The Fiddle-leaf Fig, or Ficus lyrata to us nursery people, is a houseplant whose appeal has grown recently. The big, waxy, violin-shaped leaves, tree-like form, and sculpture-like habit of this plant have made it a well-liked houseplant for indoor gardeners as well as a fashionable subject for design blogs and articles. The uninformed may find fiddle-leaf figs to be a little volatile despite the high acclaim. But it’s not as difficult as you may imagine to take care of them. Simply adhere to the recommendations given below, and you’ll be able to appreciate a Fiddle-leaf Fig’s beauty without the drawbacks.
Watering
Overwatering is among the serious errors that most Fiddle-leaf Fig owners make. Like many other members of the Ficus family, fiddle-leaf figs require some time to dry out in between waterings. You may notice leaf browning at the edges, a musty odor close to the base, and even leaf drop if the soil is persistently moist. To prevent this, water plants only when the top three to four inches of soil are dry. Water should also be allowed to completely drain through the pot to avoid oversaturation. Additionally, keep in mind that Fiddle-leaf Figs are indigenous to the forests of West Africa, so water with lukewarm water to help prevent shock.
Light
Fiddle-leaf Figs favor intense, filtered light. The ideal window is one that faces east or north and has good exposure, but not direct sunshine. Daily brief exposure to direct sunlight is acceptable, but avoid the mid-afternoon sun at all costs. The midday sun’s harsh rays will be too strong for your fig and may scorch the leaves.
Temperature
Warm temperatures, typically between 60 and 75 degrees during the day and no lower than 50 to 55 degrees at night, are ideal for fiddle-leaf fig growth. Maintain the temps as uniformly as you can. Rapid temperature changes can cause shock, which causes leaves to fall. Avoid placing your Fiddle-leaf Fig close to any vents for heating or cooling or windows that could be affected by a draft from the outside. Another suggestion is to lightly spray the leaves in the winter. During the winter, heating your home depletes necessary humidity. Your Fig will benefit from the additional moisture in the air that you can provide on occasion.
Repotting
Unless you observe strong root development peaking from the bottom of the container, fiddle-leaf figs often don’t require repotting until the spring of every other year. This timetable can be followed until it becomes impossible to follow. After that, all that will be required of you is to replace the top layer of soil once a year. Make sure your Fiddle-leaf Fig is potted in a loose, well-draining, nutrient-rich soil to help with moisture difficulties. By doing this, water won’t collect in the soil and soak the roots excessively.
A Note About Pets
Unluckily, pet owners might want to stay away from having a fiddle-leaf fig in their house. Pets that have consumed any part of a fiddle-leaf fig plant may experience stomach upset and inflammation.
Fiddle-leaf Although growing figs can be difficult, with a little perseverance and good care, you can produce a lovely specimen that will complement any home’s decor.
A fiddle leaf fig beside a west-facing window can it survive?
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.
Do fiddle leaf figs enjoy direct sunlight?
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.
How much sun is required by my fiddle leaf fig?
The fiddle-leaf fig will not withstand situations with both low light and high light, in contrast to other plants (looking at you, monsteras!). It must be placed in an area with lots of bright, indirect light. Furthermore, it requires a few hours of direct sunlight each day.
“Lighting is the first and most crucial factor you should take into account before purchasing a fiddle. Little did I know that by placing my fiddle in a room with a north-facing window when I first took it home, I was sort of setting myself up for failure “Greene explains. “Fiddle-leaf figs like lots of light, and they frequently need up to five hours of direct light each day,” says the author. It thrives “near to south- or west-facing windows, or directly in an east-facing window,” according to Greenery Unlimited, and nothing can be anything blocking that light (like a building or trees). Additionally, because it grows toward the sun, you must rotate it once a month.
In addition to these lighting requirements, you also need to gradually introduce sunshine; you cannot expose it to too much sunlight at once. Otherwise, the lovely green leaves of the fiddle-leaf fig can burn and get brown spots. On the other side, too little sunlight will cause its leaves to become brown or yellow, or even worse, fall off. It also hates being moved around a lot since it could lose its leaves. Most likely out of spite. Even if your plant sustains some combat wounds in the process, you’ll finally locate the best location for it, even if it takes some trial and error.
“Adding a grow lamp ($23) is one of the things you can do to supplement that light if you already have a fiddle-leaf fig but feel like it’s not getting enough,” advises Greene. They’re fantastic since you can automatically control how much light it receives each day, especially if they include a timer.
Where in the house should fig trees be placed?
In USDA zones 7–10, the majority of fig tree cultivars can be planted outside (check your zone). A fully dormant fig tree can withstand temperatures as low as 10 to 15 °F (and has roots that have been mulched) (-12o to -9oC).
You can grow fig trees in containers outside in a sunny position throughout summer if you live somewhere with harsh winter temperatures that reach colder than that (hardiness zones 6 and lower). Then, before it gets too cold, relocate the container to a warmer location, such inside or in a garage. You can put your fig tree back outside whenever the weather is warm enough.
For growing fig trees indoors, the Petit Negra is the best option. The dwarf fig variety “Petite Negra,” which grows about 3 to 8 feet tall in containers and typically preserves its leaves through the winter, is the exception to the “no indoor figs rule. Beginning when the tree is barely a foot or two tall, Ficus carica Petite Negra yields figs that are of average size. It demands a window facing south and at least eight hours per day of direct sunlight. Watch this sampling of the best fig variety for container cultivation, the Petite Negra, in the video below! The breba crop will produce fruit based on growth from the previous year.
Here are few tips for how to grow fig trees in containers:
These large, portable containers are ideal for growing in regions with severe winters because they can be moved indoors during the chilly months.
- In the largest lightweight container you are able to handle, plant your fig tree. Moving around will be simpler with one on wheels. (You can start with a smaller container and increase the size of the pot as the tree grows.)
- To increase drainage, use a soil-based potting mix and add bark chips or light-weight perlite. To retain moisture and minimize the amount of watering required, keep a healthy layer of mulch around your plants. As potting soil, Perfect Plants’ specifically formulated Fruit Tree Planting Mix will be fantastic!
- Keep the potting soil from becoming overly dry. We advise using a drip irrigation tube controlled by an affordable battery-operated timer, which is easily found at garden supply stores, to water a containerized tree for 15 minutes each morning. A treegator is a fantastic choice!
If you don’t have a yard or space where you can plant figs in the ground, growing them in containers is a terrific alternative. They will still produce loads of yummy figs!
Do fiddle leaf figs need direct sunlight?
Although they can withstand moderate sunlight, it’s not their preferred environment. It’s a good idea to put the plant near a south or west-facing window, but not directly in the sun, as it prefers steady, ambient light. They can tolerate up to six hours a day of direct sunlight, if necessary.
Finding a location where the conditions are as consistent as possible throughout the day is the finest thing you can do for these plants as they are creatures of habit. Placing your plant in low light is one thing you must never do.
Can my plant go outside?
Of course, you can take care of your fiddle leaf fig outside given the correct circumstances. It might perhaps act and develop to a height of more than 40 feet if you locate it in the ideal location. Your garden should, however, be entirely frost-free and never drop below 50 degrees at night in order to prevent any issues.
On summer days, you should use caution as well. Keep your plant from getting too hot too quickly and water it frequently so the roots have access to moisture all the time. Similar to when you keep it as a house plant, you should be watchful of how much direct sunshine it gets.
Why do the leaves turn brown?
You have some homework to complete if the leaves on your fiddle leaf fig are starting to turn brown. There are several potential causes, but light and water are the most frequent ones.
In most cases, water is the culprit if the edges of the leaves are becoming brown. If just the lower leaves are impacted, overwatering has created root rot. The likelihood of the plant being thirsty increases if all of the leaves are going crispy. Unhappy leaves that are going brown in the middle show that the plant needs more humidity since it is receiving too much light.
What’s the difference between a fiddle leaf bush and a tree?
An established fiddle leaf tree can cost hundreds of dollars, so you’ll probably end up nurturing a smaller plant to grow tall. Ficus lyrata likes to grow straight up if left unattended, but you can encourage branching by either pruning the new growth or notching the stem.
To notch, choose where you want a new branch to grow and make a 1/8-inch cut into the stem just above a node using a clean knife. The node should produce a new branch. The lower leaves can then be removed when your plant appears very healthy.
Should I mist my plant?
When caring for any rainforest plant, especially in the winter, misting is a need. Fiddle leafs prefer a humidity level of 65 percent, which is substantially higher than that of most houses.
Filling a spray bottle and leaving it next to the plant is the ideal method for misting. You can regularly spritz it with room-temperature water in this manner. Misting your plant is very crucial after dusting its leaves. For your plant, a humidifier is ideal if you can afford one, but regular misting with a spray bottle should suffice.
How long does it take for the plant to grow?
Most fiddle leaves can grow up to 10 feet tall indoors. They might even outgrow your home if they’re truly content. However, that may take up to 15 years. Of course you two want to stay together for that long, but it can be difficult to wait for a plant straight out of a magazine.
These are not the quickest-growing plants, but with proper care and fertilization, the 18-inch bush you purchased from the garden center should mature into a respectable-sized tree in 34 years.
Should I cut off brown spots off the leaves?
Although brown stains on the leaves are unsightly, you shouldn’t immediately remove them. After all, in order to photosynthesize, the plant requires its leaves. Your plant won’t thrive if the leaves are pulled out as soon as spotting appears.
Your plant is attempting to tell you something when its leaves turn brown, whether it’s water, fertilizer, sunshine, or pest control. The best course of action is to try to identify the issue, fix it, and then postpone pinching off the damaged leaves until your plant has produced some healthy new growth.
Are fiddle leaf fig toxic?
Yes. We’re not talking about plants that are aesthetically pleasing but dangerous here, but if you have kids or animals in your house, you should be cautious of them around any Ficus family plant, including your fiddle leaf fig.
A healthy adult won’t suffer long-term consequences from ingesting the plant, but cats, dogs, and small people can get hurt from the calcium oxalate crystals in the leaves. A burning, irritated mouth, trouble swallowing, drooling, and vomiting are indications of an adverse response. Consult a doctor straight away if you believe that your child or pet may have consumed a portion of the plant.