i will grow it a little bit more and make sure the top part is healthy and have new growths or else it will just a stick with no leaves and will die for sure

i think it’s the same message!

unless you are advising her to cut it now because technically we are still very close to june. it’s only july. in that case, i think you are mistaken. i think she should wait

Mike,

Its almost September, not July. I have no clue what you’re talking about.

Please, just stop.

oh yah. i thought we are at end of july. but technically still close to june

anyway Lisa H, i recently cut my FLF stem and I had new growths but I live on the other side of the world and it was a month before spring when I did it. do not cut it if you are on the other side! thanks

Just to clarify:

TODAY IS AUGUST 29TH.

Hi, Lisa. Am I seeing a low, almost vertical branch with a bud sheath poking out of a clump of foliage toward the bottom of the bare spot? If yes, I think we should have another view so we can see where that branch is connected before you decide where to prune. I'm heading in the direction of that branch becoming the new leader.

Al

If you want a clump planting with several trunks, cut the bare trunk back to just above the first leaf below the bare spot. If you want the height the bare stem offers (which means you want to keep it), cut it back to just above the first leaf above the bare spot.

If you want a single trunk specimen, you'll need to remove the basal sprouts (sprouts occurring from the base of the plant) an d prune the thick trunk. How you prune it depends on whether or not the ht offered by the thick trunk is important to you. I won't tell you it shouldn't be - but that's what I'm thinking. You can learn pruning as you go. First by following instructions from someone who can predict the results, then by taking note of how the branches respond to the pruning cuts. The overwhelming % of growers are pretty much terrified of removing any type of growth the tree produces, but once you get the hang of pruning, you'll soon see how necessary a hands-on approach is to guiding ficus into a shape with some eye appeal. Left to their own devices, they'll confound and probably disappoint you sooner or later.

Make sure you're not over-watering (be proactive about that - ask if you don't know what I mean) and that you get started on a good nutritional supplementation program. As long as you maintain some degree of enthusiasm about increasing your skillset, there'll always be folks willing to help.

Al

Lisa have you done the cutting? show us please!!!

ive fertilized mine because it’s the first day of spring! excited for new growths!!!

Mike, what country are you in? And you should fertilize year round, not just spring and summer.

im from australia. the bottle says spring to summer. how often should I fertilise?

You must realize that a lot of us here are from the US, UK, Canada, etc and are coming to the end of summer.

When there are conversations about repotting and propagation in June, we’re talking about June around here.

Youre complete opposite most of us when it comes to seasons, so please keep that in mind when reading posts and when posting.

Anyway, you should fertilize year round. Just a little less in the winter months but you should never stop.

Foliage Pro 9-3-6 would be the best to use on your Ficus. It can be ordered online.

How the tree responds to pruning is extremely predictable. Since you probably haven't yet paid much attention to what happens after a branch is pruned, your trepidation is understandable. This is a link to a thread where I pretty much suggested the same thing: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/any-pruning-advice-for-ficus-lyrata-fiddle-leaf-fig-dsvw-vd~5306999

Internodal and tip cuttings are better started in a well-aerated medium. Internodal cuttings don't include the growing branch tip (the apical meristem), tip cuttings do. Perlite works well for starting cuttings. I have excellent success in the soil I grow all my trees in:

A rooting (hormonal) aid isn't necessary.

Al

can i use thrive all purpose liquid fertiliser? i dont want to buy a new one

it feels so weird to be wiping your flf with coconut oil. i dont know why it is recommended

so I went to the store and looked for the feetiliser 9-3-6, i couldnt find one! but I found a lonely fiddle leaf fig that no one wants to buy... so I bought it! it has huge leaves!!! first time I saw a leaf this big!!!

the plant overall is so uneven. there are leaves so close to each other at the bottom, the stem has grown taller with leaves so huge at the top. can someone help me what to do to make this plant even so it looks nicer??? maybe i dont need those huge leaves... is there a way? i think i have an addiction. i keep on buying them!

or maybe dont make it grow taller and more leaves in between.