In order to ensure that your fiddle leaf fig plants grow a thick, sturdy trunk, you must first place them in the area of the house that receives the most sunlight. I demonstrate a mature, two-year-old fiddle leaf fig tree in the video along with a young, stake-dependent specimen of the same species that is only three weeks old.
The objective is to develop a thick, robust trunk like the larger, more mature tree from the new juvenile plant’s weak, unbalanced, pencil-thin stem.
I give the plants a treatment in which I wriggle them like the wind might. So I take out the stake from a young fiddle leaf fig plant and pull back a few leaves to reveal the thin stem. I can comfortably jiggle it to simulate the wind once I have it in my hands. Here, we want to recreate all the advantages of being outside without any of the negatives (disagreeable elements like pests, drought, and shade from invasive neighboring plants). Wind is one of the most advantageous aspects of being outside.
My husband, an organic farmer, asked me to run my palm over the top leaves of some vegetable seedlings that were forming in our sunroom, and that’s when I originally had the idea for this post. Before putting the infants in the garden, where they would experience much more wind, he intended to harden them off. By occasionally upsetting them in this manner, their small stems became thicker. Every time they bounced back from the disruption, they became more powerful and eventually outperformed their leggy competitors.
I decided to use the exercise on my young fiddle leaf fig plants because it was so effective. Although it required some commitment, the outcomes were spectacular.
Why should I Wiggle my Fiddle leaf fig?
Your indoor tree’s trunk can be moved to simulate wind, which will help you become more resilient outside. You can also leave your tree outside for extended periods of time to strengthen its trunk and expose it to the elements. Once you get the leaves inside, be sure to inspect them for bugs.
What are the best growing conditions for an indoor fiddle leaf fig tree?
Know that your fiddle leaf fig tree prefers moderate temperature changes and place it in a sunny spot within the house. The tree should be planted in a container with well-draining soil that is kept humid but not soggy since this might cause root rot.
Why isn’t my fiddle leaf fig tree flowering?
Your fiddle leaf fig is susceptible to root rot, so make sure that you are not overwatering the plant. When storing the fig within a container, make sure the bottom has lots of holes to allow for proper drainage.
How do I fix a leggy fiddle leaf fig tree?
Give a leggy or tilted fiddle leaf fig tree bright, filtered sunshine as treatment. Please place your plant in the area of the house that gets the most indirect sunlight, which is usually six to eight hours per day. Don’t keep it in the Sun for too long, though; doing so could scorch the leaves.
Will wiggling my fiddle leaf fig tree weaken its roots?
Every one to two weeks, wiggle your fiddle leaf fig tree for 1.5 to 2 minutes to significantly thicken the trunk. Beginning with light shaking, progressively build up the force. If your plant is stake-supported, move it about at first with the support in place. You can take the stake out once your fig tree has gotten used to this practice.
Why is the trunk of my fiddle leaf fig so thin?
Every owner of a fiddle leaf fig plant wants their ficus lyrata to develop into a big, statement-making tree. Unfortunately, many indoor gardeners produce an unattractive, uneven, and rather small version of the same. How can you reinforce the trunk of your fiddle leaf fig tree?
Fiddle leaf fig tree trunks that are not thick, robust, supportive, and nourishing pillars are one of the causes of weak fiddle leaf fig tree trunks.
Sometimes fiddle leaf fig trees do get tall, but they can’t support themselves. The fact that a prop or post is used to hold this beautiful plant up detracts from so many photographs of it.
Today, I demonstrate in the video below exactly how to reinforce and thicken the trunk of a fiddle leaf fig tree so it can develop a strong, stiff, and tall structure without requiring a stake to support it.
How to At-Home Strengthen Your Trunk Using the Fiddle Leaf Fig Hack (No Products Required)
How can a fiddle leaf fig tree be supported?
I had a fiddle leaf fig in my house when I was a child. It seemed like we were growing huge together as I recalled competing with it for height. In the end, I triumphed.
In general, bowing down is seen as a sign of respect for the victor, so when my Fig did it, I felt something wasn’t right. I noticed a slant in my Fiddle Fig Leaf.
Fiddle Leaf Fig typically leans to one side as a result of poor lighting, careless watering, a lack of support, and insufficient fertilization. Give the sagging Fiddle Leaf Fig plenty of sunlight, good watering, and regular weak liquid fertilizer applications to correct the problem.
When imposing plants like fiddle leaf figs appear to be leaning, it can be heartbreaking to watch.
So let’s investigate more to determine what caused your plant to droop and how to remedy the situation.
Do fiddle leaf figs require assistance?
The Fiddle Leaf Fig, known as “the darling of the houseplant world,” is a well-liked but notoriously difficult indoor plant. However, if you’ve discovered the correct balance and routine with this beauty, it can be an amazingly low care and quick growing plant. It can be a little particular about its light and water needs.
But what happens if it expands too quickly? Fiddle Leaf Figs are one example of a plant that can become fairly top-heavy and frequently grow unevenly (particularly if you don’t routinely rotate it). Our Plant Doctors advise staking the plant as a temporary fix to help it develop stronger roots and stand up straight if this is the situation with your Fiddle.
Staking can be used for practically any leaning plant with a trunk, even though it is most frequently utilized for trees and plants with fiddle-leaf figs. The following are easy procedures for staking your plant:
How can I thicken the trunk of my tree?
When examining a bonsai tree, one’s eyes are drawn to the base and trunk. We go through the surface roots, tapering, thickness, and shape of the trunk, which are its most crucial features.
The nebari
A bonsai’s Nebari (surface roots, or root-flare), which are crucial for giving it a balanced appearance. Wide, radial surface roots that serve as anchors can frequently be seen on deciduous Bonsai, such as the Japanese maple. The Surface roots page contains more details.
Tapering
Tapering is the process of a tree’s trunk being thicker at its base than at its summit. Even though it is challenging to fix abnormalities in a tree’s thickness of a trunk (choose trees carefully before purchasing them), it is feasible to make little changes:
portion of the Bonsai trunk thickening By directing the majority of the tree’s growth to the branches immediately above the thin region of the trunk, this area will gain access to more nutrients and subsequently thicken. Pruning the entire tree, with the exception of the branches above the thin part of the trunk, might be done to distribute growth. It will take at least two years before you start notice any results using this strategy because it is gradual. As previously said, it is crucial to choose trees with a tapering trunk.
trunk portion that is thinning The only way to make the trunk taper is to thicken the other components of the trunk using the approach mentioned above since it is impossible to make a trunk slimmer. However, it will be much longer before you see a noticeable difference. Instead, you may create a Jin or Shari (deadwood features) to hide the thick point.
Thickness
When a bonsai plant has a thick and gnarly trunk, it frequently appears older than it actually is. The only method to allow a tree to grow freely in a big container without being pruned for several years is to allow the tree’s trunk to get thicker. You can retrain it and put it in a smaller pot once you are satisfied with the thickness of the trunk.
Growing “sacrifice branches” from the trunk is one method for thickening a trunk. For two to five years, these branches are not clipped at all, thickening the trunk as they develop swiftly. The branches are cut off after two to five years have passed.
Overall shape
One of a tree’s most striking features is its overall form, or trunk. Some bonsai have trunks that are beautiful, slender, and twisting; juniper bonsai, for instance, frequently exhibit these characteristics. On the other hand, the traditional Japanese black pine frequently has a substantial, massive trunk. It is crucial to consider the shape of the trunk while purchasing one because it becomes practically impossible to bend a trunk after it reaches a particular thickness (up until that point, you can use a trunk-bender).
How can a tree trunk be made stronger?
Stakes are positioned on either side of a tree after it is planted, watered, and mulched. Ties are firmly fastened from the trunk to the stakes. The stakes are taken out after a year or so, allowing this tree to “feel the breeze through its branches, if you will” and wave in the wind.
What makes your fiddle leaf fig worth shaking?
“To keep my fiddle upright while it was young and immature, I used a wooden dowel. I was able to remove the dowel and it no longer need extra support because it was able to strengthen itself over time as it grew and with frequent shakings, Paige added.
So even though I wouldn’t advise you to shake your plants firmly, giving them a gently rock would not harm them. In addition to your FLF, I can see this idea working well for Rubber plants, Monsteras, Alocasia, and Pilea plants. They all have thick stems that frequently need to support a lot of weight as the leaves enlarge. This will probably become a regular component of how I take care of my plants. Play some music, get moving, and invite my plants to join in. It seems like it would be enjoyable.
My fiddle leaf fig is bending, why?
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.