If you have a spot in open or dappled shade, I'd defoliate it completely by cutting through the leaf petiole (stem) immediately proximal to the body of the leaf. The stub will fall off in a week or two. Matters of import: * your plant will use very little water after you defoliate because transpiration will reduced to a small fraction f what it had previously been. For that reason, I would consider using a wooden dowel rod as a 'tell' - to 'tell' you when it's time to water or if water should be withheld. * If the periderm (bark) was corky and fissured, you could just site the plant in direct sun, and the new leaves would come on line acclimated to full sun. Since there is green periderm tissue that can also suffer sunburn and death there from, you need to acclimate the tree to anything more than dappled or open shade. Open shade is full shade with open sky above - like you would have on the north side of a fence, outside the northern drip line of a shady tree, or in the shadow of a building on its north side). * Fertilize when you see the tree back-budding and pushing new growth. * Let's look at the tree in it's defoliated state before you decide what to do about pruning it. 4 images from 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, or N S E W compass points, or after rotating the tree 90* between images. The tree in the most recent image you posted is actually way overdue for a pruning. The 2 branches should have been pinched when their length was about 1/2 of what it is now. Had that been done, the tree would have many more branches and leaves. For most trees as houseplants, the apical meristem (growing tip of the branch) should be pinched back to 2 leaves when the 3rd leaf on any branch is mature or nearly mature. This will help you maximize branch and leaf density. Al

Hi Gilbert, you will get better answers in the houseplant forum. Most of the people who read this forum are growing edible figs which are treated differently.

check al's post in the container gardening forum. you want to leave the leaves at the bottom of the plant. the top leaves can be trimmed back. here is a starting point

Thank you Matt. To add some additional background ... I’ve been caring for fiddle leaf figs for about four years. First in NJ, where it was much more humid, and for the past almost-two years in Colorado. I’m always learning but I’m not a complete novice with judging when my plants need water. I can tell when the largest leaves begin to droop, by the weight of the pot, how the soil feels when I insert my finger, etc. I also realize the climate, type of soil, type of pot, etc. can all contribute to its watering needs. I didn’t suspect I was over watering when I originally posted, but Al’s suspicion led me to look for additional ways to test his theory. While the electronic toys you referred to aren’t 100% accurate, for a very small investment they provide another piece of data that can help diagnose and solve the problem. As does the wooden skewer method you recommended, which is another good indicator, but again, not perfect. (Two people may determine what feels moist vs. dry differently, they may not insert it deeply enough, etc.) I suspect from clicking around that you’re letting your frustrations from other threads carry over into this one. But please note this was my first-ever post on Houzz, and your condescending tone makes it difficult to take your advice in the spirit I’m sure it was intended.