Overwatering or failing to provide adequate drainage are the two most common ways to destroy a fiddle leaf fig. About once every 10 days or once a week, water your plant. As we just discussed, FLFs are accustomed to receiving a massive amount of water with intermittent dry spells because they are native to a rainforest-like habitat. Therefore, it’s recommended to water indoor plants until the soil is barely dripping before letting the soil dry fully in between applications.
There are two ways to accomplish this. Bring the plant inside after watering it and letting it drip for an hour or two outside or in the bathtub. Place your FLF on a plant stand above a drip tray if you don’t want to carry it back and forth to be watered. Make sure the roots don’t spend a long period sitting in extra water, whichever method you pick.
Watering a Fiddle Leaf Fig
Overwatering or failing to provide adequate drainage are the two most common ways to destroy a fiddle leaf fig. About once every 10 days or once a week, water your plant. As we just discussed, FLFs are accustomed to receiving a massive amount of water with intermittent dry spells because they are native to a rainforest-like habitat. Therefore, it’s recommended to water indoor plants until the soil is barely dripping before letting the soil dry fully in between applications. There are two ways to accomplish this. Bring the plant inside after watering it and letting it drip for an hour or two outside or in the bathtub. Place your FLF on a plant stand above a drip tray if you don’t want to carry it back and forth to be watered. Make sure the roots don’t spend a long period sitting in extra water, whichever method you pick.
Not sure of the next time to water? Simply press your finger into the soil’s top 2 inches. If it’s still wet, don’t touch it. Don’t believe in yourself? Purchase a cheap soil moisture meter, and water when it indicates that the soil is practically dry.
Having trouble deciding when to water your fiddle leaf fig? Simply press your finger into the soil’s top 2 inches. If it’s still wet, don’t touch it. Don’t believe in yourself? Purchase a cheap soil moisture meter, and water when it indicates that the soil is practically dry.
How much water should a fiddle leaf fig receive?
Your home’s conditions will determine how much water your Fiddle Leaf Fig needs each week.
Giving one cup per two feet is a straightforward guideline that many owners enjoy adhering to. Therefore, you would feed your plant one cup of water per week if it is two feet tall from the soil’s base to its tallest leaf. Two cups are used if the object is four feet tall, and so on. This guideline can be useful if you’re just getting started, but it ignores the particular requirements of your plant. So, if you are doing it correctly, pay close attention to how your plant reacts. Is it evaporating quickly? More water is required. It’s been a week; is it still wet? Reduce the water’s flow. Most crucial, make sure your plant isn’t resting in water at all times!
Does my Ficus have a bacterial infection or root rot?
- Most likely not. Despite the fact that this diagnosis is all over the internet, we have found it to be incredibly unusual in the thousands of Ficuses that our sister firm, Greenery NYC, has taken care of. It’s usually a different issue, like inadequate lighting or overwatering. If you’re curious to learn more, we do offer a guide on how to distinguish between bacterial and fungal leaf spots.
Help! My Fiddle Leaf Fig dropped a leaf!
- Moving and changing the environment can be hard on ficus trees. The Ficus plant will temporarily go into shock and drop its leaves since the dry, cold air is such a drastic change from the warm humidity of the greenhouse. This situation is only transitory, so don’t worry. Your tree won’t return to normal for a few weeks, and during that time it might lose a few leaves. However, if the leaves keep falling, it can be an indication of poor lighting or water.
My Fiddle Leaf Fig has brown spots and the leaves are dropping. What do I do?
- Overwatering is the most common error people make when caring for their plants. Even though they require a lot of water to stay healthy, moist soil will drown the plant. Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees prefer to let their leaves slightly dry out between waterings. Allow the plant to dry out until the soil is totally dry if your leaves begin to turn brown and fall and the earth is moist.
- Lack of light is the second biggest error people make. Fiddle Leafs need a lot of light to grow, and if they are not soaking up enough energy, they will begin to shed their leaves. It’s preferable to put your plant by a window if you’re unsure about where to put it. Please see our lighting guide for additional details.
- The fiddle leaf fig can also be severely damaged by underwatering. The edges of the leaves begin to brown and curl in when submerged, and this ultimately spreads throughout the entire leaf. Fallen leaves that were submerged in water will typically be entirely or largely brown and dry to the touch.
RIGHT: A dropped leaf that has been overwatered. A telltale indicator that the plant has received too much water is the browning that is spreading from the central node (or midrib) through the veins of the leaf. RIGHT: If the leaves have brown spots or holes, the plant is probably not getting enough light. This frequently occurs on the lowest leaves of the tree, which over time may start to lose light.
How do I tell when my Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree needs water?
- The simplest approach to determine whether your Fiddle Leaf plant needs water is to look at the leaves once you’ve determined that the top few inches of soil have dried out. The leaves will inform you they need water if they are not firm and straight and begin to look droopy. Until you develop a habit, be sure to check in with your tree frequently to make sure you don’t go underwater.
Left: a submerged Fiddle Leaf Fig tree; right: the same tree less than twenty-four hours later.
How much light is too much light for the Fiddle Leaf Fig?
- In New York City, fiddle leaf figs should thrive if placed directly in front of a window. However, they cannot tolerate prolonged exposure to the sun (being placed outside on a sunny day). They might be sunburned in exceptionally bright apartments (i.e., those with floor to ceiling windows), in which case your best chance is to position them in front of the window with a sheer curtain. The complete spectrum of the sun’s rays will be blocked by partial shades like solar shades, therefore avoid using them to filter the light.
Can I put my Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree next to the AC / heater?
- Floppy Leaf Tropical vegetation like fig trees prefer a humid atmosphere. They lose their leaves if the weather is too dry. Although fiddle leaves do well in air-conditioned apartments, never place them right next to an air conditioner or heater. It is recommended to move to a different location if their leaves are wagging in the air.
How often should I fertilize my Fiddle Leaf Fig?
- Fertilizing indoor plants from spring through fall generally results in their thriving. Use an organic houseplant fertilizer once a month, dilution and application instructions on the container. In order to ensure that your plant doesn’t require fertilizer within the first six months of receiving it, Greenery NYC employs an organic potting mix with a slow release fertilizer in the soil.
How often does my Fiddle Leaf Fig need to be repotted?
- We advise repotting bigger floor plants every 18 to 24 months. In order to allow for growth, you need often use a potting vessel with a diameter that is 2- 4 bigger. Selecting a pot that is significantly larger than the previous one could drown the plant’s roots. Repot your plant into the same container, add additional soil, and remove some roots and foliage if you’d like to keep it at its current size. Repotting should be done in the spring or summer when the plant is at its healthiest.
Do fiddle leaf figs enjoy having their roots watered?
The fiddle leaf fig tree really cemented its position as a mainstay of interior design several years ago. If you don’t believe me, simply quickly go through any interior design Instagram account or Pinterest, and I can almost assure you won’t miss this stunning plant. Personally, I’ve been cultivating them in my house for many years. I had a sizable one in my Beverly Hills condo’s living room, numerous others dotted around my old Palisades property, and I now also enjoy them in my present Laguna Beach home. The longest one I’ve ever had, I must say, lasted for approximately eight years! Which means I’ve been able to care for these picky indoor plants for a lot longer than I anticipated. Even though I’d like to think that I have the famous “green thumb,” the truth is that I only stick to a few guidelines that I’ve learned over the years to keep my trees growing and their leaves sporting a vibrant shade of green.
I’d want to impart some of those knowledge on how to grow a beautiful and robust fiddle leaf fig tree today. I’ve asked Mackenna Rowley of Piep Co, owner of a plant store and proponent of the green thumb, to share her knowledge with us. Many of her suggestions are ones I’ve used for years, but there are also some excellent success hints in here. What you should know before planting a fiddle leaf fig tree is as follows:
1. Make sure it gets enough water. When watering this plant, Mackenna advises remembering the following maxim: It’s better to submerge than overwater! She strongly advises bottom watering your violin and advises letting the top 1-2 inches of soil dry out between waterings. “According to Mackenna, a common issue with our customers is that they tend to water their larger plants from above when they notice that they are beginning to grow brown and dry. “But doing so never actually completely drenches the potting soil. Then they keep watering the plant more and more, which causes it to be generally underwatered and to occasionally develop root rot. Potting mix has a little hydrophobic quality, so when you water from above, it’s simple for the water to just flow down the path of least resistance and not actually fully saturate the root ball—especially with larger plants in big pots. You should always water your potting mix well, so Mackenna suggests soaking your fiddle overnight in a tub filled with water that comes halfway up the pot. This will let the potting mix to completely absorb the water. In addition, it receives a welcome boost in humidity this way. Crispy, dry leaves are typically the result of underwatering and insufficient humidity, whereas soft, yellow leaves are typically the result of overwatering.
2. Bring clarity. When deciding where location to place your tree, it can seem natural to only take décor and aesthetics into account. However, there are many more factors to take into account before placing your tree. I’ve learned that my trees thrive with a lot of direct, strong light. You should keep it out of any direct light until it’s a reasonably mature tree, which takes a decade or more, according to Mackenna. Therefore, if you believe that giving your tree a little sunbath on your balcony or patio will benefit it, reconsider. Until it is old enough, at least. When the leaves are exposed to direct light, they may become dry and brown. I advise putting yours close to a window that lets in lots of gentle, indirect light. Also, consider the direction that the light is coming from: windows facing north will receive the least sunlight, windows facing east will receive morning sunlight but not enough throughout the day, and windows facing west will receive strong afternoon sunlight that could burn the leaves and dry out the plant. The greatest windows are those that face south since they will receive just the right amount of light without getting too much. It’s also crucial to keep in mind that your instrument will incline toward the light, so if symmetry is what you’re after, make sure to spin it frequently.
3. Take into account the pot and potting soil. You should use a high-quality, well-draining potting mix for your plants. Additionally, you should check that the bottom of your pot has sufficient drainage. Because the FLF is prone to root rot, you must ensure that it can drain after watering. Furthermore, a pot lacking drainage holes cannot be bottom-watered! The advice of Mackenna is to place your tree in a slightly larger decorative pot or basket while still in its original plastic growing container (I love using these from The Little Market). Growing plants always need enough drainage, so it makes it much easier to transport when you’re dragging it off to the tub. Additionally, you can still use a decorative pot if it doesn’t have drainage holes and you don’t want to drill them yourself.
4. Watch out for wind. Mackenna advises keeping FLF away from frequently opened doors or windows, heating or cooling vents, fireplaces, or other draft-prone areas because FLF are relatively susceptible to them. Keep in mind that FLF prefer some humidity, which is diminished by drafts.
5. Show it off in style! I like the fiddle best in a plain pot or tucked within a woven basket because it is such an eye-catching, sculptural plant. Why detract from those enormous, magnificent leaves? Because the pots need to be pretty large, Mackenna advises choosing only one color or pattern rather than both if you want to make your pot stand out a little more. Unless, of course, you like it that way in which case, go for it!
6. Maintain it. Cleaning the leaves frequently is one of my best recommendations. Your plant will develop large, dust-collecting leaves as it grows, which can actually stunt growth because it blocks sunlight. When cleaning the leaves, Mackenna advises applying a little coconut oil because it also adds shine (a tip I had never heard of but adore and am eager to try myself!). But make sure you only apply it to the leaf’s tops. Susing it on the bottom may cause the plant’s stomata to become blocked, preventing it from breathing.
So there you have it! I want to thank Mackenna once more for these useful information. I’m curious to know now…