How to Care for a Fiddle Leaf Fig

The fiddle leaf fig tree, or ficus lyrate, is coveted for its large, glossy green leaves with contrasting pale green veining throughout. This hearty, disease-resistant houseplant can grow as tall as ! If you’ve recently purchased a fiddle leaf fig and want to make sure that it not only survives, but thrives, there are several things you can do to keep your plant healthy.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Providing Warmth and Light Indoors

1. Place the plant in a spot that gets at least 4 hours of bright, direct sunlight. Placing the plant in a west or south-facing window will help to ensure that your fiddle leaf fig gets plenty of sunlight. For the rest of the day, place the plant in an area that’s well-lit, either by natural sunlight or artificial lights. This is important so that the plant will get plenty of indirect light.^[1]
   
   • If the plant’s leaves look pale, spotty, or dull after 2-3 weeks in its current location, move it to a brighter spot. This means that the plant is not getting enough sunlight.
2. Keep the temperature in your home between . Check your thermostat daily to ensure that the temperature stays within this range. Adjust the temperature if needed to maintain it within this range, such as by turning up the heat in cold weather or using fans or air conditioning in hot weather.^[2]
   
3. Rotate the pot 180 degrees once every 2 weeks. Grasp the pot and turn it as if you’re turning a wheel. Rotate the pot until the opposite side of the plant is facing the window. This will help to ensure that all sides of the plant get adequate light.^[3]
   
4. Seal off any drafts in your home to protect the plant from cold air. Caulk around the edges of your windows or cover drafty windows with thick plastic sheets meant for weatherizing your home and secure the sheets with a hammer and nails or a staple gun. Place rolled up towels in front of gaps at the bottom of drafty doors. Fiddle leaf figs are used to a hot, humid environment, so cold air drafts may harm them.^[4]
   
   • Make sure to do this before placing a fiddle leaf fig in front of a window in your home if you get it in the winter or fall.

[Edit]Watering, Fertilizing, and Pruning

1. Water your fiddle leaf fig generously 1-2 times per week. Place the plant on your patio or in your shower once or twice per week and soak it with water. Then, let the plant drain for about 1-2 hours before returning it to its usual spot. Let the soil dry out over the course of 1 week before watering the fiddle leaf fern again.^[5]
   
   • Avoid giving the plant small doses of water as it’s used to copious rainfall in its natural habitat.
   • Your fiddle leaf fig will require more water in the spring and summer and less in the fall and winter. For example, if you’re watering the plant once per week in the summer, then drop down to once every other week in the fall.
2. Mist the leaves daily unless the weather is humid. Fill a spray bottle with plain tap water and use it to spray the plant’s leaves once per day when the weather is hot, dry, or cold. This will help to prevent the leaves from drying out. If the weather is humid, don’t mist the leaves.^[6]
   
3. Cut off any leaves that look brown or discolored. Use a pair of gardening shears to cut off the leaves at the base of their stems. Dip the shears into rubbing alcohol or boiling hot water to disinfect them first. Then, cut straight across the stems to remove the dead leaves.^[7]
   
   • Disinfecting the garden shears is important to keep your plant healthy. Dirty shears may contaminate the plant with harmful bacteria or fungi.
   • Yellow and brown leaves are dead and they will not recover. Cutting them off will help to ensure that they do not take energy from the rest of the plant.
4. Dust the leaves with a damp cloth once every 2 weeks. Moisten a clean cloth or paper towel with lukewarm water. Then, cup one of the leaves under the palm of your hand and wipe the leave from stem to tip with the damp cloth. Repeat this for each of the leaves on the plant that look dusty.^[8]
   
   • This will help to promote airflow and improve the appearance of your fiddle leaf fig.
5. Check the leaves and stems for pests once per week. The fiddle leaf fig is prone to thrips (aka thunder flies), mealybugs, glasshouse red spider mites, and scale insects.^[9] To control pests on your fiddle leaf fig, use an organic or synthetic pesticide spray once per month or as needed.^[10]
   
   • Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for how to use the pesticide product you purchase.
   • The first sign of pests may be wilted or discolored leaves, so check your plant for pests if you notice a change in the foliage.
   • You can also place sticky traps near your fiddle leaf fig to help control pests.
6. Fertilize the plant once in the spring and once per month in the summer. Choose a liquid fertilizer meant for indoor houseplants and dilute it to 1/4 strength using a 3:1 mixture of water and fertilizer. You can find a suitable fertilizer in a nursery or in the gardening section of a hardware store. Apply it to the roots of the plant once in the spring, then once per month during the summer. This will help to promote new growth in the fiddle leaf fig.^[11]
   
   • Don’t apply the fertilizer to the plants leaves or stems. Only apply it to the soil at the base of the plant so it will sink down to the roots.
   • Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for how to mix and apply the fertilizer.

[Edit]Repotting a Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant

1. Repot the plant when you see roots coming out the bottom. Look at the bottom of the pot to check for spindly white fibers growing through the holes in the pot. If you spot any, this means that the fiddle leaf fig has outgrown its pot and needs a larger one.^[12]
   
2. Select a pot that is larger in diameter than the old pot. Don’t get a pot that is too much bigger than the old pot. Only go up to the next pot size each time you repot your fiddle leaf fig. This will allow you to add of new soil on all sides of the plant, which is ideal.^[13]
   
   • You can use any type of pot, such as clay or plastic, as long as it has drainage holes in the bottom.
3. Fill the pot about 1/3 of the way full of potting mix. Choose a potting mix meant for indoor plants. Use your hands or a small gardening trowel to add the dirt to the pot. Move the dirt around to form a deep well in the center into which you can situate the plant’s roots.^[14]
   
   • Don’t pack down the dirt. Leave it loose in the pot to allow for airflow and drainage.
4. Remove the fiddle leaf fig from its old pot and transfer it to the new one. Use 1 hand to hold onto the pot and grasp the stems of the fiddle leaf fig with the other hand. Wiggle the plant from side-to-side to release it from the old pot. Once you get the fiddle leaf fig out of the old pot, place the fiddle leaf fig in the well of soil in the new pot.^[15]
   
5. Add more soil to completely cover the roots of the plant. Place extra soil on top of and around the fiddle leaf fig’s roots using your hands or a garden trowel. Press the soil gently with your hands or the back of the trowel.^[16]
   
   • Don’t pack down the soil. Keep it somewhat loose so that the plant’s roots can breathe.
   • Water your fiddle leaf fig right after you repot it, and then let the soil drain for 1-2 hours outdoors or in a bathtub or sink. Place the fiddle leaf fig back in its usual spot after it drains. Place a plate under the pot to catch any excess water.

[Edit]Warnings

• Fiddle leaf fig leaves are toxic to dogs and cats. If you have pets, keep your plant somewhere that your pets can’t access it.^[17]

[Edit]Things You'll Need

[Edit]Giving the Plant Warmth and Light

• Plastic for covering windows
• Hammer and nails or staple gun
• Towels to prevent drafts

[Edit]Watering, Fertilizing, and Pruning

• Liquid fertilizer
• Cloth or paper towel
• Pruning shears
• Rubbing alcohol

[Edit]Repotting a Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant

• New pot
• Potting soil
• Gardening gloves
• Garden trowel (optional)

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/7207/i-Ficus-lyrata-i/Details
2. ↑ https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1318&title=Growing%20Indoor%20Plants%20with%20Success#table3
3. ↑ https://www.bhg.com.au/how-to-care-for-fiddle-leaf-fig
4. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/7207/i-Ficus-lyrata-i/Details
5. ↑ https://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/home-landscape/docs/Light%20and%20Moisture%20Requirements.pdf
6. ↑ https://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/home-landscape/docs/Light%20and%20Moisture%20Requirements.pdf
7. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=549
8. ↑ http://chemung.cce.cornell.edu/resources/ficus
9. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/7207/i-Ficus-lyrata-i/Details
10. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=876
11. ↑ https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1318&title=Growing%20Indoor%20Plants%20with%20Success#nutrition
12. ↑ https://www.bhg.com.au/how-to-care-for-fiddle-leaf-fig
13. ↑ https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1318&title=Growing%20Indoor%20Plants%20with%20Success#Pruning
14. ↑ https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1318&title=Growing%20Indoor%20Plants%20with%20Success#Pruning
15. ↑ https://www.bhg.com.au/how-to-care-for-fiddle-leaf-fig
16. ↑ https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1318&title=Growing%20Indoor%20Plants%20with%20Success#Pruning
17. ↑ https://www.bhg.com.au/how-to-care-for-fiddle-leaf-fig