It has been a little over a month now since I purchased my first fiddle leaf fig plant. I have become a bit of a plant lady since moving into this house. I just love having a flower garden during the spring and summer and during the rest of the year I really love having real plants indoors.
I have a bit of a collection now. I have a very large palm fern that spends the cooler months in my living room. I bought it on a whim one day as I had been wanting a larger potted plant for indoors to bring some green in and this did the trick! Now, it is so big, once the warmer spring days arrive I’ll be splitting it into two pots. Anyone want a fern?! This plant is great on my deck too in the summer months and really thrives outdoors when the humidity is high and the sun is warm. I like to make my outdoor living space reflect my indoor living space because once it is warm, we head outdoors!
I have several other plants throughout the house too including a golden pathos in my bathroom, a peace lily in my dining room, an aloe vera plant that is super old (important to have in case of a burn on the skin). My husband gifted me a pussy willow tree for Valentine’s Day and I can’t wait to find the perfect spot for that outside in my garden once the ground is ready for planting.
So initially I was hoping my new fiddle leaf would be great in my bedroom. I don’t have any plants in there yet and want to start adding plants to every one’s bedroom. Well, it didn’t love it in that spot so I moved it to my dining room on the sideboard. It has thrived ever since. I will never move it! I keep reading how important it is to not relocate plants once they have become acclimated to a spot in your home. Makes sense, but who knew.
Tips for your Fiddle Leaf Fig
Fiddle leafs are super temperamental which is why I haven’t committed to one until now. I figure I have a green thumb and would figure it out. I read a ton of blogs and gardening sights. Some theories are the same with the care for a Fiddle Leaf and then some are complete opposite.
My plant had some black spots on a few of its leaves when I bought it. It was early February here in Connecticut and I’m sure it had gotten cold or overwater at some point on its journey here from the grower. I was undecided as to whether or not to cut the damaged leaves off so I asked the internet! It was a fifty fifty split so I cut the most damaged leaf off and kept the others that only had the smallest bit of damage. Like most plants, you don’t want the plant to be spending all its energy on trying to repair something rather than spend energy on growth and development.
The second most important piece of information that I found with these plants is not to repot them for a good while until it has adjusted to being in your home again in that favorite spot. I usually cannot stand to look at those cheap plastic grower pots so my solution is to find the beautiful pot I want to eventually transfer the plant too and put the grower pot inside.
Another bit of good information with these fuzzy figs is that the pot you are going to transfer it to shouldn’t be too big or too small. You want to find a pot that is only about ONE INCH larger than the grower pot. You will have to transplant this plant as it grows, at a moderate pace. If the pot is too big it will basically shock the plants growth all together. And the same goes for if the pot is too small.
The most important part of this puzzle is the watering schedule. Since this is a tropical plant that likes a bit of humidity and moisture I have purchased a small spray bottle to mist my plant with water at least once a day if not every other day. It LOVES this. I also fully water my plant until the water is draining through at least once a week. I NEVER leave standing water is the catch tray beneath the plant. You don’t want to roots to rot. So, once the water has drained through dispose of the excess water from the catch tray. Make sure your new pot has drainage and if not make some at the bottom.
The plants are not cheap. They are super trendy in home decor right now. A small size plant can range from $25 – $50 bucks for a plant that is only about 12″ – 24″ high in an 8″ grower pot. That is another reason why I hesitated on my purchase. I didn’t want to throw money away for an experiment with a fussy plant.
I’m so excited to report that I’ve started seeing new growth on my fig! What a relief! So, what I have been doing to keep it alive is working! These trees can grow over 5 feet tall! I am so excited to see the growth continue on my plant. And, I cannot wait to replant it in this new ceramic pot I found at T.J. Maxx.
I’ll update this post once I repot the fig. I am also hoping to transition it to the outdoors once the warm weather is here to stay.
Do you have a Fiddle Leaf Fig?
