Fig.
There are a few things you can do to encourage your Fiddle Leaf Fig (or any tree, for that matter) to start developing branches. First, try providing your plant with additional light. Trees naturally sprout branches, and if they have a lot of natural light, they may have more energy to devote to doing so. Cutting off your plant’s highest point of growth is another approach to promote branching. As a result, the plant will be forced to start branching out from the sides rather than continuing to grow vertically. Visit our pruning journal entry to find out more about pruning and branching.
Aerating the soil once every few months prevents the soil from being compacted for people who don’t already do so. The ability of your plant to absorb water is one of many factors that can be badly impacted by compacted soil, which eventually forms tiny pockets of soil where water never penetrates. It is possible to aerate using a variety of tools, including chopsticks and official soil aerators that are of a similar size and shape. To avoid destroying too many roots, gently press the aerator deeper into the earth as you go. By breaking up any areas where the soil has clumped together, do this a variety of times around the soil to keep your plant healthy and happy.
Last but not least, we advise using a “less is more” philosophy when it comes to fertilizing your Fiddle Leaf Fig and other indoor plants. It’s advisable to avoid providing your plants with too many extra nutrients at once. In the spring and summer, we strongly advise adding a slow release pellet fertilizer, such as the Osmocote Plus Indoor Smart-Release Plant Food, into the top layer of the plant’s soil. These pellet fertilizers typically last for a few months.
Winter Tips
Winter is a challenging season for indoor plants, including Fiddle Leaf Figs, because of the obvious lack of natural light and the cooler temperatures. As indicated above, keeping an eye out for cold windows is a smart place to start, but there are other things you can do to keep your Fiddle Leaf content throughout the chilly months.
People frequently experience problems with heating vents during the winter, but since they aren’t used for more than half the year, it’s simple to forget about them. Plan to relocate all of your plants away from any heating vents when it is time for them to turn on. Repeated hot air bursts have the potential to scorch leaves and quickly dry out your plants.
Break up the dirt a little with your fingertips before watering your plant in the winter. Soil is easily clumped and compacted in winter due to the dry indoor air. By lightly breaking it up with your fingertips, you can prevent water from dripping through the soil and out the sides of the planter.
It’s also important to note that a humidifier can benefit Fiddle Leaf Figs and other tropical plants all year long, but particularly during the winter when the indoor air turns dry. Your plants are able to flourish as they would in a rainforest thanks to the continuous increase in moisture circulating in the air, which prevents browning leaf tips.
Key points:
Fiddle Leaf Figs thrive when put immediately in front of windows since they require a lot of natural light.
Once a week, thoroughly water the soil, allowing the top few inches to dry out before watering again.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about caring for fiddle leaf figs below, in person at one of our stores, or by contacting us.