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fiddle leaf fig growth

12 years ago

I just bought a plant with two stalks in it. They are about two-three feet high. I separated them because I really am going for a tree-look (eventually!)...

If I want to grow the little houseplant into a tree, do I just pluck off the leaves on the bottom of it? How do I get branches veering off rather than leaves just coming off of the thin little trunk? Also, was it foolish for me to separate them? My friend mentioned I perhaps could have tied the two stalks together to get more of the branching out effect I'm going for in the long term. I have no idea how I'd do this.

Help!

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Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
12 years ago
Esthetically, there should be little difference between the appearance of a twin-trunk and single trunk compositions. If the grower has the skills to pull it off, well-grown trees of either type will look very much the same, except for the fact one will have 2 trunks.

Leave all the foliage on the tree for now. The small branches & leaves that grow from the lower trunk are fattening/strengthening the trunk and can be removed any time. They help to add a graceful taper to the trunk thickness, which is very pleasing to the eye and helps give the illusion of greater age. When the tree is about 2/3 - 3/4 the height at which you would like to maintain it, is when you might start removing lower branches and begin to work on the ramification (branch and leaf density) of the canopy. So, until the tree is getting close to the ht at which you'd like it to remain, your primary focus is best directed at just growing the tree well, and perhaps some gentle guidance in keeping the trunk straight or developing some gentle movement in it if you prefer.

Branches will begin to form on their own in due time, but they can be forced to grow by pruning the growing ends of branches. Keep in mind that once you cut off the growing tip of your stem, it will never elongate further - you'll need to train another branch to vertical, or wait for the tree to develop its own leader. The later, waiting for the tree to develop a new leader, isn't recommended as the tree will seldom produce a new form pleasing to the eye once you terminate the leader, w/o some intervention on your part, that is.

Al
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aelfb
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks so much. Under good conditions, how much height do these plants tend to grow each year?
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Thank you for all the advice! Crazy enough this morning when I woke up I went straight to my fig to check the status of my leaf and it was back down in normal position and no longer bent in. I hadn’t done anything at all to it yet, so not sure what was with the tantrum. To answer your questions..My fig sits in the corner with two windows. So gets light from north and west. I live in an apartment in Chicago with no south facing windows at all. Jeanne I water in the kitchen sink with a good soaking until the water runs out of the bottom for a bit. Still I’m never sure exactly how long I should water for, it’s always a stressful moment for me. Do you have any rule of thumb of measurements or length of time to water? I definitely am going to pick up that dyna gro fertilizer you mentioned. Also any advice on the red dots on the undersides of the leaves? Another question is... ever since I brought home the fig it has had some damage on the bottom leaves. Most likely from people being careless with it at Home Depot... should I prune those leaves off? Are they harmful to my plant? I will provide photos. Eventually when it grows more I would like it to be more of a tree form than bush. Which is another thing I need to learn how to do... but baby steps here. Looking forward to any and all responses! Thank you!
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Al Tapla would you be able to tell me what is wrong with mine? I've had this tree four four years and never had any trouble with it but now I am killing it! I wanted it to grow more branches so I pruned it and moved it to a sunny-er spot and added grow lights and started fertilizing more regularly. Next thing I know, it's getting yellow blotches all over the leaves and sometimes red speckles and tiny pin holes. I found spider mites on a different plant, but I couldn't see any on this one, but I hosed it off and sprayed with dish soap in case it was mites. Then the soil was soaked and wouldn't dry and a week and a half later this leaf turned black and dry in the center. I thought maybe it was because the soil was wet too long. I freaked out, so just yesterday I did a full repot (never done this before) and added perlite and orchid bark mix to potting mix to get a grittier faster drying mix. I also cut off half of the leaves. It really doesn't look too happy today (droopy leaves and soft stems and even more red speckling on new leaves) I don't know if it's been given too much light, too much fertilizer, too much water, or is infected with mites, or all of the above. Anything you can suggest? The tiny pin-holes make me think mites are one the table but I hate to stress it out more if it's not that.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
12 years ago
I wouldn't be surprised to see 3'+ in TX if you site the plant outdoors as temps allow and give the roots room to run in the pot.

Al
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