Ficus lyrata, or commonly known Fiddle Leaf Fig is considered the houseplant of the decade because of its popularity in the design world in these past years. It has become a must have in the plant community, since who wouldn't love to have a tree grow indoors?
Here are some tips to make your plant grow and thrive in your home.
Light:
This gorgeous tree loves bright indirect light, it even likes some morning direct light, maybe two to three hours tops. More sun will cause the leaves to lose its strong dark green color. Place close to a window or door, so it receives plenty of light. This plant should go in the brightest spot of your house or space.
Water:
It's important to not let this plant sit in soggy potting mix, since this will lead to root rot. Let dry a bit between waterings, it is better to do this than to overwater. It is important to water thoroughly, enough so it drains water through its drainage. This plant requires a lot of water when it's being watered. Once in a while give the leaves a shower, it will thank you.
Soil:
Fiddle leaf figs need a well draining potting mix. We recommend to use an indoor potting mix, with peat moss and perlite or vermiculite, or create your own mix half peat moss, half perlite. This mix helps to retain moisture without rotting the roots.
Food:
If your plant was just repotted, start fertilizing in 6 months, since the potting mix will still have enough nutrients. You can add then, slow release fertilizer and forget about it for the next few months once again. If you prefer to use fertilizer diluted in water, then you can fertilize once or twice a year.
Repotting:
Repot once a year to give it more space to grow. Always use pots with drainage holes. If it's getting to large for the space you can trim the rootball (no more than 20% of it) and leave on the same pot size, and add fresh potting mix, this can help slow down it's growth.
Propagation:
Ficus lyratas are not that easy to propagate. The easiest way of doing this is with stem cuttings. Use clean sharp scissors to cut your stem cutting, it should be 4" minimum, and it should include a leaf and a part of the stem. You can put this in moist potting mix, and keep the potting mix moist until the new plant grows roots. If you try to pull the plant from the soil and there is a bit of resistance then roots are growing! It takes a while, but it is so worth it.
Toxicity:
Fiddle leaf figs are mildly toxic to cats, dogs and humans if ingested. Signs of intoxication in pets include: intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing. (*Source: ASPCA)
Facts:
•This tree chooses it’s place to grow. Once it is settled, happy and growing new leaves, you will not move it to another location without noticing it is not happy with the change. It will look sad and it will have changes in appearance. I’m telling you it is very picky with its place and doesn't like change that much. If it’s thriving and happy, don't move it. If you REALLY need to move it, then try to move it to a place where lighting and humidity conditions stay the same.
•Clean its leaves about once a month, because they are large in area they will collect a lot of dust.
•If you're watering correctly, and it looses many healthy leaves, this could be a sign that is needs brighter light.
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