It is rather simple to identify the root of your fiddle leaf fig’s negative attitude if it is anything other than green and full. Indoor fiddle leaf figs typically have a problem with either light, irrigation, or both. You can restore its health with a little work before it’s too late. Simply keep an eye out for the warning symptoms listed below and administer the appropriate treatment.
One thing to remember with fiddle leaf figs is that once a leaf is injured, it can’t truly be repaired. We’re diagnosing the issue and taking action to maintain the plant’s health going ahead. The tree will likely stop providing energy to the injured leaves when new growth begins to emerge, and they will eventually dry up and fall off. Last week, I got home to precisely that circumstance. The lowest leaf on the tree with damage was this one. The plant consumed all of its resources until it was entirely dried out, at which point it let go of it.
Unlike rubber plants, which can recover fallen leaves, fiddle leaf figs cannot. Because once the leaf is gone, it’s gone, maintaining their health is crucial.
How can a fiddle leaf fig regain its leaves?
Secret No. 6: Avoid letting a sick fiddle-leaf fig tree fully dry up. Make sure any extra water drains out the bottom of the pot when watering it once or twice per week. (I water mine in the shower and keep it there for a couple of hours so the pot can drain, then I put it back on the plant saucer.)
Secret No. 7: Even if the container is so tight that roots are visible at the surface, wait to transplant it until you notice fresh growth.
In conclusion, letting your fiddle-leaf fig tree heal slowly on its own is the greatest thing you can do to ensure its survival. Give it filtered sunlight, water once a week, and warm environments (a room temperature between 60 and 90 degrees would do). Furthermore, if there is even a remote chance that the temperature may drop below freezing overnight, don’t leave it outside.
Are you also attempting to preserve your fiddle-leaf fig? The Fig and I: 10 Tips for Caring for a Fiddle-Leaf Fig has more advice. Visit Fiddle-Leaf Fig Trees: A Field Guide in our selected plant guide for Tropicals 101 for additional growing, maintenance, and design advice.
Finally, consult our Creeping Fig: A Field Guide for additional guidance on how to effectively plant, nurture, and maintain a creeping fig.
Get additional tips on planting, growing, and caring for fiddle-leaf fig trees by reading our Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree: A Field Guide.
Finally, use our Houseplants: A Field Guide to learn more about how to grow and care for different houseplants.
Are you looking for additional tropical plants for your indoor or outdoor space? With the help of Tropical Plants: A Field Guide, you can learn more about how to cultivate and care for different tropical plants.
Finally, consult our Vines & Climbers: A Field Guide for more guidance on how to cultivate and maintain a variety of vines and climbers.
Can you still rescue a fiddle leaf fig that has none?
As long as the fiddle leaf fig’s stem and roots are strong, it can live without leaves. A barren fiddle leaf fig can be brought back to life if you can quickly identify the source of its illness. Water and warmth should be sufficient to treat its illness and revive it.
The good news is that your Ficus does not necessarily have to die if its leaves start to shed. There’s a good possibility you can save the plant if its stem and root system are still sound and whole. Let’s look more closely at how to restore a fiddle leaf fig that has lost all of its leaves.
Check your fiddle leaf fig’s stem and roots
You must first check your fiddle leaf for any lingering live signs in order to determine whether it has a good chance of surviving. This entails paying great attention to its stem, branches, and root structure. Work softly is the first rule, after all.
Feel the Ficus’ stem and branches. It’s possible that your plant has already passed away if the leaves are woody, dry, and brittle. There’s a strong possibility you can revive your plant if it is still flexible and slightly green inside.
Similar to that, gently examine the roots. You’re out of luck if they are dry and shriveled, but if they appear healthy, your plant has a chance.
Repot your fiddle leaf (if it has root rot) and remove any decay
You may want to repot your plant and remove any dead or decaying wood and roots if you suspect that your fiddle leaf fig has root rot and that this may be the cause of its abrupt lack of leaves. Having said that, fiddle leaf figs may find this process to be extremely stressful, so avoid doing it unless it’s absolutely necessary.
The ideal soil for fiddle leaf figs is often high-quality, well-draining potting mix, so be sure to choose that when repotting your plant. Spread out the root ball of the fiddle leaf and trim back any moldy, wet, or dead roots using clean equipment. Replant your fiddle leaf gently, securing the dirt around it.
Water your plant
Water is necessary to revive a sick plant, but there is a fine line between overwatering and underwatering your fiddle leaf fig. A fiddle leaf fig won’t require as much water if its leaves are absent since it won’t expend as much energy.
You want to keep the soil moist but not soaked when it comes to how frequently you should water a fiddle leaf fig. Your plant will suffer further harm from too much water. Every few days, check the wetness of your soil with the tip of your finger, hydrate as necessary, and watch out that extra water doesn’t collect in your fiddle leaf fig’s drip tray. Also, don’t wait too long to avoid accidently drowning your fiddle leaf fig.
Ensure it gets adequate warmth and sunlight
It’s possible that your fiddle leaf is losing leaves because of a lack of light because these tropical beauties appreciate warmth and sunlight. Make sure your plant is placed in a location where it will receive enough sunlight to meet the fiddle leaf fig’s light requirements in an effort to combat this. It’s preferable to be near a window.
On its path to recovery, a fiddle leaf fig can benefit greatly from warmth. Get your plant to a sunny location as soon as you’ve cleaned up and hydrated it so that it may begin the process of regrowth.
Prevention is better than cure
A violin leaf can surely be restored to its ideal condition, but this isn’t always attainable. This is why it is better to take care of any potential illnesses with fiddle leaf figs before the plant begins to shed its leaves.
By carefully checking your plant every few days for any indication of illness, you might be made aware of potential concerns. Brown spots, in particular, are almost always a warning indication and call for action on your fiddle leaf fig. If you do this, you might be in a far better position to save your plant than if you were left in the more difficult scenario of attempting to revive a fiddle leaf fig that had lost all of its leaves.
How often ought new leaves to appear on fiddle leaf figs?
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 center 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 fertilize 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 lackluster diet. Due to a deficiency of nutrients in the soil, your Fiddle plant may have yellow leaves. You may want to attempt fertilizing it with liquid fertilizer.
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 fertilizer.
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, fertilize 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.
Why is there no foliage on my fig tree?
Leaf drop on figs is a typical issue, but if you can identify the cause of your plant’s unexpected leaf loss, it’s usually not fatal. The following are the most typical reasons for fig tree leaf loss:
- Winter Figs know it’s time to go dormant and spend the winter in a deep sleep when the air gets chilly in the late fall. Many fig species depend on dormancy, which is a totally normal phase of their life cycles. Annual leaf loss is nothing to be concerned about; new leaves will appear in the spring.
- Environmental Changes That Are Sudden
- If you want to move the tree to alter the temperature, humidity, or lighting of your fig’s surroundings, make sure to move it slowly because figs are sensitive to stress. Expose your fig to the new surroundings gradually by starting with just an hour each day and gradually increasing the amount of time it spends there over the course of around two weeks. Moving slowly will keep the leaves on your fig where they belong and help minimize shock.
- incorrect watering
- Some plants are trickier to water than others, and figs are no exception. Dropped leaves on fig trees can be caused by both overwatering and underwatering. Instead of watering on a schedule, water your fig whenever the soil is dry to the touch 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the surface. When the extra water has finished draining, rinse the pot well with fresh water. Repeat as necessary.
- PestsScale insects and spider mites are typical fig pests whose feeding activities might result in leaf drop. Scale insects frequently appear less like regular insects and more like a fungus or other odd growth on the plant. Although spider mites are too small to be seen with the naked eye, you could see tiny silk strands on the leaves of your fig tree. Weekly applications of neem oil might be used to treat both.