I’m sharing 6 lessons from my fiddle leaf fig because they can be tricky plants. Once you get the hang of things your beautiful ficus lyrata will thrive. These popular houseplants add beauty to any home or office.
My first lesson is about propagating a fiddle leaf fig. You must have a stem in order to get it to fully propagate. A leaf will root in water or in soil, but it will never grow into a full plant. It will just be a decorative leaf. Make sure you have anywhere between five and six inches of stem in order to propagate your fiddle leaf fig.
Lesson 2 is you don’t need to order a $100-$300 ficus lyrata from a fancy plant site. IKEA currently sells a Bambino fiddle leaf fig in a 5″ pot for $12.99. It is 12″ tall.
I was just at my local Costco a few days ago and they had 3.5 gallon pot for $28.99. That’s a steal! Definitely call your local Costco or IKEA to make sure they have fiddle leaf fig trees in stock before you visit. Remember, you do have other options besides ordering a super expensive fiddle leaf fig.
I purchased the fiddle leaf fig to the left about six years ago. It was about 2-3 feet tall when it was purchased. My fiddle leaf has grown really healthy and tall. Keep in mind that it’s been cut back several times over the years to propagate the stem. There are options are out there for you and you don’t always need to buy a huge beautiful tree, unless that’s what you’re looking for at that time.
Lesson number 3 is that fiddle leaf figs are finicky. Beautiful, but definitely finicky. They do not like drafts at all. Fiddle leaf figs do not like too much sun, they don’t like too little sun. Ficus Lyratas do not like too much water, they don’t like too little water. Figs definitely do not like wet feet and they are susceptible to root rot. A plant this size I usually water it about 2-3 cups one time per week. No more than that and it does really well so keep that in mind. A moisture meter is also another fool-proof way to water.
Lesson 4 is that your fiddle leaf fig will keep growing. It will eventually keep growing and growing and growing until it hits the top of your ceiling. Especially if it is happy and healthy. One option is to take it outside if you are in a warmer climate and that will allow to keep it out year-round. What I like to do is trim it back.
When you make a cut it should send out two new shoots. This allows it to grow more full. Another thing you’re going to want to do is make it more upright. You can get a stake like I have here to the left. It is tied back with some twine and some velcro gardening tape. I secured it to the other stalk as well as the stake. Fiddle leaf figs are going to keep growing and growing and you can always trim it back to your desired height. Read more about fiddle leaf propagation here.
Lesson 5 is that fiddle leaf fig trees prefers a smaller pot. They like the roots to be compact and they will actually be happier and grow better if they’re more compact.
Lesson six is how to keep your fiddle leaf fig happy. First thing I would suggest, is to dust your leaves. Make sure that the light can penetrate the leaves for photosynthesis. Next, make sure that you do is rotate the plant about every one to two months. I make a quarter turn and that’ll allow every direction of the sun to eventually hit it. That will also help it to grow straight and upright. You can also tie it up like we covered before to help keep it upright.
Finally, remove the dead or yellowing leaves off of the plant. You want the nutrients to go to the healthy fresh leaves. Not to leaves that are slowly dying or dead. If your ficus lyrata leaf is mostly yellow or brown, I’d suggest removing it from your plant. Read more about brown leaves here.
Another thing to keep in mind is humidity. If you’re in a dry climate you may need to add some misting or a humidifier to your plant to keep it happy.
I hope you enjoyed these 6 lessons that I learned from my fiddle leaf fig. If you have any additional lessons that you’ve learned I’d love to hear about them in the comments below. Please also leave any questions on how to care for your ficus lyrata in the comments below.
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