Grow Beautiful Fiddle Leaf Fig (5 Best Care Tips!) -

Welcome to our Fiddle Leaf Fig forest! 🙂 Can you believe they were little pieces of cuttings only 4 years ago?

Fiddle Leaf Fig trees ( aka Ficus lyrata ) are among the easiest and most beautiful indoor plants to grow. After growing them for four years we can honestly say that!

Today we will share our favorite tips and tricks on Fiddle Leaf Fig care, from fertilizer and soil, to water, temperature, and more! If you are wondering how to make Fiddle Leaf Fig grow multiple branches, here are the secrets we discovered!

If you follow these 7 tips, especially the first 3, you will have beautiful Fiddle Leaf Fig trees for years to come. Is it possible NOT to fall in love with them?

A quick view of how our propagated Fiddle Leaf Fig cuttings grew in the last 4 years.

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Small little cuttings in October 2015

Here’s how we propagated them using two easy methods with 100% success!

Let’s start with the two cuttings propagated in water. I planted them in this green pot. One of the cuttings apparently took off with such speed and grew to over 4′ tall, wow! The other grew also, but is much smaller (you can barely see it on the left side) due to competition in the same pot.

Two of four rooted cuttings in October 2016

Now let’s look at the two cuttings rooted in soil in the white pot! Both grew much denser with many more leaves, and a bit taller, although not as tall as the one rooted in water.

Other two of four rooted cuttings in October 2016

And now, after 4 years, can you recognize the these 4 Fiddle Fig plants?!? They have put out so much new growth! The tallest one is over 8 feet! There’s also one that grew branches, I will share tutorial on that soon!

Now the 5 tips on Fiddle Leaf Fig care!

Tip 1: Fiddle Leaf Fig plants LOVE bright indirect light.

Like many houseplants, lack of bright light is the #1 reason for unhealthy Fiddle Leaf Figs! Keep them by the brightest windows or doors in your home if possible. Avoid hot noon sun. A little morning sun or late afternoon sun is good for the plants. So an north or east-facing window, a covered porch or balcony in warm weather protected from cold drafts are all great places to keep your FLFs.

Although I have seen many huge Fiddle Leaf Fig trees growing outdoors here in coastal southern California, nursery grown plant leaves are much more tender, and can burn with too much exposure to direct sunlight, especially the intense light you get in places like Arizona, California, etc.

Tip 2: How often should I water Fiddle Leaf trees?

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Our watering schedule is super simple: we water all our indoor plants once a week, it’s easy to remember, and plants are happy too.

The long answer: wait to water until the top 1/2 inch or so of soil is dry, especially in the winter when there is less growth. Use room temperature water, water thoroughly so the soil is moistened, then let drain well. Use enough water, and empty the tray after every watering so the plant never sits in water, which can cause root rot.

Tip 3: Best soil and fertilizer for Fiddle Fig

Most recommended fiddle leaf fig fertilizers have NPK ratios of 3-1-2, although 10-10-10 is also a good all purpose option. In very simplified terms, NPK stands for nitrogen (promotes leaf growth), phosphorus (promotes blooming), and potassium(encourages root growth). A higher nitrogen fertilizer is great for foliage plants.

You can use either slow release fertilizers in granule form, like this one, or liquid fertilizers like these. When using liquid fertilizers, it is always a good ideas to dilute more and fertilize more often, like every 2-3 weeks during growing season, which are spring and summer. Compost tea is another great choice. You can make it easily from ready made dry mixes like these, or from scratch.

Most potting soil that holds moisture and with good drainage will work great. Make sure your planter has drainage hole.

Tip 4: Temperature requirements

Fiddle Fig trees are happiest with temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees

They will struggle when temperature falls below 50 degrees or gets hotter than 95.

Tip 5: Some extra love for your plants

When you see some people’s indoor plants looking so lush and happy, the secrets are in the extra love they show for their plants. ( Yes, I do believe in singing to your plants!)

During the warmer months, bring them outdoors in shade if possible for some fresh air and brighter light. Each week or two, clean the dust off the fig tree leaves. The trees will love you! =)

I love bringing our indoor plants when it rains, because they don’t get showers or humidity in an indoor environment like in the tropical rainforests where many of our houseplants grow in nature. It works wonders! You can also mist your plants and remove dust from the leaves. Check out our favorite and easiest indoor plant list and growing tips here!

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Pruning, repotting, etc.

Fiddle leaf fig plant can be pruned easily. I find that if you prune a bit lower at the woody part of the trunk, new branches will grow! More on Fiddle Leaf Fig branching secrets here! You can also propagate the cuttings into new plants!

Re-pot your Fiddle leaf fig every 1-2 years into a larger new pot if you want it to grow faster. I actually do the opposite and try to keep them smaller! We have a FLF that is over 10 feet tall, and still growing in a medium sized 5 gallon pot!

FAQ

My Fiddle Leaf Fig looks unhappy! What should I do?

Tip number 5 will revive your tree like magic! Most of the time it is due to lack of light, or incorrect watering. Check Tip 1 and 2 for more details!

My fig tree leaves have brown spots!

Brown spots are caused by root rot. Although we can root Fiddle Leaf cuttings in water, don’t let your tree sit in water for more than a day!

What are the white bugs on my tree?

They are either mealy bugs or white flies that tend to attack plants that are stressed. Check the underside of the leaves when you water, and if you notice any of these pests, wipe them off with a damp cloth, and go over the tips above to see why your plant might be stressed.