I got this fiddle leaf in the winter and it suffered from frost bite. Repot it in very late spring (early spring is not a good choice), as in just before the summer solstice (I use Father's Day as a reference point) and the plant will be pushing new growth in 1-3 weeks. It’s healthy and sprouting new leaves at top. This will give them lots of practice and the size won’t be so intimidating. There’s two different styles of notching. It works better than notching. All of what you explain is fascinating! Notching is like dropping a large boulder into the middle of a shallow stream. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. Most of what I know is a result of my pursuit of greater proficiency at bonsai, and was added to my memory banks before the internet was a thing. Fiddle leaf fig notching is the answer. That approach guarantees ALL growth is the tightest the plant can produce within other cultural influences. Al. Here’s On the other hand, someone like me who waters every other day or every 3rd day and flushing the soil when I water in the summer, I would be under-fertilizing. You can even force your tree to replace its worn foliage with a new flush of growth. You can check out the USDA’s plant hardiness zone map to learn more about the different hardiness zones. It's an incredibly effective strategy, and can allow growers to use soils that w/o the use of ballast would be considered unusable by most. Last week after I watered this trunk started shrinking and the leaves droopy and now I think this trunk is dead... we are hoping to see what happens next spring/summer without making any changes to the surroundings but any insights could be helpful! Thoughts? Wow! Belonging to the fig family, Moraceae, it is known as the Fiddle Leaf Fig because its leaves are similar to the size and shape of fiddles. I'm using Foliage Pro per your recommendation. Firstly let me tell you… From when I first started fertilizing my Fiddle Leaf Fig, the growth has been AMAZING! The last step is to combine enough dry soil with the mucky mix to yield whatever volume of soil you'll need to establish the new planting, mix well, and let it rest for at least 1/2 hr. Play Up Some Fiddleleaf Figs for a Lively Indoor Tune, See How Fiddleleaf Fig Trees Can Liven Up Your Decor, Room of the Day: Glam Sitting Room Packed With Personality, These Houseplants Love North-Facing Windows, How to Tell if Your Houseplant Needs Water, Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, Blue spruce cultivar for narrow spot? I'm quoting you below about forcing a new flush of growth. FLF Resource Center: That’s amazing! The medium thickness trunk should be cut back to a ht about 2/3 that of the thickest. So I finally went to YouTube for help. Ficus lyrata is a species of evergreen tropical tree native to the tropical lowlands of western Africa (Sierra Leone to Cameroon). It’s really root bound when we first got it but we wanted to wait for it to get used to the location (2 ft from a SW facing window) in NY and wait till June. More than five years after our first post about the trend, #fiddleleaffig is still d. Apr 14, 2020 - Fiddle-leaf fig trees are the "it" houseplant that refuses to go away. It’s amazing to see what’s possible when your plants are happy with your care. Thanks for sharing your story and your tips, Angela! Re-pot every two years to maintain health and vigour. A clean Cool Whip container (or something similar) turned upside down and resting on the bottom of the pot is as effective as a brick - probably more so if it is only slightly smaller in diameter than the inside OD of the pot. It makes no sense at all to suggest an appropriate interval based on the calendar. Thanks too for continuing with diligence to educate the rest of us! OTOH, I've heard they don't like too much room and to wait for roots to stick out the bottom before repotting. Seeing your fiddle flourish from all your diligence will give you a sense of accomplishment! I'm hesitant to do a major trim in the spring because that is when I want to full new growth. Help!"), and reading through literally any of these should provide exactly the information you need. I changed the soil and moved her to the kitchen window. What attracted me to the Fiddles are their beautiful leaves. I’ll think about how I see the plant in the future (lol like the beginning of a painting) and see how I want to go about it and you described all the options I have is wonderful!! My routine is pretty simple. , Angela, recently contacted me to tell me her amazing fiddle leaf fig story, and I loved it so much that we wanted to share her story and tips! They are more resilient than you think! Don’t wait to re-pot your fiddle leaf fig after … Also do you think it would be a good idea to separate the younger (about 3 feet) trunk from the pot to grow on its own and prune it a bit to encourage bigger leaves and better growth? One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. "If you want the most enthusiastic response for your efforts and can move the tree outdoors, do that as soon as night temps are reliably above 55*. BTW - you really can't "over-notch" a tree. Cut the thickest trunk back to about 2/3 of the ht you'd eventually like the planting to be. In fact, it will very likely back-bud outdoors even if you don't pinch (prune the top). what do you do if you water a plant and it stays dry below the surface but drains out the bottom even with your special soil? Fiddles tend to grow to be very large and it can be a bit challenging to move them once they get big! Re-potting your fiddle leaf fig. Enough time spent talking about doing. Would love some shaping advice. 15% is approximately the point where the soil appears dry to the eye and touch. FLFs are tropical plants that don’t do well in cold conditions. To become a fiddle leaf fig expert, make sure to check out our book (coincidentally called The Fiddle Leaf Fig Expert) as well as our free webinars! Staining versus Painting a front yard fence. You guessed it! If you’re in a northern state and the sun is shining after the time change, but you’re still pumping the heat in your house that may be a problem. Regaining my confidence, I got a second fiddle leaf fig in March 2019. I would like this tree shaped with a barer trunk eventually. Most notching fails because the grower isn't aggressive enough in creating the notch. The tree will stop conspicuous top growth for a 2-3 week period after the repot; but, the significant surge in vitality that accompanies repotting is more than enough to ensure the plant will be much larger/healthier at summer's end than it would be had you not repotted. To help shape your beautiful Fiddle Leaf Fig tree, watch this video to learn how to notch and encourage growth. They are both so green and lush that my son did not know they were ‘real’ plants. Fiddle leaf figs can grow a couple feet every year if given the proper care. Fiddle leaf figs like tight fitting pots. We got our fig 3 weeks ago. I meant to stop back here to provide more info on using ballast. Thanks again for the guidance on watering and a tell. Let your single-stalk fiddle leaf fig grow to about 6 or 7 feet and then begin notching right around where you’d like your first lowest, largest, most prominent crevice, also known as the crotch. FLF Resource Center: Oh no! So we have to ask: It’s traditional in the houseplant world to name your plants. To become a fiddle leaf fig expert, make sure to check out our book (coincidentally called. I questioned all my green-thumbed friends to no avail. Obviously, I do it as a matter of course, which illustrates the only thing keeping you from doing it, with perhaps a little less severity for safety's sake, is the experience that serves as reassurance it's not likely you're going to kill the tree. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). 2) Purchase a quality moisture meter because you do not want to under or overwater your fiddle. We live in Brooklyn, NY. No plant "prefers" to be grown tight. At the same time, we also want to encourage more branches because right now it’s more three straight up trunks with leaves from bottom to top and really top heavy — very sensitive to movement (also probably another sign of not enough soil). I don’t know if it’s healthy either. because you do not want to under or overwater your fiddle. Cut around 1/3 of the way across the trunk and around 1/3 deep, at an angle. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. How rude. Her older leaves are starting to droop so I’m thinking it may be time to change the soil and upgrade her from a 10-inch pot. Usually when i only water 500ml the water flows out from the bottom - the pot is filled up 2/3 with 1/3 being empty pots upside down at the bottom because the root system has shrunk a lot the second time i repotted with the 5/1/1 mix. Above: Emma Reddington of The Marion House Book nurtured this fiddle leaf fig for eight long years, before finally laying it to rest just a few weeks ago. Perhaps I'm being too incremental in my pruning and not giving it the fresh start it needs. In this video I try to cover as much as I can about Fiddle Leaf Figs, from shaping to basic care. Auxin's flow is polar, it flows only downward. Like the water flows around the boulder and continues on its way, auxin flows around the notch and continues its downward movement. I mean not any extensive pruning or notching. Make the second cut 1/8-3/16" above the lower cut, and remove the bark all the way down to the sapwood. Since its launch back into popularity, the fiddle leaf fig‘s (or Ficus lyrata‘s) finicky reputation has been solidified. I water them about every two weeks. You saw the growth explosion on the tree I pruned back to only a few leaves (above)? last year. It's possible all 3 stems are actually branches that emanate from the same propagule (cutting). 270 locations nationwide! More re using a tell below. The lack of auxin effectively makes auxin's antagonist, cytokinin, dominant. After a few weeks, she was on her way to recovery. No matter how healthy a tree/plant looks, tight roots will rob from it massive amounts of potential ......... and for clarity, 'massive' isn't an exaggeration. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. I second that suggestion. wondering when I know it's time to repot? Cytokinin stimulates bud activity. If the stems all arise from the same propagule, it would be best to make sure there would be rootage attached to the base of each propagule after you separate. This isn't a requirement, by any means, but it helps to ensure success. How to Propagate Plants from Cuttings. And how many of them at a time? After learning they love bright, indirect light, I then moved her to the bay window in my kitchen. I was beside myself with joy! Repotting is different and more involved with potting op. in your home. How to Plant Fiddle Leaf Figs Managing soil moisture is critical to success with fiddle leaf figs. Buy Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Food on Amazon Now! During summer, I try to fertilize every weekend when temps are favorable at 2 tsp of 9-3-6 per gallon of water. Fiddle-leaf figs, or Ficus lyrata, are related to rubber trees, weeping fig trees, and other members of the Ficus family—which also includes the common fig grown for its fruit, Ficus carica. Look online for helpful resources like Fiddle Leaf Fig Resource Center and even. The former ensures all limitations imposed by root congestion go away; the later ensures limitations imposed by root congestion remain until the time someone actually gets their hands in the root/soil mass to correct the root issues and congestion. for tips on the best lighting, soil, fertilizer, and potential problems that may be common. The image below is a ficus cutting with new branches growing in mature leaf axils, As soon as the leaf starts to open, I'll remove the 2 large leaves. You don't want to destroy the buds with the low cut. Article by Sarah Gibson / Room For Tuesday. What's the only thing better than a lush Fiddle Leaf Fig plant? Thank you in advance! Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. I enjoy it. Keep trying. I use that as my own reference point. Fiddles can grow at such a fast rate and they need the extra nutrients! Assuming you're flushing the soil when you water, your fertilizing intervals should be based on your watering intervals and how thoroughly you flush the soil. If you can do that, any of the simpler techniques I use would be a valuable addition to your skill set. Angela: I most definitely named my fiddles! Checking the soil with a tell would be the best bet until you get a good sense of what the new appropriate interval is. FLF Resource Center: Now that you’ve gotten to know your fiddle leaf figs, what’s your care routine like? Most of what I know is a result of my pursuit of greater proficiency at bonsai, and was added to my memory banks before the internet was a thing. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Does anyone have any advice to get my fiddle leaf fig to branch and look more like a tree? Did you name your fiddles? Now, what if your fiddle leaf fig tree has gotten too tall and you’d like … It makes sense. If it's suggested that grower fertilize every 2 weeks at recommended solution strength, he would almost undoubtedly be over-watering and over-fertilizing. Ask how to do it if you're feeling bold. Here’s a question we see a lot in our Fiddle Leaf Fig Resource Facebook group: “Why is my fiddle leaf fig growing leaves at the bottom of the trunk?”. The 5:1:1 mix will become hydrophobic whenever it's been allowed to drop below about 15% water retention. Spring has just started here, I attempted notching 3 places and it did not work. Seeing your fiddle flourish from all your diligence will give you a sense of accomplishment! It’s so rew… The best way to learn is by jumping right in and learning as you go, which is exactly what Angela did and how her fiddles became so happy! Is that accomplished by the hard pruning you showed in your photos above or is there something else you're talking about? It’s about 7 ft tall with two strong trunks and one smaller trunk in a 14” pot. In addition to choosing a poor spot for my fiddle, I also realized I was probably overwatering. The large, green leaves give the fiddle such a strong presence in any room. So we have to ask: It’s traditional in the houseplant world to name your plants. There are a huge, huge number of threads identical to yours ("I got a fiddle leaf fig, I have no idea how to care for it, and now the leaves are looking bad! notching fiddle leaf fig before and after. Fig Leaf Tree Fig Leaves Plant Leaves Diy Craft Projects Crafts Indoor Garden Indoor Plants Pot Plants Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. No flowers, no variations in color…they are just classic, simple beauties. Angela: My routine is pretty simple. Three months later, only 2 of her leaves were left. Use a large, sturdy pot or container, as the plant can get quite large and heavy. Yet another fiddle leaf fig tree question. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. 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