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’s causing my fiddle leaf fig 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.
How can a fiddle leaf fig be prevented from drooping?
Finding and addressing the issues that are causing the fiddle leaf fig’s leaves to lose their visual appeal is the key to fixing a drooping plant. By adjusting your techniques to the needs of the plant, you might adopt several strategies.
A wilting fiddle leaf fig can be revived and fixed as follows:
Move the plant where there’s bright indirect light
During their active growth period, fiddle fig leaves need roughly 6 hours of bright indirect sunshine. This can be accomplished by relocating it to a window with an eastward facing and lightly covered curtain.
Making ensuring your plant receives enough sunshine is crucial for repairing drooping leaves and preserving its health. After a few days of continuous exposure to sunshine when the plant has previously received insufficient sunlight, you might start to detect changes in the leaf.
To provide your fiddle leaf fig easy access to the morning and evening sun when the light intensity is moderate indoors, put your pot close to a window (and cannot harm the plant). It will be ideal if the window faces west or east.
Let the soil dry out between waterings
If the plant is being underwatered, give it enough water until the pot starts to drip. Move it to its new location after letting it drip for a while to keep the soil moist. To avoid drooping and wilting, allow the soil to dry out between waterings.
Meeting your plant’s water needs can be made easier by keeping a good watering routine. For instance, depending on the season, fiddle leaf figs require watering roughly once per week at intervals of 10 days.
In order to account for seasonal changes in temperature and humidity, it is important to modify your watering plan. To minimize overwatering, you should also avoid supplying too much water.
How much water the soil retains after each watering session can be managed with the aid of a high-quality potting media and drainage system. Check the potting mixture frequently to see if the plant requires watering before adding water.
By inserting your finger a few inches into the potting media, you may determine whether the soil needs water (finger test). It’s possible for your plant to go a few more days without water if the soil beneath it is moist. However, crumbly, dry soil indicates that your plant needs water immediately.
Additionally, you can look for drooping leaves, however this isn’t necessarily a good sign that your plant needs water.
Repot using a well-draining potting mix and larger pot
Fiddle leaf figs can grow up to 6 feet tall. To accommodate the growth increase, you might need to occasionally move your plant into a larger pot.
Choosing the right pot or medium is essential for repotting. Your plant may be prone to overwatering, saturated soils, etc. due to poor selection. Use a peat-perlite soil mixture, preferably at a 2:1 ratio, is what I’d suggest.
The diameter of the pots should be about three to four inches broader, and each pot should be about one to two inches taller than the one before it. To allow for effective drainage, it is also worthwhile to get a pot with a drainage hole.
Feed the plant with 3-1-2 NPK fertilizer
Your fiddle leaf fig may occasionally droop from nutrient deficiency, particularly if the soil is overworked. However, this wilting and discontent does not have the same intensity as that brought on by underwatering.
Fertilizers are necessary to keep the soil’s nutrient quality high and to energize your plant. At least twice a year, fiddle leaf figs require a constant fertilizer application. The substance that enriches soil with nutrients should be applied in the spring and fall.
Use an organic, slow-release substance with a balanced NPK ratio wherever possible. For instance, the majority of fiddle leaf figs respond well to an NPK ratio of 3-1-2, where a high nitrogen (N) content encourages healthy foliage growth, phosphorous (P) enhances tissue development, and potassium (K) permits optimum plant growth and strong roots.
Remember to add fertilizer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Different goods have different quantity requirements, dispersion methods, etc.
Maintain temperature between 65F to 75F for the fig
The temperature sensitivity of fiddle leaf figs. As a result, the species flourishes in tropical climates with temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
The plant can withstand dips in temperature of up to 55 F. (Higher or lower temperatures can negatively affect the plant). Because of this, it is preferable to move or insulate fiddle leaf fig plants indoors during the winter and other cooler months to sustain vigorous development and avoid drooping/freezing.
During the summer, when temperatures may increase over ideal levels, you can sometimes spray the leaves of your plant. Additionally, keep an eye out for new growth to avoid sunburn and drooping, which could harm your plant’s appearance and general health.
My fig leaves are pointing downward; why?
Now that you are aware that the sturdy, older bottom leaves are unimportant, what should you do if you see that the higher leaves are slouching?
A good query. Determine the situation first. Your limp tree is most likely the result of one of these five most typical causes.
Young, new growth.
The immature, weaker tissue that makes up your youngest leaves tops our list of the most frequent causes of drooping fiddle leaf fig leaves. You must be happy when a new bud appears, don’t you? Anxiety replaces excitement as the new leaf grows and changes. The likelihood that a young leaf will become a sad-looking, sluggish version of its surrounding leaves increases with leaf size.
Do not fret. Give it one or two days, occasionally three. Maintain your care routine so that the new leaf doesn’t harden at all.
Environmental change.
A change in routine or environment is another frequent reason for drooping fiddle fig leaves. The ficus lyrata tree does not respond well to relocation, but its trunk enjoys being bent and moved.
Similar to how plants communicate their unhappiness by slouching, plants may slouch in response to changes in feeding, watering, temperature, humidity, and especially light exposure.
Therefore, the tree could act up if you’ve relocated it to a new room or if your aunt Peggy is watching it while you’re in Vegas.
Again, the good news is that you can resume your previous activities when your violin has withered.
Thirst.
Thirst comes next. Many times, violin owners worry about overwatering. That’s because these plants are vulnerable to root rot when not provided with enough light and a substrate that drains well. Sadly, this causes many caretakers to go submerged, which causes those above leaves to respond in a sagging way.
If you believe that your plant is suffering from thirst, you should not only give it some water; you should also modify your watering schedule if your plant actually recovers after a soak.
Root shock.
Have you lately re-oiled or repotted your plant? Or maybe you checked for root rot? Perhaps, like me, you divided the trunks of two bushy plants so that they would eventually take the form of trees.
Anytime you disturb a fiddle leaf fig’s root system, you run the danger of putting it into root shock. Here are two plants that I recently split into two separate planters from one pot.
You can see that just one of the tiny trees survived, with the other wilting. Thank goodness I was prepared.
You should not notch, move, soap, prune, jiggle, or otherwise mess with it right now. For at least two months, do not anticipate any new foliar growth.
Water it appropriately for its size and habitat constantly while introducing it to full, direct sun exposure gradually.
Root shock will require considerably more time to recover from than, say, the drooping brought on by thirst or new growth. Be patient, then. Try not to lose heart. For a while, the plant’s entire energy will be directed on root development.
Chemical burn.
Chemical reactions to insecticide or detergent are the fifth and most important reason why leaves are drooping.
Your plant may be suffering if you recently used harsh detergents, fungicides, or miticides to combat an insect infestation. Caretakers of fiddle leaf fig trees are frequently shocked to learn that while these treatments were once safe and efficient, they are now unnecessary. especially when coupled with more exposure to light (something we usually encourage wholeheartedly).
To prevent this, thoroughly clean the plant after applying any treatments, and wait to expose it to direct sunlight until you are sure the application went well. Investigate natural, organic solutions to the fiddle leaf fig’s most frequent issues in order to completely prevent chemical burn. Yes, using natural therapies may involve more work on your part, but the reduced risk to your plant usually makes it worthwhile.
So there you have it: weak tissue, environmental changes, thirst, root shock, and chemical burn are the most typical reasons of drooping fiddle leaf fig tree leaves.
You can help your plant grow again now that you know what’s making it droop.