Your plant does need repotting, as opposed to potting up - they're quite different. Repotting eliminates limitations associated with root congestion, potting up ensures them. No need to allow the plant to 'acclimate' if you do things right, and right now is the very best time of year to repot your plant. I always suggest remembering Father's Day as being optimal for repotting a very high % of houseplants, including the tropical figs.

Watering should be on an as needed basis. Don't water until a stick (sharpened wood dowel of bamboo skewer) pushed deep into the soil comes out clean & dry. Loss of turgidity in leaves can signal several issues, but more often than not it's a symptom of turgidity loss due to over-watering.

No one can give personalized pruning advice w/o a better look at the plant, but since pruning removes the plants food source, it's usually best to avoid any significant pruning of plants treading water or circling the drain. More details on that if you want to chase the thought a bit ........

Try this thread

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1458685/pruning-ficus-lyrata-fiddle-leaf-fig?n=247

for a ton of info re FLFs.

Al

Hi there Al,

Just wanted to give you an update on my Fig. I repotted, and the root ball was strangling itself so I broke it up as I went. Repotted and stopped watering. I now water about once every three weeks in the cooler weather (we're sitting in the middle of Winter and the weather is dropping to about 4 degrees C o/n and 15 degrees during the day) and my plant is absolutely thriving. Of the seven stems that make up my plant, five have produced about 14 new leaves between them!

Figured that you get a lot of people with sad plants, thought you deserved some good news.
Thanks again,
Beth

Hi, Beth - It's not uncommon for someone new to fully repotting (as opposed to just potting up) to hit a rocky patch after their first endeavors, but it is pretty common for their initial trepidation to be followed by news of a significantly reinvigorated plant. There are even a couple of adventurous souls experimenting with helping the plant to change its clothes by defoliating it, which stimulates a new and pristine flush of growth - something your tree might be a candidate for next year, if you feel intrigued.

I've heard the story you just shared way too many times to be surprised, but that doesn't stop me from sharing in your enthusiasm and being happy for you. People working together or even just sharing their enthusiasm turns just 'growing things' into a self-renewing adventure that's rewarding to be a part of, so thanks for the update!

BTW - I've been repotting tropicals like crazzzy for the last several weeks. I think I'm down to less than a dozen trees left, probably mostly ficus if I was to make a list - they make up the lion's share of the tropical trees, but there are a few others mixed in there, too. I hope to be finished by the weekend.

Good going - I really am glad for you!

Al

Morning Al,

Thanks for getting back to me. Is there somewhere on here where you have posted your plant/garden collection? I'm sure there would be many that would love a squizz. I've been reading lots and seeing lots of people's FFL variants and it seems that the tree look is favoured by the majority of owners. I too initially wanted a tree shape but am now quite enjoying the bushiness of my tree and hope he continues to grow in the manner that he is. It's excited getting up each day and seeing how much the new leaves have grown overnight.

I will be curious in the future to attempt growing a cutting from my plant, but have found the info all a bit overwhelming at the moment. Something to contemplate once I am confident that he has been thriving for an extended period of time. There is also one stem that is significantly smaller that the rest, maybe this will be a candidate to move out and attempt to grow on its own, something else for me to read about.

I've included some updated pics for you.

And my gosh - your plants sound like they take up lots of your time, but what a luxury to spend so much time doing what you love. :)

Have a wonderful day,

Beth

Wow. From here it's looking pretty darn pleased with itself - showing off for you, eh?

Cuttings are easy - let me know if you want guidance. Start one soon, or wait until next June or July. They come best when they're energy reserves are highest. Late Jun thru mid to late Aug.

I have some pictures of mixed containers at my user page (click on the Little Prince icon to get there) or you can look at this thread. It's old, but I've posted a good number of pics on it - others have, too. It WAS closed to posting at 150 posts while GW was running the show, but since Houzz took over, there is no more limit and I see it's open again. I bumped it in case there are people that would appreciate it. I was a fun thread with some good stories & lots of pictures. I've eliminated 2 gardens and am reducing the front garden to bones only (trees & shrubs) so I can devote more time to bonsai, so I probably won't have as many good pics to share as in years past.

I'm really glad things turned out well for both of you. You deserve a salute for the strong work, too!

Al

Hi there Al,

I checked out the suggested page quickly, will have to head back when I've got some time to sit down with a cup of tea!

Sure would be interested in your advice about doing a cutting.. Do you think its best for me to take a cutting, or remove the stem that is at about 50% height compared to the other 6 stems, and try growing a new plant from that?

Hope you're having a great day.

Cheers,

Beth

That is a very beautiful plant have! I never saw one so beautiful.

Thanks tbean, I wanted a pot that would fit the plant in it in a plastic pot, this makes it a lot easier to remove the plant when watering so it can drain properly. This glazed black pot is super heavy and the right size, but was boring to look at. That's when I broke out the gold sharpie and got creative. I just drew the design on! Super easy, super cheap. And no one has the same. :-p You should give it a go.

Why don't you air layer it? Even though the plant comes easily from cuttings, an air layer is a little more certain to be successful ...... or you could do BOTH on the same branch.

Al

Hi there Al,

Did some reading up on air layering, and am going to give it a crack. We're 6 weeks off heading into Spring, good time to do it?

And I'm sure you've answered this somewhere.. Is there anything I can do to my plant to encourage growth - or just be grateful that I have a plant that is growing and let it do its thing?

Hope you're nearly done with the exotics.

Have a great day,

Beth

..... and I was talking to you as though you lived in the northern hemisphere. If we talked about any dates or timing related to the growth cycle, it will have been off by 6 months. You might consider adding something to your user info, like my [mid-MI z5b-6a].

You can encourage growth by continuing to learn how to learn about the things that most commonly limit plants and how to eliminate the limitations. That's the only thing that defines our ability or proficiency as growers. Experience isn't such a good teacher because with out knowledge as it's partner, we miss most limitations, and even if we recognize them, don't know how to deal with them. Learn first, then use your practical experience to validate what you've learned. Your journey toward that green thumb will be soo much faster that way.

The keys are:

#1 a good soil you can water correctly

#2 giving the plant all the light it wants - as much as it can use. If you provide too much light though (photo-saturation), the plant shows no increase in photosynthesis beyond the light saturation point and can actually be damaged by sunburn (photo oxidation).

#3 get your plant on a regular nutritional supplementation program. This is something monkey easy to get right if you're using a soil you can water correctly, but will be a struggle to optimize if you can't water correctly.

#4 pay attention to regular repotting and maintenance of the roots. Root congestion is much more limiting (to growth and vitality) than most growers would ever imagine. Most growers only pot up (move their plants u p in incremental pot size) and are pleased as punch when they see the improvement in growth rate and vitality it produces. In reality, the improved growth is not cause for celebration because it manifests a reduction in the limitations the plant was growing under - it shows how the plant COULD have been growing all along. Unfortunately, potting up only partially relieves limitations because it never addresses the congestion in the original root mass like repotting (with its accompanying root pruning) does.

If you follow these guidelines, it's unlikely that disease or insects will become issues; this, because the plant's natural defenses are a byproduct of its metabolic rate. Keep your plant's metabolism cooking and it will be strong enough to fend for itself. The rest is common sense - protect your plant from wandering tribes, blizzards, hurricanes, cavorting/cantankerous kids & cats - that kind of stuff

Al

"protect your plant from wandering tribes, blizzards, hurricanes, cavorting/cantankerous kids & cats - that kind of stuff"

Don't forget to add husband's combat boot.

Survivor

Amazing! That was the very next thing on the list.

Al