Fiddle leaf question. So, I’ve had my guy for maybe 3 ish...
Fiddle leaf question. So, I’ve had my guy for maybe 3 ish years. It was tall when I got it at Costco. I’ve learned the hard way for sure. I repotted him in the spring and then overwatered and lost loads of leaves. He’s since stabilized but I’ve not seen any new growth in quite some time and his pot never seems to be dry when I use my water measuring tool. Should I be concerned about this? I saw an online post about a plant person who had cut off all the branches and leaves of their FLF and it grew back healthy and adorable. Any success with that? Should I just leave it alone? #FiddleLeafFig #pruneitback
2ft to light, indirect
20” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 month ago
16
@Devsleafypals I’m not sure! Let me tag a couple of others! @DreamMachine @MariansOasis @stephongreg @Idplantthat
Hi, how long has it been in the soil it’s in now? I’m thinking a couple of things. FLF hate to sit in soggy soil, and the soil I see looks a bit dense, meaning it’s holding moisture. A good mixture is to add 40% perlite or pumice and 10% orchid bark to your soil so it can drain well. I’m also wondering if the pot might be too big? I know it’s tall, but the pot should be 1-2 inches larger than the root ball. I ask how long it’s been in the soil because after a year or 2- soil looses its nutrients, especially if root bound. Also, these guys are hungry so a high nitrogen food would be beneficial. You could also move it out of the corner in front of the window (east or south facing) to get some brighter (indirect) light. Just my thoughts.
@Devsleafypals @MamaLinne okay, so even though it’s super close to that south facing window, it’s in a dark corner! They need to be right IN the window, our aesthetics be darned 🙄 Even though it looks bright to our eyes, that corner doesn’t have enough useable light for your FLF. A corner like that means that his photosynthesizing will be decreased, which also means he won’t be drinking as much water 😬 Less light —> less water. More light —> more water
So, is he still in the same pot that you overwatered? And when you repotted into that pot, how big was the root ball? Did it almost fill out that pot? If not, then that pot is wayyy too big for it. That will be the cause of your overwatering—there aren’t enough roots to process the amount of water that that pot will hold, which will encourage anaerobic loving bacteria, and they cause root rot. His roots might have been floundering since the repot, and they only have growth up top (leaves, branches) when they are comfortable with their amount, and health, of roots.
I’m sorry, because this is such a huge task, but you may have to downsize the pot, check and treat for root rot, repot with fresh clean soil.
Cutting off all the leaves and/or branches is totally something you can do 👍 With the amount of work involved with my previous suggestion, giving him a hard prune and then downsizing might be wayyy easier 🙄😜 afterwards You can put the pot with the stick, lol, TRUNK, directly in that window. Let me know if you need any help along the way! Thanks for the tag, Deb @MamaLinne 🫶
So, is he still in the same pot that you overwatered? And when you repotted into that pot, how big was the root ball? Did it almost fill out that pot? If not, then that pot is wayyy too big for it. That will be the cause of your overwatering—there aren’t enough roots to process the amount of water that that pot will hold, which will encourage anaerobic loving bacteria, and they cause root rot. His roots might have been floundering since the repot, and they only have growth up top (leaves, branches) when they are comfortable with their amount, and health, of roots.
I’m sorry, because this is such a huge task, but you may have to downsize the pot, check and treat for root rot, repot with fresh clean soil.
Cutting off all the leaves and/or branches is totally something you can do 👍 With the amount of work involved with my previous suggestion, giving him a hard prune and then downsizing might be wayyy easier 🙄😜 afterwards You can put the pot with the stick, lol, TRUNK, directly in that window. Let me know if you need any help along the way! Thanks for the tag, Deb @MamaLinne 🫶
@Devsleafypals To encourage new growth on your Fiddle Leaf Fig, you can use three main techniques: notching, pinching, and pruning. Always ensure your plant is actively growing and getting plenty of bright, indirect light. Apply a high-nitrogen liquid fertilizer, such as a 3-1-2 formula, to provide the necessary nutrients for new leaves. Key Techniques for New Growth 1. Notching the Stem Notching is an advanced technique that forces the plant to branch out without cutting off its height. How to do it: Locate a "node" (the ring or mark where a leaf meets the trunk). Using clean, sterilized shears or a razor, make a small, diagonal wedge or slice about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way into the stem, just above the node.The mechanism: This injury disrupts the plant's hormonal flow, forcing it to redirect energy and stimulate dormant buds below the cut to sprout. 2. Pinching Off New GrowthPinching stops the plant's natural tendency to only direct its energy to the very top (apical dominance).How to do it: When the plant is producing its newest, smallest leaves at the top, simply twist or pinch off the very top bud.The mechanism: This encourages the plant to divert its growth energy outward, resulting in a bushier look rather than just growing a single tall stalk. 3. Hard PruningIf your plant is already exceptionally tall or leggy, you may want to cut the main trunk completely.How to do it: Cut the main stem down to your desired height, ensuring you make a clean, diagonal cut just above a leaf node. The mechanism: While it might seem drastic, removing the uppermost part of the plant triggers dormant buds lower down the trunk, often resulting in 3 to 4 new branches. I have not tried any of these methods myself since my FLF is still in it’s infancy , I just have to wait until it gets taller. But I hope and wish you success!
@SillyPlantGirl it’s only been in the soil maybe 3-4 mo but sounds like consensus is the pot is too big and it needs more light!
@DreamMachine thank you! His root ball was not that big for sure. Ok. I’ll look to downsize the pot, put some more perlite in the soil then move to more light
@Ms.Persnickety wow! Thanks. It makes me so nervous but I may try it. It just doesn’t seem as healthy as it could be! Along with the other suggestions I think he will shape up nicely! 😍
@Devsleafypals @MamaLinne perfect! Do you know how to treat for root rot should you come across it? 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water is the solution. You use sterilized scissors to trim any roots that are black/brown and mushy or rotten. If you have any roots where the outer layer of the root sloughs off and leaves a thin root hair behind, that is root rot too. After you trim all the rotten roots off, you will want to soak what’s left of the root ball in your hydrogen peroxide mixture. It will bubble, pop, and fizz. This is good, it’s killing the bacteria. Leave it in the solution for 5-10 minutes and then you can repot in fresh NEW soil, with a lot of extra perlite. If you mix your own, a great ratio is 1/3 coco coir or peat, 1/3 perlite, and 1/3 orchid bark. If you don’t, just be sure to have 60% of your soil chunky bits like perlite or orchid bark.
Pick the size of pot that’s only slightly bigger than your diameter of the root ball. For smaller plants i usually say somewhere around 1-2 inches bigger. However, for larger plants (trees like yours) or very vigorous growers, like monsteras, I usually recommend a pot that’s 3-4 inches bigger in diameter. Good luck! You can always tag me if you need any assistance along the way 🥰🤍
Pick the size of pot that’s only slightly bigger than your diameter of the root ball. For smaller plants i usually say somewhere around 1-2 inches bigger. However, for larger plants (trees like yours) or very vigorous growers, like monsteras, I usually recommend a pot that’s 3-4 inches bigger in diameter. Good luck! You can always tag me if you need any assistance along the way 🥰🤍
@Devsleafypals so many great replies! I’ll also chime on with location. Yes the window faces south but in that corner I’ll bet the foot candles are very low. Plants will do okay in low light for a few months but then signs of light deprivation will start to show - slow/no new growth, soil staying too damp, potentially beginning of root rot, spots appearing on leaves 🍃, it boils down to not enough light & light= food to a plant. No amount of fertilizer can make up for lack of sufficient light. I’d suggest a light meter. It takes away the guessing. I got a nice $35 meter that measures foot candles or Lux. Several spots I presumed to be good lighting were not. And some spots I thought weren’t enough, like northern exposures were fantastic. Mainly because the north was consistently 200- 400+ foot candles all day long! Nothing blocking its view of blue sky sunrise to sunset 🌅. Here’s a pic of mine.
@Devsleafypals right?!?! With plants there’s always soooo much to learn! 🪴 🧑🏫 🧑🌾