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leliz_gw

Advice for my Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata)

leliz
11 years ago

Hi,
I would love opinions on my Fiddle Leaf Fig. I adore this plant and want it to thrive but need some help. This picture is the "good side." The other side is pretty bare from losing all the leaves. It's about 6.5 feet tall. I want it to grow to 9 feet tall and then continue to fill out from there. How do I go about helping the plant accomplish this? Any advice is so appreciated!

Brief history:
I have had the plant for about a year. It lost a good 1/3 to maybe 1/2 its leaves a couple months after I brought it home. I don't think I was watering it enough. After I adjusted the water it has seemed fairly happy and has not dropped any more leaves.
This past summer it had a good growth spurt and grew a good foot or so in height. The new growth is all at the top.

Other Questions:
-Should I cut off the small stem that is growing further down on the trunk? How do I get my tree to "fill in" in the areas where it has lost leaves, as its last growth spurt was solely concentrated on new growth at the top of the tree?
-I have it staked to try and encourage the new growth to grow straight up. Will this be effective as I wait for the branches to strengthen?
-Should I repot?

Any other advice or observations based on looking at the tree?

Thanks again for taking the time to offer any advice!

Comments (5)

  • teengardener1888
    11 years ago

    Hi, the fiddle leaf fig in general is a easy houseplant. pruning would help. but i dont know much about pruning them. someone else who knows more should come along

  • leliz
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Any other ideas? Should I keep letting it grow taller and then try to get it to become more "bushy" or do I need to stall height so it can fill in first?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Hey, Leliz. There's a quite prolific thread about FLF you may want to check out.

  • susanholder
    9 years ago

    Hello, l need some help please. I recieved my fig a bit over 14 years ago. God love its heart it has been through 3 moves and one repotting. It has 11 trunks and is approximately 6 and a half feet tall. All the trunks are skinny and I have most of them bound to a stake, and it is still leaning. I would like to straighten it up. I had this weird idea of pulling all the trunks together and using gardening tape and starting at the bottom taping them all together to create one trunk. Please dont be horrfied, I dont have many plants and reallyhave no training. This one is special to me and would really appreciate some help to make it a healthy and attractive house plant. I live in north Alabama and it currently sitting on the back porch. Thank you in advance.

  • zzackey
    9 years ago

    I think it needs to be repotted in a bigger pot.

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