Ficus lyrata is one of our most popular plants at Flora Grubb Gardens, our nursery in San Francisco, and we almost always have it in stock. Come get yours right now! Continue reading for advice on how to grow and take care of these plants.
The fiddle-leaf fig, or Ficus lyrata, is the ideal interior specimen plant. The plant has erect, violin-shaped leaves that are enormous, densely veined, and tall. Our retail plant shop in San Francisco almost always has Ficus lyrata on hand.
These plants are indigenous to the tropics, where they flourish in hot, muggy weather. As a result, the home grower may find it difficult to replicate these steamy circumstances, making them a little more difficult. Fortunately, they are rather resilient plants that can endure less-than-ideal conditions for a fair amount of time. Last but not least, F. lyrata are really produced as larger specimen plants. If you can place them in a floor-standing planter that will allow the plant to grow to at least 6 feet, that would be ideal. In tropical settings, trees frequently reach heights of 40 feet or more. These are not naturally trimmed down to reasonable sizes due to their enormous leaves, though they can be shaped with light trimming.
Ficus lyrata plants don’t require much maintenance. Spotting on the leaves, which is particularly obvious in a plant with such huge leaves, is one of the most prevalent complaints about these plants. This spotting is typically brought on by a leaf injury, such as mechanical harm or a mite infestation. When exposed to air, the sap of Ficus lyrata can produce these brown patches. The plants are also vulnerable to a number of leaf-spotting and fungus diseases, which are often brought on by poor air circulation and an excessive amount of moisture that collects on the leaves. By keeping the plant well-trimmed and eliminating any dead leaves or twigs that you spot, you can assist stop this form of attack.
However, if your plant is dropping leaves, it’s probably due to inadequate moisture at the roots, low humidity, and cold, dry air. To raise the surrounding humidity, try spraying the plant frequently. Finally, because these plants are particularly sensitive to high salt concentrations, flush your potting soil completely on a regular basis, preferably once a month, to avoid salt buildup.
Pests include aphids, mealybugs, mites, scale, and whiteflies can harm Ficus lyrata. If at all feasible, locate the infestation as soon as you can and use the least hazardous remedy.
Repotting: Healthy specimens have vigorous, quickly developing roots (which is pretty typical for any ficus). Try to repot the plant once a year, increasing the pot size by two to four until the plant is the required size or you can no longer handle the container. After placing plants in large containers, remove the top few inches of soil and replace it once a year with new potting soil.
Advice: Avoid often turning or moving this plant. The plant should be placed permanently, and to keep it clean, use an old T-shirt to dust it. As necessary, stake and prune. Only leaves facing the light will remain on Ficus lyrata; ones facing a darker wall or corner will wither away. If you move or reposition your ficus, be prepared for leaf loss.
Ficus lyrata need strong, filtered light. Even a little sun won’t kill them, especially if they’re in an eastern-facing window. When housed in a too-dark environment, plants won’t develop quickly.
Water: Keep it moist, but don’t let it stand in water because that will cause it to lose leaves and develop root rot.
Fertilizer: For plants that are not in ideal conditions or are recuperating from stress, apply Maxsea All Purpose Fertilizer seasonally and up to monthly.
Do fiddle-leaf figs grow better indoors or outdoors?
All year round, fiddle-leaf figs are a common interior and outdoor plant. These indoor plants are categorized as tropical ones that do best along the west coast and primarily in the south. They are not intended to flourish in muggy environments. Wait until the threat of frost has passed before planting the fig tree outdoors.
Can fiddle-leaf figs be grown indoors?
Fiddle leaf figs should be grown inside in an area with lots of indirect light as direct sunlight may burn the leaves. Give each pot a half-turn once a week to encourage uniform growth. Keep these plants away from cold, drafty regions and heating vents because they prefer a consistent temperature of about 68 degrees F.
Although they may be grown outside in zones 10 to 12, most fiddle leaf figs are grown as houseplants in North America, so that is what we will concentrate on here.
Fiddle leaf figs can survive indoors for how long?
A tropical tree with fiddle-shaped leaves, the ficus lyrata is a native of the lowland rainforests of West Africa. It has a lifespan of 25 to 50 years (if cared for properly in non-tropical conditions).
What makes it so well-liked in the design community? Most people give the tree’s large, floppy spherical leaves, which resemble violins, credit. People anthropomorphize the plant by comparing these to babies’ huge eyes in an effort to make them desire to care for it.
Of course, the majority of designers would also mention how photogenic the plant is, which undoubtedly helps.
How is a fiddle-leaf fig plant cared for indoors?
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 placed directly in front of windows because 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.
Can direct sun damage fiddle leaf figs?
The light that most homes and apartments naturally provide—not too much, not too little, nothing too bright, nothing too dark—is what the fiddle-leaf fig needs to thrive. An east-facing window is suggested by Harnek Singh, a gardener at Wave Hill Public Garden in New York City. According to him, fiddle leaf figs require both direct sunlight and a lot of indirect light. “South or west-facing windows will receive too much afternoon sun.
So keep in mind that your fig requires adequate sunlight in your home just like the nourishing rays that come through the deep canopy of the jungle. Cacti and succulents that live in the desert should be placed in the south-facing window.
Singh also advises buying fiddle-leaf figs from reliable sellers to prevent encountering the opposite issue. He claims that many of these plants are frequently already declining as a result of spending too much time in the dark. Foliage that is flagging and leaves that are pale, spotted, or wan-looking are indicators of improper light exposure. If your plant displays these signs, try shifting it to a different location for a week or two.
Can a fig tree be grown indoors?
Why you wouldn’t want to is as follows: In the summer, the edible fig (Ficus carica) requires full sun, which is nearly impossible to provide indoors. The deciduous fig tree loses its leaves in the autumn and enters a dormant state for the winter, when it doesn’t require any sunlight at all. The majority of common fig trees grow too large, gangly, and untidy to make good houseplants. But for a few reasons that we’ll go over below, you can grow fig trees in containers.
Do fig trees grow outside or indoors?
You can grow fig trees (Ficus benjamina) as indoor houseplants or outdoors. Weeping fig, ficus tree, and Benjamin fig are some of its other common names. It has oblong leaves that get up to 5 inches long and has the traditional tree shape. It can reach a height of up to 18 feet, although its size can be regulated through trimming and container size restrictions, much like a bonsai but with a bigger proportion.
Where should I position my fiddle leaf fig for maximum benefit?
Windows that face north frequently receive the least amount of overall light and may not be sufficient for your fiddle leaf fig. If you live further away from the equator, this trend is accentuated. However, if you live in the southern United States, a sizable north-facing window might provide enough light. Think about your window’s size and where you are in relation to the equator. Here in San Diego, I have a very vigorous fiddle leaf fig plant that is situated next to a north-facing sliding glass door.
Early morning sunlight is abundant through east-facing windows, but there is little to no afternoon sunlight, when the rays are strongest. Your fiddle leaf fig requires not only direct sunlight but also continuous sunlight for more than six hours. You could be better off putting your plant in a window with more hours of intense sunshine since an east-facing window may only receive less than 6 hours of moderate sunlight per day.
windows facing west receive strong afternoon sunlight when the sun is at its strongest. Your fiddle leaf fig could burn as a result of this. If you do put your plant in a west-facing window, be careful that the sunshine doesn’t hit its leaves too directly. Your plant may be better protected if there is an overhang outside your window. If not, you might want to move your plant away from the window a few feet so that it is out of the direct sunlight.
A fiddle leaf fig plant thrives best in the lengthy periods of strong sunlight that south-facing windows provide. Your plant will probably receive more than 8 hours of intense sunlight each day if it faces south, but few direct, harsh rays will hit its leaves.
The Bottom Line
Fiddle leaf figs can adapt to less than perfect sunshine circumstances and still grow, but other aspects of their care become more crucial. Water sparingly, use fiddle leaf fig plant food for fertilization, and rotate your plant once a week to ensure that all of the leaves receive sunlight.