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lauren_larney

Fiddle leaf fig issues with new growth

8 years ago

Hey everyone! I‘ve become an accidental plant lady and love it. I’m so happy for my new found plant love. Trying to learn as much as I can to help care for my guys but it’s a bit overwhelming. Especially with my ficus lyrata aka fiddle leaf fig. I bought him on april 1 and over the last few months it has attempted to sprout four new leaves. About One month ago two grew- one is still attached but so much smaller than the others (even the newer ones). The second leaf just completed fell off after it was out about an inch. now recently it has Started to produce new leaves again. These ones seemed so much more healthy this time around. The first leaf of the most recent round of growth came out with a few red spots but grew fast and large and before I knew it another bud started to bloom. this one doesn’t have any red spots at all. Success!! Or so I thought... today I noticed, now the first leaf (with the red spots) started diverting inward towards the newer leaf. It also feels a bit flimsy. I’m nervous as to what might be happening. I was misting the new growth every morning and night to help the leaves out of their casings. I haven’t watered my fig since May18th. Only because I bought a moisture meter and it still says the soil is at about an 8. Which seems pretty wet still! I had it on a humidity tray inside of a woven basket. this morning I took it out of the woven basket but left it on the humidity tray because I thought Maybe that was keeping my soil too moist. When I came home from work today that’s when I noticed the leaf diverting inwards and not looking as healthy. I know I’m rambling but just trying to give as much info as possible in hopes someone may have some advice for me. Pics posted below. Thank you in advance!






Comments (3)

  • 8 years ago
    I’m not an expert, but I’ve had my FLF for a year and it’s more than doubled in so so with huge leaves. I don’t think it’s recommended to mist. I’ve read a lot in houzz and the consensus is not to list. Something about wet leaves interfering with photosynthesis. Also, Al/tapla and a bunch of the pros recommend moving FLFs outside during summer so that may help with growth. Not sure if that’s an option for you. Finally, I wouldn’t trust a moisture meter. Simply stick a wooden stick like a chopstick or a skewer in the dirt, all the way down, and feel with your fingers if it feels moist. I generally water approx once every week to 1.5 weeks but this depends on your location and temperature. Looks like the plant is near a window, but what direction does the window face? I think south facing windows get most light. Finally, when you do water your plant, how much do you water? I’ve heard it’s best to water deeply until water runs out the bottom of the pot. Make sure pot & soil has good drainage! Also, using a good fertilizer is key. Dyna gro foliage pro is recommended by Al/tapla (expert on FLF). Good luck!!!
    Lauren Larney thanked Jeanne Su
  • 8 years ago

    It's happen when the trunk bend against light source. New leaves of FLF tree will rotate trying to face the light. Try to give more weight on one side so the trunk eventually bend toward light.

    Lauren Larney thanked Ekor Tupai
  • 8 years ago

    Thank you for all the advice! Crazy enough this morning when I woke up I went straight to my fig to check the status of my leaf and it was back down in normal position and no longer bent in. I hadn’t done anything at all to it yet, so not sure what was with the tantrum. To answer your questions..My fig sits in the corner with two windows. So gets light from north and west. I live in an apartment in Chicago with no south facing windows at all. Jeanne I water in the kitchen sink with a good soaking until the water runs out of the bottom for a bit. Still I’m never sure exactly how long I should water for, it’s always a stressful moment for me. Do you have any rule of thumb of measurements or length of time to water? I definitely am going to pick up that dyna gro fertilizer you mentioned. Also any advice on the red dots on the undersides of the leaves? Another question is... ever since I brought home the fig it has had some damage on the bottom leaves. Most likely from people being careless with it at Home Depot... should I prune those leaves off? Are they harmful to my plant? I will provide photos. Eventually when it grows more I would like it to be more of a tree form than bush. Which is another thing I need to learn how to do... but baby steps here. Looking forward to any and all responses! Thank you!

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