Brown stains on the roots from a fungus caused by too much moisture. Root rot is brought by by over watering and bad drainage, and it eventually affects your plant’s leaves.
How to Correct It
Removing the pot and looking at the roots is the only way to be confident that your plant has root rot. Root rot is at blame if the roots are mushy and discolored. Let your plant dry out for around two weeks if there are only a few brown patches on the leaves so that the roots have enough time to heal.
Make sure your plant gets enough light, and remove any damaged leaves. If there are several brown patches, you should remove any brown, mushy roots and the affected leaves before repotting the plant and being careful not to overwater it in the future.
Potential Cause 2: Bacterial Infection
In addition to the brown spots, your Fiddle Leaf Fig’s leaves will yellow as a result of bacterial leaf spot. In contrast to bacterial leaf spot, which causes the leaf to turn yellow as the brown spot spreads, root rot often causes the leaves to remain dark green with brown patches. Your Fiddle Leaf Fig’s leaves will eventually drop off due to both bacterial leaf spot and root rot. Since bacterial leaf spot tends to feed on new growth, it is likely to be to fault if your younger leaves are suffering more than your older leaves.
Unfortunately, this is the Fiddle Leaf Fig condition that is most difficult to treat. It can already be too late for your plant, even with the right care and watering. Cut off all of the leaves that have brown spots if the damage is not severe, then repot your plant in new, sterile soil. While it is healing, give it lots of light and don’t water as frequently.
Potential Cause 3: Insect Damage
Although uncommon, insect illnesses leave clear signs. Check your plant for webs or insects using a magnifying glass. Small patches that develop into holes on the leaves are a sure sign of insect damage.
Treatment for insect infestations is simple. Use neem oil products made specifically for indoor plants. Alternately, you might make your own cure by mixing a few teaspoons of mineral oil and baking soda in a spray bottle with water. Spray the entire affected area of the plant after thoroughly shaking the solution. Your other houseplants should not be near diseased plants. Neem oil has an overpowering odor, so move your plant outside if you can. Spray your fiddle leaf fig’s leaves with a strong mist. Don’t forget to spray the area where the leaf meets the stem after turning each leaf to cover the underside. If more spraying is required, wait two weeks, inspect once more, then repeat the process.
Potential Cause 4: Your Plant is Too Dry
Dry tan or brown regions that originate at the edge of the leaf and force the leaf to curl make dry plant brown spots simpler to identify. Your plant will occasionally appear dry or wilted overall, and the dirt may have retreated from the pot (shrinkage). This may result in the water never reaching the root ball and instead running between the pot and the soil.
Consider transferring your Fiddle Leaf Fig to a more moderate area if it is currently close to a heater or in an extremely dry environment. When the soil is 50 to 75 percent dry, water as needed, and keep an eye on your plant to make sure it’s getting enough hydration. Use a humidifier close to your plant or try misting it once to three days. Make sure the root ball of your plant is completely submerged in water by giving it a long sip. Make sure the pot’s bottom is dripping with water. Before placing the plant back on its saucer, let it to rest and drain any extra water.
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It’s normal for plants to get the occasional brown spot or discolored leaf as they get older. In order to keep our plants looking attractive throughout the seasons, we must trim and prune them. Here’s how to maintain their appearance.
Start with the bottom leaves and work your way up, using a pair of clean scissors.
Follow the leaf’s natural shape when pruning; this requires some skill and practice. Consider organic curves rather than angular shapes.
3. In order to avoid opening a new wound, you should ideally leave some of the brown edge. If you do cut into the leaf, help the damaged edges dry by covering them with tissue paper.
Bonus advice: Don’t go overboard! Observe your plant’s shape from a distance. It’s acceptable to leave a few spots that are discolored, particularly if they add to the general fullness and beauty of your plant’s natural shape.
I have a fiddle leaf fig, how can I cure the brown spots?
Symptoms of overwatering include brown spots or shaded regions along the borders and in the middle of the leaves, as well as yellowing foliage and leaf drop (lower leaves often dropping first).
One of the most frequent issues with fiddle leaf figs is overwatering. A fungal condition known as root rot might occur if your plant receives too much water. You’ll likely see spots and leaf drop on older leaves first if root rot is the cause.
How to Fix It: Make sure your plant receives enough of indirect sunshine and let it totally dry out before rehydrating to prevent root rot. With clean shears, you can remove any dark and mushy roots that may have developed as well as cut the leaves’ brown edges and patches.
Brown stains beginning on the edges of the leaves, curling leaves from the edges inward, and leaf drop are signs of underwatering (can affect all leaves on the plant, not just the lower leaves).
Dry, hard soil that retreats and shrinks away from the edge of the pot is another sign that your fiddle leaf figs are underwatered.
Follow a regular watering routine to fix it. The top inch of soil around fiddle leaf figs usually has to be watered once per week or when it seems dry to the touch. Try running a humidifier nearby or sprinkling the leaves with water once every one to three days to raise the humidity in the air to help counteract dry air.
Watering Tips
When it comes to their watering routine, fiddle leaf figs need consistency. Set a weekly reminder to give your Fiddle Leaf a drink. By following this timetable, you can prevent overwatering or underwatering your plant. However, it is crucial to check that the pot your plant is in has adequate drainage, since if it does not, your watering schedule may become messed up.
Do I need to discard the burned fiddle leaf fig leaves?
Severely burned fiddle leaf fig leaves can unnecessarily deplete your plant’s resources. Therefore, cutting them off is preferable to allowing them to expire on their own. You should direct your fiddle leaf’s energy toward healing if it is recovering from a traumatic event like a sunburn.
The Ficus lyrata’s large, black leaves take a lot of energy to grow and prosper. Given their size and the rate at which they generate, this is not surprising. Damaged leaves should not be left on the plant due to the energy they use.
And while it may seem cruel to remove leaves that you laboriously waited for to grow, in the long run, it’s the best option for your plant. They no longer enhance the appearance of your plant, and by continuing to eat nutrients, they actively fight against it. Fiddle leaf figs adore wetness and abhor all forms of dryness.
However, sometimes a sunburn is so slight that all it does is leave your fiddle leaf fig with a few brown spots from the sun. This sort of scarring is just marginally ugly and can be relatively harmless. The final decision is yours, however I strongly advise snipping them if more than 40% of the leaf’s surface is damaged.
Must I trim the brown leaf tips?
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We’ve experienced our fair share of brown, decaying leaves as we’ve learned how to properly care for various home plants over the years. We weren’t sure at first whether to take them out or leave them. Here is what we’ve discovered works the best.
Do you need to remove the dead leaves? Yes. Your indoor plants should have brown and withering leaves removed as quickly as possible, but only if they are more than 50% damaged. By removing these leaves, the plant looks better and the healthy foliage that is left can receive more nutrients.
Even though it might appear straightforward, there’s more to it than merely cutting those leaves off. To keep your plant healthy, you must assess how much of the leaf is dying and then carefully remove the damaged areas.
The browning of fiddle leaf fig leaves: what does it mean?
Brown leaves on a fiddle leaf fig are most frequently caused by a fungal infection from the roots sitting in excessive dampness.
Root rot is brought on by excessive watering and inadequate drainage, and it spreads from the plant’s roots to its leaves. A fiddle leaf fig’s roots need to somewhat dry out between waterings for healthy growth. The fungal infection will eventually cause the leaves to slowly turn brown and then fall off.
Removing the pot and looking at the roots is the only way to be confident that your plant has root rot.
Why are the edges of my fiddle leaf fig turning brown?
Floppy Leaf The difficulty in resolving fig brown spots is mostly due to the variety of causes of browning leaves.
The fact that some of the causes are diametrically opposed to one another doesn’t help either!
The good news is that depending on where they are, what color they are, and how you take care of your Fiddle Leaf, there are techniques to recognize and address the causes of various brown spots.
Keep a watch on any brown spots on a Fiddle Leaf Fig you’ve recently purchased to see whether they spread or get worse.
As long as they don’t spread, brown patches brought on by previous problems don’t need to be attended to. Imagine them as a scar. Unfortunately, damaged leaves won’t grow back. Therefore, it’s crucial to prevent things from getting worse.
Identifying the cause of your Fiddle Leaf Fig’s Brown Spots
Don’t let the numerous reasons for brown spots deter you! Once you start to recognize the various varieties, it will be simple for you to evaluate your FLF and restore it to full health. The leading causes of brown stains or damage are listed below, along with solutions.
The appearance of sunburned leaves can range from white to yellow or light brown. Sunburned brown spots may become crispy and develop a yellow ring around the edge of the brown. Sunburn does not only affect particular areas of a leaf, such the edges.
How to spot a FLF with sunburn:
- Does direct sunlight reach your FLF? Only exposure to direct sunlight, whether from the outside or a window, can result in sunburn.
- Has your FLF received more sun recently than usual? Although fiddles are naturally full-sun plants, they must gradually become accustomed to direct sunlight. If your FLF is brand-new, be careful not to expose it to more than 1-2 hours of light morning sun at first (unless you are certain that it was in direct sun prior to purchase)!
- Does your FLF receive direct sun, but you’ve just experienced really hot weather? If these plants aren’t accustomed to intense sun, they still risk burning. My outdoor Fiddle sadly received some burns from the intense sunshine following a heatwave of 38C (100F).
- Are the sun-exposed locations where the brown spots are located? Leaf burn won’t happen if it is buried under other leaves. This is a reliable approach to confirm that sunburn is to blame. It frequently appears on taller leaves or in exposed locations where the sun shines.
Floppy Leaf Underwatering in figs usually results in brown blotches because the plant is excessively dry. Depending on whether the issue has been resolved or not, under watering brown spots are crisp, light brown, and typically begin at the leaf’s outside margins before moving within. A shortage of water will frequently cause the leaves to droop.
How to spot a FLF with insufficient water:
- When you water a plant, do you completely saturate it? Unfortunately, just providing FLFs with a small amount of water, or x-number of “cups,” results in a lot of underwatering. Keep in mind that every time you water, the entire root ball should be soaked. An accurate moisture meter can automate this process for you if you’re unclear about your watering strategy and schedule.
- Have you watered your plants in more than two weeks? The frequency of watering your FLF will depend on a variety of environmental factors, but they will typically dry out mostly in two weeks.
- Is the dirt dry to the touch? Watering is often recommended when the top two inches of soil are mostly dry. Your fiddle is way too dry if the ground is bone dry!
Brown spots from dryness appear because of dry air, much as underwatering. Tropical plants known as fiddle leaf figs prefer a humid habitat. Although they may adapt to lower levels of humidity, an optimal humidity level is above 60%. Low humidity or being in the draft of a heater or air conditioner might cause the plant to become dry.
Some people advise watering plants to prevent dryness, however this only slightly raises humidity for a brief period of time. Additionally, if the leaves are misted frequently, they may be susceptible to bacterial illnesses! Consider purchasing a humidifier to raise the humidity in the room if your house is overly dry. Run it near your plant, but keep it away from it.
How to tell if a FLF is dry:
- Check out the advice on under-watered FLFs above. Make sure your Fiddle is receiving enough water first because the symptoms of dryness are identical to underwatering.
- Are the leaves crumpling or are the edges of the leaves becoming brown? The edges of the leaves will first become dry, and this may also cause the leaves to begin to fold.
- Does your fiddle have any form of air blowing on it or sit near a heater? Dry air striking your plant can undoubtedly be a major contributor to dryness. Move it away from the draft to a new spot.
- The humidity may be too low. Although they can adapt to low humidity, fiddles do best in environments with humidity levels above 60%.
Brown stains on Fiddle Leaf Fig leaves brought on by overwatering might begin anywhere on the leaf. Accordingly, the spot may show up in the center of a leaf, next to the margin, or nearer the stem. Overwatering brown blotches have a murky appearance and are quite dark, almost black. Give your FLF at least a week to dry out if you overwatered it before watering it once more. The brown spots ought to halt growing.
How to spot a FLF that has been overwatered
- Before watering, do you make sure the top two inches of soil are largely dry? Between waterings, fiddle leaf figs prefer to mostly dry out. You should only water them when the top two inches of soil are dry. If you are unfamiliar with caring for these plants, a trustworthy moisture meter can assist you with a watering regimen.
- Do you water your FLF more frequently than once per week? While the frequency of watering will vary depending on your environment, FLFs typically only require a weekly watering.
- Does your pot have a hole for drainage? For FLF health, a draining pot is essential. Since these plants don’t like to “sit” in water, this enables extra water to drain. You’ll need to repot your plant if yours doesn’t.