Fiddle Leaf Figs are infamously difficult to grow. There are a few typical maladies of this plant, like brown spots and leaf drop, that can make it sick or, worse, fast bring about its demise. The secret to keeping your plant happy and healthy is to keep an eye out for them and catch them early. Keep an eye out for these indications of a possibly sick fiddle leaf fig.
Brown spots on the leaves
The leaves of fiddle leaf figs are incredibly prone to browning. Brown spots that start to form and spread should be investigated even though a few small markings here and there are not a cause for concern.
Due to two opposing factors—either overwatering or underwatering—most brown patches on fiddles are unfortunately difficult to diagnose. Here’s how to distinguish between them:
Overwatering, which results in root rot, is probably to blame for brown patches that appear in the centre of the leaf and spread outward. A fungal illness called root rot will eventually kill your plant by spreading to the leaves. You should repot your plant as soon as possible if it has root rot. Take the plant out of the ground, wash the roots thoroughly, and cut off any that are brown or mushy. After that, repot the plant in new soil with adequate drainage and remove the damaged leaves.
Are the brown spots on your fiddle beginning at the outside border of the leaves and moving inside? The plant is probably too dry for this to be the cause. Give your Fiddle a thorough rinse, and make sure it’s not too close to any heaters or air vents because that will likely cause the plant to dry out more quickly than is desired.
Finally, trauma may cause brown spots to form at random. A plant can suffer trauma just by changing homes (i.e. changing environments). If only one or two of your plant’s brown, damaged leaves are present, remove them at the stem and give your plant some time to heal.
The new growth is smaller than the older leaves
A healthy plant always shows new development, and if your Fiddle’s leaves are getting big and strong, your plant is doing fine.
The presence of little, stunted new leaves, however, may indicate that your plant is deficient in nutrients. Consider repotting your plant if it has been a while since you gave it fresh soil, or just fertilise it in the spring and summer to give it the extra nutrients it requires.
Dropping leaves
Fiddle Leaf Figs can appear to drop their leaves out of nowhere. One leaf here and there is normal; but, if several leaves have fallen off in a short period of time, you must act quickly to rescue the tree. Once more, underwatering or overwatering are the most likely causes of leaf drop in fiddle leaf figs. How then can you distinguish between them? Look at the direction in which the leaves are falling from the plant: if the older leaves (at the bottom) are dropping first, overwatering is probably the cause. On the other hand, if the plant’s leaves are falling off all around, it’s probably not getting enough water. Here are a few more techniques for differentiating.
Leaves turning yellow
Do your fiddle leaf fig’s leaves appear to be yellow? There are several potential reasons:
inadequate lighting Fiddle Leaf Figs require as much direct, strong light as they can get. Even a little direct sunshine is acceptable, but stay away from locations with medium or low light. Remember that a Fiddle that receives insufficient light is more likely to overwater.
a lacklustre diet. Due to a deficiency of nutrients in the soil, your Fiddle plant may have yellow leaves. You may want to attempt fertilising it with liquid fertiliser.
Pests. If fiddles are being attacked by insects, their leaves may also turn yellow. If you have a suspicion that this is the case, thoroughly check the leaves’ top and bottom surfaces for any potential bugs.
Stunted or slowed growth
During the spring and summer, healthy fiddles typically produce new leaves every four to six weeks. It’s possible to see your plant add numerous new leaves in only a few days or weeks because growth usually occurs in spurts. It’s typical for there to be no new growth during the winter. Again, if you don’t observe the expected growth in this plant, it may require new nutrients in the form of a quality plant fertiliser.
Dirty or dusty leaves
When was the last time you washed your plant’s leaves? Plants breathe through their leaves in addition to absorbing sunlight through them. Your plant won’t be able to carry out either of these tasks as effectively as we’d like if a layer of dust is present on its huge leaves. A fantastic technique to keep your Fiddle Leaf Fig plant bright, healthy, and vibrant is to clean the leaves every few months. You may read about various cleaning techniques for your fiddle leaf fig here.
Fiddle Leaf Figs are known to be pickier than most plants, despite the fact that they can be quite low maintenance. Maintain a regular watering routine, fertilise in the spring and summer, and most importantly, ensure that your plant receives enough light year-round (yes, this may require moving it in the winter!). Keep a watch out for any of these symptoms since treating them quickly is essential to keeping your plant healthy and looking nice.
This article was modified from Claire Akin’s Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource. For additional information on how to take care of the fiddle leaf fig, see their website.
Are fiddle leaf figs evergreen?
Plants go through a lot of changes during the winter. For starters, they can be impacted by lower temperatures, a lack of humidity, and less light!
Like me, you probably have a passion for Fiddle Leaf Figs and want to know exactly what winter means for your plant and how you can keep it healthy during the chilly months.
Fiddle Leaf Figs occasionally go dormant in the winter. Due to less-than-ideal environmental conditions (Fiddle Leafs are tropical plants! ), this is when they seem to stop developing.
But even in chilly climates, your FLF can continue to develop and thrive! I was able to keep my FLFs developing new leaves without experiencing any unfavourable winter symptoms this past winter.
What’s going on with my fiddle leaf fig?
Because it is expertly prepared with the ideal N-P-K ratio for fiddle leaf figs, we adore Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Food. The best aspect is that it is so mild you can incorporate it into your weekly watering schedule! In this manner, you can guarantee that your tree receives the ideal dosage each time and that you never have to remember a fertiliser plan.
Repot your fiddle.
Fiddle leaf figs frequently have limited growth as a result of outgrowing their pot or becoming root-bound.
This occurs when the roots encircle themselves so tightly that they are unable to branch out or absorb the nutrients or water needed to maintain growth.
It’s usually time to repot your plant if you see a bunch of roots poking out of the top of the soil or the bottom of the pot. Since most fiddle leaf figs require repotting every two to three years, you should consider doing so if you haven’t done so already.
Although repotting seems frightening, it need not be. You can learn everything you need to know about repotting your fiddle leaf fig from this article. The top 4 inches of soil can be removed and replaced with new soil if your fiddle leaf fig is too large to be repotted.
Your fiddle leaf fig can develop and thrive after the appropriate watering schedule, nutrients, and pot size are in place because environment is important for a healthy plant (indoors or outdoors)!
How can you recognise the growth of a fiddle leaf fig?
Akin developed the website and published the book to share how to grow strong fiddle leaf fig plants. Although many indoor gardeners wish to grow the plant, she discovered that there is very little reliable and comprehensive information on cultivating them.
You will find all the information you require in this comprehensive, simple-to-read guide to succeed with fiddle leaf fig plants. This involves determining whether your plant is healthy or whether it needs some additional special care and attention.
Akin lists numerous symptoms of fiddle leaf fig plant illness along with their causes. Brown stains on leaves, which may indicate over- or under-watering, are one of these. Fungal disease, which develops when leaves are overwatered, is what causes brown blotches in the middle of leaves. Browning on the leaf edges is a sign of dry, draughty air and inadequate irrigation.
Your fiddle leaf fig plant may be suffering from a lack of sunlight or inadequate nourishment if it is dropping leaves all over the plant and the leaves are yellow.
If your fiddle leaf fig has new growth and the new leaves are bigger than the old ones, your plant is likely healthy. Additionally, the plant will have glossy, brilliant green leaves and a beautiful overall appearance.
1. Ensure adequate drainage.
Plants of the fiddle leaf fig don’t respond well to wet soil. The plant roots’ ability to breathe and maintain good health depends on adequate drainage.
2. Prevent overwetting.
Every time you water, give the soil a little time to dry out. The plant will die from root rot if the soil is kept wet. The book contains details on how much water was used to water fiddle leaf figs.
Where do new leaves sprout on fiddle leaf figs?
This query is frequently asked in our Facebook group for fiddle leaf fig resources: Why are the leaves on my fiddle leaf fig’s trunk sprouting at the base?
We enjoy watching the fiddle leaf fig trees grow, but we prefer to see new growth near the top of the tree rather than at the very base. An ornamental plant shouldn’t have a bushy or even unbalanced appearance, which is what leaves at the base of the tree may do to your fiddle.
Are the leaves at the tree’s base a sign of illness? What ought you to do about them? Let’s examine the causes of this growth and possible solutions.
How can I quicken the growth of fiddle leaves?
How to Grow Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree Bigger and Quicker in 7 Easy Steps!
- 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!
Do figs hibernate during the winter?
Figs fascinate a lot of gardeners. The extent of interest struck me when I gave away a scrawny, dormant fig plant that I had donated for a raffle and the winner informed me she had gotten several bids to buy it. Figs (Ficus carica and cvs., Zones 610), which are a symbol of family for those with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean ancestry, are a staple food. There are tales of plants that were propagated through the generations from Old World cuttings. There is also a sensory component. According to my neighbour Andreas, the fig trees’ enticing aroma transports him back to his native Greece. Others are drawn to the fruit because it is juicy and has a hint of the exotic that they were amazed they could cultivate.
At a glance | Pests and diseases
- Smaller bushes can be netted, individual fruits can be covered with mesh bags, or a motion-activated sprinkler can be installed to stop animals from stealing fruit.
- Root-knot nematodes make the roots bulge, which might hinder growth and produce subpar fruit. They most frequently cause issues in sandy, light soil. Consider growing plants in pots if nematode pressure makes it impossible for you to plant in the ground.
- Stunted growth and speckled leaves are two effects of the fig mosaic virus. Treat it as a condition to be managed because it is highly common and incurable. When conditions are favourable, symptoms are frequently outgrown by plants.
- A fungus called fig rust infects immature leaves, generating small, greenish-yellow spots that later grow and turn brown. In humid environments, where it might result in early plant defoliation and decreased output, it is a significant issue. It is more of an aesthetic issue elsewhere. By gathering and properly discarding fallen leaves, good sanitation can delay the spread of an outbreak and stop it from happening again the following year.
My motivation for cultivating figs is straightforward: The fruits don’t mature after being picked and are too perishable to ship when ripe. So I need to produce my own if I want to enjoy eating perfectly ripe fruit rather than just putting up with “fresh shop options.”
Get familiar with figs
Despite the fact that many people only identify fig plants with California or the Mediterranean region, they may be found in backyard landscaping wherever. They only need inventive gardeners to assist them in cooler climates.
With the exception of the warmest regions of North America, the plants are deciduous and go dormant throughout the winter. Contrary to popular belief, fig trees can withstand more cold. In certain cases, mature, dormant plants can withstand temperatures as low as 15 to 20F without suffering any harm. Fig hardiness is not a precise science, despite the fact that immature plants are more delicate than mature ones. Cold will harm fruit and young shoots before older, woodier stems. An already-dormant plant may endure frigid temperatures better than one that is actively growing. Other factors include wind, the length of the cold snaps, the plant’s exposure, and the magnitude of the temperature drop.
Numerous fig types yield more than one harvest annually. Although many types produce an early “breba harvest on wood from the previous year, the major late-summer crop grows on wood from the current year. But don’t look for blooms on a fig tree. A fig’s “fruit” is actually a cluster of small blooms arranged inside-out. While certain commercially available kinds need a little wasp to pollinate them in order to yield a crop, most figs produced in backyard gardens are “common figs,” which don’t need pollination.
Planting and summer care are straightforward
Finding an area with direct sunlight should be your primary priority when choosing a planting location. Other than that, figs are not particular about their soil and will grow in a variety of it as long as it is adequately drained. In the winter especially, wet roots might rot.
Fig roots are ferocious and voracious. Because they can mainly care for themselves, established in-ground plants are relatively easy to maintain. Weed growth beneath is typically negligible due to the dense mat of roots and the dense canopy of leaves that shades the ground. Apply compost as a top dressing to the soil surrounding fig plants every year. More frequent feeding may be required in sandy soil. To avoid producing plenty of leaves but no figs, avoid overfeeding. Until they become established, keep immature or recently transplanted figs well-watered.
Figs grown in containers need to be fed and watered frequently. It works well to use a balanced, all-purpose plant diet. Because figs drop leaves and immature fruit as soon as the soil becomes excessively dry, consistent watering is essential for potted plants. To provide a steady flow of moisture, you can use pots with reservoirs or set a saucer under the pot to absorb runoff when the plant is irrigated. As the soil dries, the water will wick back up into the container.
Prune and shape to keep the plant manageable
Figs are untidy plants that sucker and grow into a tangle of branches when neglected. Crossing branches should be pruned out. Be cautious that when a leaf is removed or a branch is clipped, a white, sticky sap may be left behind, which can irritate the skin. When working with fig trees, those with delicate skin should wear gloves.
The ultimate height of the plant can be chosen by the gardener, who can then regulate that height through trimming. When choosing container plants, take into account the height of the entrances they must pass through to get to winter storage. Consider the ease of harvest and whether a ladder will be needed when choosing in-ground plants.
In warm climates with minimal risk of winter damage, fig trees can grow to be branched trees between 15 and 30 feet tall with a broad canopy. Grow figs as shrubs rather than trees in locations where cold weather will cause shoot dieback. A bush can be more easily preserved by wrapping or burying if it has numerous branches rather than a single large trunk. Keep four to five sturdy stems on a plant to make it grow into a bush.
Plan ahead for a sweet harvest
Pruning the plant when it is dormant will increase the production of main-crop fruit because fresh growth is when main-crop figs form. After the breba harvest, prune the plant in the summer to produce more breba fruit by eliminating around one-third of the branches.
Fruit doesn’t need to be thinned. Pinch off figs, though, that aren’t likely to ripen in cooler climates. In order to slow down vegetative growth, some gardeners in cold climates even pinch out the shoot tip after three to five figs have grown.
Try to plant in a microclimate that gives extra heat when summer heat and season length are limiting factors for fruit ripening, such as a south-facing brick wall that accumulates heat during the day and radiates it at night. The cultivation of cultivars that yield a large amount of breba is another strategy for cold climates.
How will you know when to harvest?
A fig’s premature picking releases white sap (pictured). the next time, wait longer. Although there are numerous indicators, not all fig varieties respond in the same manner when they are ripe. Here are a few typical hints.
- Fruit colours fluctuate.
- The fruit droops as it becomes larger and the “neck softens.
- Fruit still has the appearance of a light squeeze.
- The hole at the end of the fig releases a drop of liquid ” (the “eye).
- Skin breaks apart.
The remaining figs will not ripen once trees lose their leaves and go dormant, so they can be picked.