The Fiddle-leafed Fig or Ficus lyrata is one of the most interesting looking and popular large plants on the market today. They have large leaves shaped somewhat like a bass fiddle that are dark green and glossy. One large Fiddle-leafed Fig appropriately placed can dominate a room.
As terrific looking as the Fiddle-Leafed Fig is, it is not suitable for just any location. The retailer may promote it as a plant that does not need much light, but that is quite misleading. In your home, it must be located close to a sunny window that is completely uncovered throughout the daylight hours. Sheers or a distance of more than a few feet from the window or a location in a corner or across the room from the window will all conspire to keep you from enjoying this plant. If you cannot provide very bright light with a few hours of direct sun every day, then spare yourself the agony of watching it develop leaf spots, dropped leaves and gradual decline.
Assuming you have adequate light, avoid the temptation to repot it. Keep it in its rather ordinary (ugly!) black plastic nursery pot where it is happiest. Ignore the roots that show on the surface of the soil; they're fine. If you can't abide the appearance of that plastic pot, then find a more attractive planter of your choice that is large enough to put the plastic pot inside. Forget about adding more or fresh soil. That will just cause headaches and who needs the extra work?!
If your Fiddle-leafed Fig is in good light and its nursery pot, then it will be fairly easy to water. A thorough weekly watering will be just about right. That means pour water slowly over the surface of the soil until the soil is saturated and the excess starts to run through the drain holes. When kept in its nursery pot it is very hard to over water it. But it will struggle to go more than a week without water.
When the Fiddle-leafed Fig is stressed it develops many brown patches on the leaves and lower leaves will yellow and fall off. If that is happening to yours, it is probably because it is not getting enough light or water. Fertilizer and repotting will not solve the problem, but better light and water will.
Once you have the proper light and the watering down pat, then you can fertilize it at half strength monthly. More fertilizer is NOT better. Mist the leaves if you like, but your Fiddle-leafed Fig does not require high humidity so you can skip the misting.
Few insect pests like the tough leathery leaves of this plant. Nonetheless, you should be on the lookout for mealybugs and scale insects. Both will leave a sticky residue on the leaves.
Like many indoor plants, this one will grow taller and wider. You will notice that new growth comes at the ENDS of the branches and stems. It rarely produces new stems and branches in the lower and center areas. As the Fiddle-leafed Fig adds new leaves at the ends of the stems, it will slowly lose some of its older, lower leaves. This is normal. However, in time the stems will start to look very long and somewhat bare or leggy. It may also outgrow its space. This is best dealt with by pinching and pruning.
Once a Fiddle-leafed Fig has reached its optimal size for your space, it is time to pinch out new leaves as soon as they start to emerge. This will stop further lengthening of the stems and sometimes will cause new growth to emerge further done the stem. If you waited too long and your Fiddle-leafed Fig is overgrown, then you will have to prune. Any stem or branch can be cut back as much as you want. The point where you make the pruning cut is the point where new growth will come in. Initially, it will leave a stem with no leaves, but in time new leaves will develop at its endpoint and grow upward from there.
Will your Fiddle-leafed Fig ever need a larger pot? If it is already in a pot wider than 10-inches in diameter, then probably not. It might need to be watered twice per week, but no need to mess with repotting. If your plant is in a 10-inch or smaller pot, growing vigorously and seems to need water every few days, then it may be ready for a pot ONE SIZE larger.
Enjoy this beautiful plant! It is one of my favorites.
Discussions:
| Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Black spot on fiddle leaf fig leaves by TxGamma | May 25, 2018 9:26 AM | 0 |
Post a new thread about this blog entry:
