Hmm. Does it get any direct light at all? Do the leaves go yellow or brown before they drop? Is the leaf loss in one area? Have you checked for mites?

I hope others will post about other ideas, but assuming light is the problem, the best solution would be moving the plant outside to a sunny spot, which this plant prefers. Doing this for just a few hours a day day would make a huge difference.

If that's not an option, you could add bright (100W-150W) high frequency (3000K-4500K) light from LEDs when natural light's not available. Using several 100 watt LEDs 10-12 hours a day on my light starved plants in my dim apartment stopped leaf loss and stimulated some growth during the winter.

But it's impossible to simulate the brightness and mix of frequencies of full sunlight. Example: starting about a month ago the sun got high enough to give me 3-4 hours of direct light a day, and moving the ficuses and scheffleras to the windowsills for a few hours has changed them from just pretty good to vibrant. I'm kind of scared to think of how they'll react when they it warms enough to put them on the porch, where their sunlight won't be filtered by glass. So get that puppy some real light if you possibly can!

Some turn yellow then brown and then they drop while some turn brown at the edges and then drop. What could that indicate?

It doesn't get any direct sunlight. It used to get a little in the winter when the sun wasn't as high but now it doesn't receive any.

I did check for mites, and I believe I noticed a couple of small webs.

Id be happy to take it outside! Any tips for putting a fiddle leaf outdoors? Should it get more direct sun or indirect? How many hours? Should I put it out for morning light or afternoon light? I live in MS so the afternoons can get pretty toasty in the summer.

I'd go after those mites right away. I thought my mite problem wasn't that bad because I didn't see a lot, but there were enough to weaken the plant and kill every bit of new growth. I exterminated them by spraying every few days with a 50/50 mix of water and 75% isopropyl alcohol for a few weeks. There are insecticides and soil drenches that work as well, but my old cat (RIP) was frail and I didn't want to take any chances. To be honest, I was disgusted by the idea of bugs sucking on my plants, so I sprayed daily for the first week or so.

Whatever spray you use, you have to ensure that the tops and bottoms of the leaves and every other part of the plant gets wet. The spray only kills the larvae, and spider mites have a 3-5 day life cycle, so it's important to repeat the treatment.

I haven't gone through the process yet, but the general idea is to start with an hour or so for a few days, then slowly increase until it can take whatever it is you're able to provide. Move it to a spot with indirect sunlight the rest of the time until it's well adjusted.You done have to trust me, though; use the box at the top of the page to search words like "acclimate to sunlight" or something like that to get answers from people who are smarter than I am!

When I move my ficus trees to direct sun, I first place them in open shade for a week.

Then one hour of sun per day (the rest of the day being open shade), then two hours per day and so on until they're in direct sun all day.

If the 70% isopropyl alcohol / water mix doesn't fully knock them out, you can spray the tree with Bayer 3 in 1 insect disease and mite control when the plant is outside. That'll kill the mites, but it's pretty strong stuff and you don't want to get it on any edibles or spray where pets hangout.

Moving the tree outside will also greatly help reduce the mites as they'll have natural predators.

I did spray with an insecticide yesterday so I'll repeat the treatment in another week or two. As far as taking it outside goes; I'm not looking to completely leave it outdoors. So are you guys saying to just give it a few hours outdoors then bring it back in? I'd love to try to keep it indoors since it was purchased more as a decorative element.

Another question - If it's overcast can I leave it outside longer?

Leave it outdoors for the summer so it can gain energy and fill out.

Dave,

Will do! Thank you for all of your help!! Today is very overcast, should I leave it longer than an hour?

Also, I've been doing a little more research, and I'm beginning to wonder if I've under-watered. I use the dowel method, but I wait till the dowel comes out dry except an inch or two on the bottom of the dowel. Am I not giving it enough water?