NO plant likes root congestion. There are times when root congestion might serve the grower because it has an effect on the plant the grower likes, but that isn't a clear indicator the plant will like it. Tight roots cause stress and all sorts of physiological problems for all plants. It reduces growth, branch extension, and leaf size. It limits vitality and caused the shedding of older leaves proximal (closer to the trunk) to growing branch tips (apices). If anyone tells you that a particular plant prefers to be root bound w/o explaining what they really mean is some growers like to maintain a particular plant in root bound conditions, they're wrong. If "some plants" really did prefer root bound conditions, Mother Nature would surely have arranged the plant's genetics so it grew tight little masses of roots right under the stem ..... but we know there are no plants that naturally occur that way. That said, your plant probably isn't in any immediate danger that pertains to root congestion. You're better to suffer the limitations the plant is now growing under for a while in exchange for a more opportune time to repot, which for you would be next June. Plants have natural rhythms, during which their energy levels wax and wane. For major work, like repotting (which includes root pruning), it's best to ask the plant to endure the added stress of repotting or rejuvenation pruning when its energy levels are at peak - not now when they are at or approaching their lowest levels of the entire growth cycle. If you haven't read it, the link below should be very helpful. If you are wondering about repotting and how to maintain trees in containers for the long haul, this link offers lots of guidance. Al Here is a link that might be useful: Lots more info

More times than not, but that isn't to say 'always', when I ask a question of an employee at a nursery, greenhouse, or plant store, I get an answer so off the wall I instantly recognize it would be futile to respond with anything but a thank you and a hasty retreat. That sort of encounter is a bit like calling a fireman because you're stuck on a burning roof and when he arrives he tosses you one end of the rope he's holding and tells you to jump. You just KNOW you're pretty much on your own. Repotting includes bare rooting, root pruning, and a change of soil, so it's much more extensive than potting up. Potting up is a half measure that ensures your plant will forever be limited by the root congestion inherent in plantings only potted up, while repotting ensures the planting will be free of those limitations until the approximate point in time when the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact. As your plants grow, you can avoid the need to repot often by potting up before they reach that stage of congestion where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, but at some point you'll need to start repotting (or dividing if more appropriate) if you want your plantings to be free of limitations due to root congestion. Soils run the gamut from unusable/poor to superlative/almost perfect. If there is a useful point of delineation that determines good from bad soils, it would almost necessarily be soils you can water to beyond the point of saturation (so you can flush the soil of accumulating salts at will) w/o the plant paying a tax levied by prolonged periods of saturation. That arrangement can sap a huge fraction of your plants' genetic potential. If only for the fact they will fight the grower tooth and nail for control of a planting's vitality, they should be avoided at nearly any cost. Media that provide appropriate structure and long term structural integrity, which are key elements of a good container medium, make your growing experience soo much more rewarding; still, they are not easy to find on the shelf. I used to recommend any of 3 formulas of Fafard brand media, all of which were based on chunky material (pine bark), but Fafard was acquired by Sunshine and the bark they are using is quite fine and quite advanced in stage of breakdown due to composting. It's unlikely you'll find a medium on the shelf that is as good as you can make for half the price, if you can find a source of pine bark that is appropriate in size from the bag, or can readily be screened to an appropriate size w/o significant loss of volume. I've always been lucky enough to be able to find appropriate. Witness the products at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock from 3 different packagers. All are or are very close to ideal for use in container media: I use a 5:1:1 ratio of 5 pine bark (ratio varies slightly with the size gradient of the bark) to 1 peat to 1 perlite + dolomite garden lime. It produces a superb medium that works for you instead of against you. You can also make an extremely productive medium from mostly inert ingredients. Who would think that you could grow well in a medium that provides almost nothing in the way of nutrition? Lots of little rocks and a bit of pine bark, all of which are screened to a size range that ensures the medium holds no excess water. In Frisco, you should be able to find fir bark prescreened to 1/8-1/4" easily. Ewing Irrigation has Turface MVP (tan particles), and you can use Manna Pro Poultry Grit in place of the white particles. That's what I grow all my trees in (around 250-275 in pots at last count. Al

Couple things: dont mist. That’s a myth and doesn’t raise the reletive humidity long enough to do anything. Dont water one a week. Water as the tree needs it. Using a sharpened wooden dowel as your tell will help. Stick it in all the way to the bottom (don’t worry about roots). If it comes out dark, damp with soil stuck to it, don’t water. Only water when it comes out clean and dry. It won’t do well in that location. These plants need high light as in front up in front of your brightest window. Lastly, this is the edible fig section. Ficus Lyrata doesn’t fit that category.

@tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a) would love any advice you might be able to provide! I'm not sure you'll remember this, but you helped me save my first ever fiddle leaf plant a few years ago when I was living in NY - I recently moved back home to CA but the plant is still thriving! I gave it away to dear friends and they love it so very much :D