If you see no change within a week to the bud below, go over the same spot again. If they’re small, it’s better to leave them on the plant! I have it in a window with very bright light and noticing brown spots on the edges outer part of leaves. Hi Shannon, that is a lot of growth, sounds like you are doing something right! It has about 5 main branches, some longer than others. I would say that if you don’t want to risk disturbing the roots of the tiny ones, you could instead cut them at ground level and propagate them in water. Unfortunately, consuming fiddle leaf fig foliage can cause painful symptoms for your dog including skin and gastrointestinal irritation. Wow! I would like to try and take some of the smaller plants and separate them to grown in their own pots but I’m not wondering if it’s a bit too soon. It is the indoor plant of the decade. My FLF had a brown spots on a few leaves when I bought it. Thank you for your help. Quite useful tips however I do not agree that they are slow growing and I’ll explain why..I have had my flf bush since 6/2017 and it was but 3 feet tall when it was purchased. I have one of both, I for a while I just wondered why one of mine looked like a waif-y 90s fashion model and the other looks like a bush. Potted Ficus Larata or Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree Isolated on White. Pinching is literally using your thumb and finger to pull out a new bud before it develops (similar effect to pruning). There are measures you can take if your plant is indoors (here’s a few ways to increase humidity), but outdoors is a different story. The explosive popularity of fiddle leaf fig trees—formally known as Ficus lyrata—is likely due to some combination of their speedy growth rates, attractive large leaves, and overall size and growers’ decisions and supply, Bullene says, though that doesn’t mean it’s the perfect house tree … Even though ive had the plants for a couple years in the same pot could I still split them and get two plants or would you keep them together? Plants won’t always grow exactly how we’d like them to and sometimes embracing this can lead to a unique plant. Built by Newcastle Creative Co. A post shared by Emily Connett – Dossier Blog (@dossierblog) on Mar 23, 2020 at 1:24am PDT. There will always be some inevitable damage with separating them so that is something to consider and may cause a little bit of leaf loss too. If its getting hit with dry air for extended times this could be a reason. Hello! If your FLF isn’t responding well to what you’re doing – change something! Hello! Is it better to leave those leaves for now if the spots are relatively small, or should I prune them off? Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree vs. Fiddle Leaf Fig Bush. I’m in the middle of separating my two trees and was told to cut the roots whilst it is still in its pot, to wait 6 weeks and then repot in separate pots. ? It may take a little while to understand what your FLF needs. 2. I find they often need a lot more light than they’re getting, so consider if yours is getting enough! How do I promote new leaf growth to get the lollipop shape I want. Sometimes the trunks are weak because they have grown without enough sunlight – you can confirm this if there are gaps between the leaves. Once every 10 days is generally a good time to water. After the leaves dry you can give your Fiddle Leaf Fig Bush a glossy look by using Bonide Leaf shine and Moisture Guard. The soil on top is dry, but moisture meter is reading wet in the middle downward. You could still tie the branches together, however this won’t necessarily help the plant in the long-run, in terms of getting it to stand straight on it’s own. Bambinos need nutrients to support strong roots and healthy leaves, so make sure to regularly fertilize with a liquid 3-1-2 NPK fertilizer like Fiddle Leaf Fig Food, especially during the spring and summer when your plant is growing. Multiple trunks: If your FLF seems to have more than one trunk in its pot, it is possible that it is actually more than one plant! I just purchased my first FLF bush. Thanks for all the great info! Should it be just above a bud, just below one or doe it not matter? Pruning is the easiest way to encourage branching – you don’t need to cut a lot off if you don’t want. Hope that helps, it was a lot of info! Hello! I don’t recommend watering little by little as all the roots need to be watered, and watering until the excess drains allows the soil to be flushed of any chemical or salt buildup that can be present in the water you use. Hi Anne, unfortunately if you trim the edges of the leaves, they won’t grow back! I have a whole post with details on soil and repotting that you might find helpful! It also entirely depends on how healthy it is, it’s environment and the season. I’ve just got a 1 foot tall fiddle leaf fig..its been 1.5 months now and the plant was doing fine and it even sprouted two new leaves but recently i am noticing some brown patches on most of the leaves mostly near the edge..i am not able to understand what’s wrong..i water it once in 10 days and its placed in a south facing room with large glass doors..although its a little away from the glass door but i think it receives moderate light..i am concerned if the brown leaves are a result of cold air passing through the doors.. Hey Anamika, if the brown spots are on the edges of the leaves creeping in, I would say it has something to do with moisture levels or the environment its in. Does notching make the tree stop growing taller, or does it just slow it down and send that energy into the branching? I actually wrote a post on strengthening the trunk, and the tips in that post will help with thickening the trunk too. When you say your FLF has 5 branches, do you mean 5 trunks coming out of the soil, or a single trunk with 5 branches further up? Would you recommend switching to a 3-1-2 and how long should I wait to switch after I stop using the 6-12-6 spikes? Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂. I bought my FLF as a mature tree. All the best 🙂. When multiple stems share the one root system, its riskier to separate them and may cause more harm to the plant if you do. 🙂. The top is VERY sparse with 4 branches that have 1-7 leaves on them. See if you can tell if they are attached (a low fork) or separate trunks. Let me know in the comments if this was helpful or if you have anything else you’d like to know! My FLF that I’m training into a tree is well on its way – branching at the top now! They are very fun to grow and bring so much joy 🙂. These forums were an amazing resource for me and I would definitely recommend checking out more! FLFs love sunlight and I’ve found that it’s a major factor in getting them growing large and healthy 🙂 Just remember they do need to be acclimatized to any direct sun. Can you please show me exactly what notching looks like. Hi Liz, have a look at this forum link which talks a lot about notching in detail and also shows some photos: I would hate to do something too dramatic and damage my plant. Ever since I wrote the post Growing and Pruning Your Fiddle Leaf Fig, the biggest question people have had is about how to grow a Fiddle Leaf Fig from bush to tree form! Yellow leaves The adjustment was hard as we figured out where it would thrive and it lost many leaves at the beginning. If you have multiple trunks in the one pot, you could try separating them when you repot. Is that unusual? Pruning will signal to the plant to send out new shoots. Your FLF can handle a lot of wiggling, so don’t be afraid to really move it. Hey Alex, Spring is definitely the best time to encourage new growth & branches so I would wait til then before trying anything. Lastly, I saw huge improvements in my FLFs trunk when I started using a quality fertiliser. I’ve also got a whole post about tips on leaning that might help too 🙂. This post of branching may have some tips if you’d like to try shape your plant into more of that tree shape! Hey I’m still very new to caring for indoor plants and I’m not very sure what you mean by pruning or pinching (where and how – Pictures would be very helpful!). Hi Breanna, check out the link to the forum below which has some more specific information – These forums taught me a huge amount! Fiddle Leaf Fig Propagation Series PART 5 with Moody Blooms! But with a little extra work it’s possible to get them to support themselves. Can I use those to propagate a new plant? This is may be a silly with all the info online but I don’t know how to report or if I should. There is a mix of about 4 which are 3f tish high and some much smaller ones. Hi, Emily’s posts have been featured on popular travel websites as well as home & style sites such as Apartment Therapy. It’s grown about a foot since I bought it with at least 15 leaves since last August. 1 has 2 trunks and the other has 3. Overall, he’s very happy. Position your plant by a north- or east-facing window, which will give the fiddle leaf fig a consistent amount of rays with burning or drying it out. 🙂. I actually purchased two with the thought of putting them on my covered patio in a tall planter to create a living privacy screen. Hey Teresa, I’m still experimenting with notching myself, but have a look at this link which talks really specifically about how to notch for new branches. You can pick yourself up one from Bunnings for around $20. FLFs love a bit of humidity so make sure its in a good location and you can even mist it with a sprayer. This means they end up needing to be tied indefinitely, rather than the plant supporting itself! I’ve just bought another FLF with three stems in the pot, to grow bushy and lush. It would definitely be possible to seperate your plant. Also how would you go about splitting them? Hope my fig will groÅ¡ healthy:) have a lovely day! The fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is a popular indoor specimen plant featuring very large, heavily veined, violin-shaped leaves that grow upright.These plants are native to tropical parts of Africa, where they thrive in very warm and wet conditions. If it looks like the leaves are dead and aren’t recovering, you could remove them completely to keep your tree looking green. Notching a Fiddle Leaf Fig may seem scary but it shouldn’t be! If you would like your FLF to branch or it is growing too tall, pruning will definitely help the trunk. It is a little earlier in the season than I would normally prune, but I think as long as your plants are getting good light there shouldn’t be any issues with branching. I’m still not sure what I should do about my bush Fiddle leaf tree… I have a 3” little one and want to repot but accidentally ordered a massive pot. It sounds strange but it does help! They do a lot to help support the trunk and provide nutrients for health and growth. The leaves are thick and leathery and can be quite sizable, with lengths of up to 18 inches. You can still split them but how successful it is will partly depend on how close together the trunks are or how intertwined the root system is. I’ve left all the leaves on the trunk but I would like more of a tree look. So glad this post was helpful for you 🙂. Let’s first address the common indications that your fiddle leaf tree is suffering. There is some new growth coming on from the bottom of the tree. Follow Emily on Instagram (@dossierblog) to stay up to date! If it takes a looong time for the excess to come out (or it doesn’t come out at all), the soil is possibly compacted and the plant could do with repotting. Do you have any information on this? Once you get the basics right, your FLF should stay happy! I was wondering – throughout these 6 weeks can I try notching to encourage new branches? Before giving up on your plant, try working your way through some easy fixes. I think when we take plants out of their natural climate its best to understand that they may just not grow as lush as if they were in a tropical rainforest! Maybe you can help me, my FLF is doing great, the only thing, it’s getting really tall and starting to lean pretty bad. The ficus family, which includes the fiddle leaf, is full of other beautiful plants too, like this one—also called a rubber plant. When there’s enough light, the leaves grow closer together and support the trunk better. Now is a great time to be fertilizing them (if you aren’t already) as a quality fertilizer will give it a nutrients boost. Thank you! So lets look at each one individually: Fiddle Leaf Figs aren’t the fastest growing plants but you can speed up their growth by providing the right conditions for them. Whatever you decide, try to imagine how you’d like the plant to look in the long run. What are your thoughts on tying the branches together at the bottom to keep them aligned as each trunk grows taller? Carefully separate the roots and replant them in multiple pots. My question is do you think it’s possible to separate three the almost 5 foot trees at this point? My flf has a sturdy trunk with five branches. If I prune those two large branches from the trunk, will it encourage new growth at the top of the tree? Would love your input. I haven’t braided any myself but I know its best to start early (or as soon as you can) while the trunks are still young and flexible. I have an 8 foot tall fiddle leave who has lost most of its leaves on top leaving exposed branches with no leaves on them. While the bush-form generally have the trunk covered in leaves, the internet is full of whimsical pictures of the tree-form FLF with a bare waif-like trunk. Hi there, Apologies if I missed you explaining this one but my question is, my fiddle leaf is about 50cm tall. All the best! They are suited for growing indoors because it does not become excessively large. 🙂. I just scratched the top a little (where I pinched it) and there’s still sap coming out of it. There should be a link to a great FLF one in this post if you need. I have a FLD plant and would really like to encourage it to grow into a tree and I’m well aware that it will take time 🙂 Thanks nonetheless for this post! Notching has a similar affect and you may want to use this method if you have a precise idea of where you would like a branch to grow. If you can, putting your FLF outdoors will help the trunk. To be even more sure, feel if the top 1 inch of soil is wet or dry. Its also best to wait til the growing season before making changes like this. thank you for the helpful info! With all this being said, I have to mention that fiddle leaf figs aren’t the easiest indoor trees out there. All the best! Hope it helps! Patience is key 🙂 hopefully you will get some growth soon! I did not know this for an embarrassingly long time. The braiding does look stunning too, as long as you can plant them without doing too much damage to the existing roots. This should help guide you on if or where to prune, keeping in mind that pruning generally does encourage branching. If the branches were next to each other, it could be possible that something external to the plant itself caused the loss! So for best results, the best thing to do is to make sure your FLF is getting enough light, water and nutrients through fertilizer. My question is can I transfer to larger pot? The plant comes in two forms: a plant and a bush. Let me know how you go! Can I just cut them at the base? Taking a while to dry out in this plastic pot with the type of soil Lowe’s used. I just purchased a FLF today! I live in Texas (zone 8) and we get all of the seasons. Your site is so hopeful – caring doe FLF can be confusing with all the info out there. Can you recommend how I can get them from leaning to the sides? I try to separate now, risking that they may be too young and struggle to grow You can always find another single FLF in a pot to train into a tree-shape. Try pruning or notching to create branches that might help balance the weight. There are a few factors involved in making sure your FLF ends up looking like a tree. I appreciate the help! Hope that helps! You may want to wait until the stem matures and thickens. At the beginning of this growing season, two branches started from the very bottom of the trunk and have now grown to be 3-4 feet long with 10-12 large leaves on each. If so, other options could be to propagate a stem, which you can then grow singularly in a pot to form a more tree-like shape. Either small or large, rubber trees all take on a life and shape … I waited about 2 weeks to repot and it’s been in the same location (an easy facing window w white sheers) every since…I ignore her basically only watering about every 2 months and currently it is 6 feet tall and shows new growth weekly. This is a lot of info but if you do each of these things, they will definitely help your FLF! Hope that helps! It is now all the way to the ceiling and still giving off new leaves. Seems nice and strong. I have two very big and beautiful fifis (how I call them) for a while now. Hi, I love following your site and Instagram. I think the branches are forked just under the soil, but I will try the stakes as you suggested to another commenter. See these posts for other information on Fiddle Leaf Figs. That’s why it’s best to make changes to plants (such as notching or pruning) during the peak of the growing season (eg late Spring), which gives the best chance of seeing results. Before he came to me, the grower must have chopped the main trunk (about halfway up) and there are two stems that have grown in a Y shape from that cut, so now the tree is growing out in two points rather than up. When I was only watering it once or less per week, the leaves had brown edges and there was not as much growth. Its leathery leaves are thick and shiny. I’m guessing you’re thinking of repotting as the soil isn’t seeming to dry out in the middle? With proper care and attention, you can turn your new fiddle-leaf fig plant into a towering tree that fits your space perfectly. Olive Trees are the new fiddle leaf figs and I’m loving the significantly smaller leaves which feels so fresh! Even grew in Oregon winter! The humidity is 36% today which is probably about average. If you don’t mind that, you can of course tie them together. Or leave the three trunks in the one pot and enjoy how lush and bushy they get! If they are separate or even if you’re not quite sure, you should be able to separate them when repotting. A good way to know is if your FLF is regularly pushing out new leaves at the top or not. I got mine just a year ago and it was 36” tall. Keep in mind that the branches will grow at the height you prune, so that may determine how much you want to prune off. I have a FLF and it was doing well until I took it outside to give it a shower. As your FLF sounds quite mature, I would say you’d have to cut the roots apart to do this, which can be a little risky. Sometimes I prefer to bring home smaller plants, as you can then experiment and grow the plant to the size and shape you like. With small ingestions of the plant material, there is a risk for mild gastrointestinal irritation. Young stems are green, and will then slowly turn brown. Or will the plant go into shock? Some people love it, some people can’t stand it, but either way, no one can stop talking about it. I have three individual plants that are planted in one pot. A bushy FLF generally occurs when there’s multiple trunks in the one pot – some FLFs are sold like this while others are sold as single trunks. Hey Rhi, yes notching will encourage branches at the location where you make a notch. Hope that helps 🙂. Both have leaves on their trunks from the soil to the top of the trunk. Which one is my best bet to try and maximise the amount of full size FLF’s I’ll end up with? Hi Thais, I think it will depend on the type of cutting you did. I’ve read most of the comments about pruning and supporting growth but I’m still not sure how to go about getting a thicker “trunk” on my FLF. You’ve heard this before, but have you … Hi, thanks for the info. Cheers. If you’re concerned about the smaller branch not growing, you could try facing that side of the plant closest to the light! I’m sure its best to start this process while the plant is still young. I don’t see any reason why you can’t plant a couple FLFs together, if that’s the look you’re after. I’m happy to share what I’ve learnt, especially since there can be a lot of misinformation out there! My FLF had grown to over 10′ tall and getting close to the ceiling. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1465570/pruning-ficus-lyrata-to-branch Hey Michelle! ? Will one of them become the main trunk? Thank u so much..i think i should consider moving it to some different place since its winters here and the room gets a bit colder as conpared to other rooms in the house This article on encouraging a Fiddle Leaf Fig to branch might have some more useful info too! Can I grow my FLF bush into a tree? It keeps sending out leaves from the top seems to be growing well. My FLF is about 7ft tall and is one branch with leaves. 🙂, I’m glad the info was helpful Virginia! But FLFs do prefer to slightly dry out between waterings. I would say the main steps for thickening the trunk is giving them lots of light and using a quality fertlizer. This indoor tree type plant grows over 15 metres tall in it's natural habitat and up to 3 metres indoors, although they can be topped to prevent them growing taller. Similarly, you can prune any unwanted branches, but just be aware of the affect it will have on the plant – don’t leave your plant too bare. Now patiently waiting for her to start branching out. When you water, it’s best to fully soak the soil until the excess runs out the bottom. You must have the knack for FLFs! Hi! Hope those tips help! Here’s a post on propagation that might help. Make sure you are ready to prune these leaves as a last resort. This makes them somewhat challenging for the home grower, who is likely to have trouble duplicating these steamy conditions. I have a FLF that is About 2.5 feet tall. You may want to do multiple notches, as not all of them may take. 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