How To Thicken Trunk Of 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?

You should be careful not to overwater your fiddle leaf fig because it is prone to root rot. 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 practise.

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 fig tree become bushier?

With a pair of sharp hand pruners, you can reduce the size of your fig by up to 50% on the first trimming. By doing this, you can encourage the growth of your fig’s roots, which will enable it to establish itself underground more quickly. This will encourage the growth of new branches above ground, giving your tree a bushier appearance.

Will the trunk of my fiddle leaf fig thicken?

This wriggling motion makes the fiddle leaf fig tree larger and stronger, just as exercise has been shown to be good for people.

Although the shaking procedure requires some patience and commitment, the end effect is worthwhile.

Start by wiggling with little force at first. Increase the intensity of this activity as your plant gets used to it while still ensuring the fiddle leaf fig tree’s complete safety.

You can scale your wriggling motions to resemble the sporadic tropical storms and gusts of wind that these species typically experience in the Western African rainforests.

Establishing the Right Schedule

Every one to two weeks, depending on how much your fiddle leaf fig tree can handle, repeat the wiggle exercise for about one and a half to two minutes.

Allow your fig tree to recuperate with the support in place at first if it is reliant on a stake.

When the plant appears to be functioning effectively on its own, however, perform these shaking motions without the prop, progressively stepping up the intensity.

All of your fiddle leaf fig trees will eventually grow stronger, thicker trunks that don’t need any more support.

Please keep in mind that for the greatest results, the plant needs to be kept in its ideal environment, which includes bright, indirect sunlight, weekly watering, and well-draining, well-aerated soils.

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.

How do you enlarge fiddle leaf fig leaves?

The following are our seven steps for growing your fiddle leaf fig tree:

  • OPTIMIZE THE POT SIZE IN STEP 1.
  • Step 2: GUARANTEE OUTSTANDING DRAINAGE.
  • 3rd step: COMPLETE, REGULAR WATERING.
  • Step 4: Verify the soil’s aeration.
  • Do an annual soil treatment in step five.
  • Step 6 is to fertilise less frequently.
  • STEP 7: TURN ON THE LIGHTS!

What happens when a plant is notched?

By cutting a tiny cut in the branch of your plant, you can promote new growth by notching. In a sense, you’re cutting a deep wound that stresses your plant. Yes, it initially seems terrible, but your plant will eventually try to get some relief by sprouting new shoots!

How to use the notching technique on your plants

To induce new growth on your plants through notching, follow these few easy steps:

Locate the nodes and decide where you want a new branch to emerge. Find the nodes, which are tiny lumps on the trunk that typically have some space between them.

Make the cut: With a clean, sharp knife, cut an angle through the trunk that extends about 1/4 of the way through. When you make a clean incision, a white sticky sap should appear right away. To prevent the sap from dripping everywhere, wipe it up with a moist towel. Take note that the sap may irritate people with sensitive skin.

Wait – Ensure that your plant is receiving ample light and following a regular watering routine. To create humidity, mist the leaves periodically. One or more little bumps ought to appear in the cut region within a few weeks. Enjoy your fuller ficus as they grow and be patient while they do so!

What to do when Notching doesn’t work

If this method doesn’t seem to be working after a few months, don’t worry. Owners of ficus trees with experience report that this approach is effective about half the time. You can give it another shot or watch this space for more advice soon!

Should I remove my fiddle leaf fig’s bottom leaves?

You should be aware of what those bottom leaves do before selecting when to remove them.

Lower foliage has the same function as that fresh, vibrant growth up top: the leaves work to mix that green chlorophyll, commonly known as “the meat of the leaf,” with sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce sap, the plant’s own sweet food.

So let them alone if you want the trunk, roots, and new growth to continue receiving energy from the sun through the foliar producers and absorbing it.

Another advantage of the lower leaves is that this is typically where the most frequent watering issues show up. To put it another way, many owners of fiddles may detect overwatering and underwatering based on early warning indicators from these bottom leaves. You lose access to one of the plant’s early warning systems if you remove them.

Keep in mind that the lower leaves should be saved for the very last stage of shaping because they AID in giving the tree its characteristic shape.

Once more, deciding whether or not to remove these lower leaves depends on what they do for the plant.

Do fig plants benefit from coffee grounds?

Coffee grinds might be an excellent addition if you have alkaline soils or want to lower the pH level of your garden soil because fig plants like acidic soil. The addition of coffee grinds close to the root zone will aid in moisture retention and generate soft spots for new roots to enter. If adding coffee grounds close to the tree, make sure the soil is thoroughly mixed with them before spreading them to prevent hard, dry spots from forming.

How can a fiddle leaf fig develop numerous branches?

Our first achievement is the tree you can see here. We cut back the lower leaves to reveal the primary trunk after the branches sprouted. Since then, we have had a 100% success record in producing several branches on three additional trees we chopped in similar manner.

The most crucial tip is to clip a Fiddle Leaf Fig stem lower, to the area that is most woody. Your fiddle leaf fig’s main stem or trunk needs to be at least 3 tall to accomplish this.

Since we don’t want to lop our lovely plants in half, the majority of us simply pinch off the very top tips or cut a tiny section of the branch off at the top. However, we must prune the Fiddle Leaf Fig at a distance of 18 or more inches from the top of the stem in order to reach the woody area in order for it to sprout several branches.

Buds develop significantly more slowly when a stem is cut at a lower, woody point than they do when the plant’s top, green portion is clipped. This prevents a bud that is growing extremely quickly from taking control and gives the chance for other buds to form at once.

As you can see, within a few weeks, this tree sprouted 6 new branches after we nearly cut our extremely tall Fiddle Leaf Fig in half at a particularly woody region.

How does notching cause a tree to develop new branches?

Yes, you can use notching to encourage branching if you purchase trees from a nursery that have few branches (feathers). This is crucial to eliminate or lessen the likelihood of blind wood in trees meant for high-density training systems (such tall spindles). The response of younger trees to notching is greater than that of older trees. As illustrated in the accompanying figure, you can make a notch above the bud using a hacksaw or a tiny knife. Without harming or destroying the wood, we remove a very small bit of bark when notching. By inhibiting the hormone (auxin) that blocks the growth of lateral shoots, this encourages branching. For notching, you should concentrate on the region between 30 and 60 inches above the earth surface. Even while you can begin notching as soon as the seeds are planted, waiting until the new shoots are between one and three inches long would be preferable since you can more clearly identify the buds that did not break.

ideal for PGR and notching applications. Continue doing that up until it’s finished.

I would advise you to remove a couple of huge branches during dormant pruning by making a bevel cut, followed two weeks before bud break by notching and PGR sprays. Leaving a lot of huge limbs on the tree prevents any new branches from growing in the leader, which results in blind wood by sapping the main trunk of its carbohydrate supplies.