What is wrong with my Fiddle Leaf Fig?

5 years ago

I got a beautiful Fiddle Leaf Fig as a house warming gift that is showing signs of both under and over watering I believe. I watered every week for the first couple of weeks, soaking the dirt with lots of water. It started drooping so the florist told me it could be too much water. I switched to watering every other week but continued to soak the dirt. It now shows brown rotted leaves starting at the edges and has dropped a leaf off the bottom every few days. Because of this I took the water amount down to 2 exact cups on my last watering which was recommended online. This seems like a very small amount of water to me though. It also shows some drooping leaves as well which many people tell me is under watering. The plant has healthy new growth and the new leaves are large and perfect. It gets indirect sunlight all day by a window and I live in an old somewhat drafty house.

I’m wondering if the changes I have made to the watering schedule and amount simply have this plant in distress and I need to stay the course of low water every 2 weeks or there is something else happening here. Help me!!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
5 years ago
Sometimes FLFs take a while to adjust to a new home and will drop lower leaves in protest.

My suggestion, and I am by no means an expert, is to stick with the weekly watering schedule of 2 cups of water. Let it drain through and then sit in that water for about 10 minutes and empty out anything from the tray that it didn't soak up.

I water my Little Fiddle and Ficus Audrey on the weekly schedule and they seem very happy with the consistency. I water on Sunday (today's the day!).

Elevate the plant so that the lower leaves and trunk can can take advantage of all that beautiful window sunlight. Put it on a stool or a side table. Something to get it up into that window.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago

water a plant when it needs water .. insert your finger and FIND OUT ... or use a teaspoon to gently dig around and find out about water at root depth .. weight of the pot is also fairly indicative of how much dead weight water is in it ... i usually dont water until i feel a significant lessening of said weight ... or the plant actually wilts a bit.. indicating more water is needed ... [of course you huge pot may not be easy to lift ... ]

random schedules and amounts dont really help ... until you figure out the schedule for your house ...

how cold does it get near that door at night.. in your drafty old house???

you probably should find a good local nurseryman for advice.. rather than a florist ...

your plant shows no signs of underwatering .. thats not how i read the affected leaves ... my only worry is overwatering and rotting the roots off .. and im not sure you are even doing that ...

the best grower i ever met.. actually left his plants to slightly wilt ... before he watered again .. if you did that .. then you would have the beginnings of making a schedule for your house.. in that location... with all those windows ...

you dont mention how long ago it was brought in .. i bet some of the leaf damage is related to that move.. or moving it from grower.. to seller ... minor leaf damage can show up a long time after the event that caused it ... meaning.. there is no current problem to fix ....

frankly.. i think you plant looks great .. i would snip off the ugly leaves. perfect watering.. and try not to kill it with too much love ...

i would also plan on moving it outside in summer.. in full bright shade ... large houseplants usually really enjoy such .. and can store a lot of energy.. for the winter .. but make sure its secure in that wind wont blow it over.. etc ... and of course.. that depends where you are

relax.. it looks great ..

welcome to the forums ...

ken
Related Professionals
Branson Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Charlotte Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Rockford Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Orlando Landscape Contractors · Lansing Landscape Contractors · Jamestown Landscape Contractors · Kenosha Landscape Contractors · Albuquerque Landscape Contractors · Montréal Landscape Contractors · Enid Interior Designers & Decorators · Texarkana Interior Designers & Decorators · South Sioux City Interior Designers & Decorators · Bakersfield Interior Designers & Decorators · Lancaster Interior Designers & Decorators · Temecula Interior Designers & Decorators
Chris Jacobie
5 years ago
Some adjustment to a new space is normal and often dropping bottom leaves is part of that. Heck, even if a plant is totally happy, dropping leaves is just part of a plant's life.

In this case though, it's easy to see it's simply starving for light (thank you for posting a picture!)

Fiddle Leaf Figs need way light more than what you're giving this one. Study up how to think about and optimize light on the House Plant Journal website.

Once you get the lighting right, that will solve a bunch of issues. After that, if you really want to optimize, move on to getting your soil right and fertilization right (aka read everything @tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a) talks about on this forum.)

Hope that helps!

Chris

P.S. Check this out:

https://www.houseplantjournal.com/houseplant-qa/fiddle-leaf-fig-is-very-sad/
tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
5 years ago
Check the underside of the leaves. If the spots and browning first appear underneath and spreads out it could be something called oedema. That happens through a combination of over-watering, cool temps, low light, and/or high humidity. Is is too cold next to the door? There are other reasons like too much accumulation of salts and weakened root systems.

Flush the soil several times with copious amounts of water. Then let it drain. After 10 minutes or so tilt the pot to let out any excess water still in the pot. This process will ensure that most of salts have been washed away. You can give a light dose of fertilizer at this point.

And situate the plant where it is at least 60F and in the brightest possible place. Rotate the plant every few days so that all parts get to enjoy some light. Some leaf drop is common - usually the lower leaves first that are heavily shaded.