My fiddle leaf fig pruning/propagating trial and error
I've been visiting the FLF forums for months now. I've had good luck with plants my whole life but was nervous about doing anything with the FLF because they're hard to come by and it's scary to prune something so big and beautiful for the first time.
I learn by trial and error and thought I'd share this for others in case it's useful. I do not mean this to contradict any of the excellent information I found here, but I suppose I've learned that even though I didn't do things as they "should" have been done, I've had some decent results, mainly at least one cutting that looks like it will be a promising plant.
Back in September I asked about pruning the fig shown below and it was suggested that I wait until June because the plant would respond better because of its growth cycle. I intended to wait but I got impatient, as I'm betting a few of us have when it comes to this kind of thing. I pruned the branch on the right at the red mark and I then saved two sections to try to propagate. I also pulled some leaves off and tried to root those as well.
The branch on the left was air layered in early/middle October and by the beginning of December it had developed enough roots to cut it off and plant it. (This worked the best out of all of the processes I tried.)
None of the leaves rooted in water after 2.5 months so I threw them away and concentrated on the branches. I had used rooting hormone and put one in soil to root and the other in water. They had plenty of sun and I left a few leaves on with the idea that they would make food for the branch to root. The one in soil didn't do anything for a long time and in fact started to shrivel a bit, most likely because I had way too tall of a branch in the soil. The other I had put in water but again, I believe I left the branch way too long, about 16-18 inches, and nothing happened there either. I ended up cutting both down a second time and put them in water with some rooting hormone.
It took a long time but finally a couple of small roots formed on one branch in the water, oddly the one that had begun to shrivel. Nothing but callus formed on the other - not a single root. Stupidly, I took the branch out to look at the roots and when I put it back in I barely touched the root against the other branch and broke it off, ruining the insanely slow progress the plant had made. Sadly, I didn't learn the first time did this TWICE.
Frustration about this gave me the idea add a couple of drops of Miracle-Gro Quick Start to the water. Quick Start stimulates root growth to make transplanting plants easier. I've used it for years for spring flowers and thought I'd give it a go. I'm guessing that there's a valid reason that using Quick Start hasn't been suggested anywhere, but the branch went nuts and put all of this out within a couple of weeks.
I had read here (Thanks to Tapla) that roots started in water are more brittle and not as able to absorb water once planted in soil. This me nervous because it looked like it was time to plant but I was sure I'd end up breaking most of them off during the process. So today I decided to take this same cutting, wrap the roots in damp sphagnum moss and see if some stronger ones sprout to aid these you see above.
This photo shows all that I have left from the big prune. The one in the pot was the air layered branch and it's thriving and put out new leaves soon after being potted.
The branch on the right is the one with the roots shown above. I put a couple of drops of Quick Start in the water I soaked the sphagnum in and now it's "planted" with hopes that new strong roots will develop.
The one on the left is the branch that never did a thing. Today I cut it down again to the height you see here. I cut the bottom off at an angle to expose as much area as possible for rooting, cut down the leaf, per recommendations here, and put it in damp sphagnum with a couple of Quick Start drops. We'll see what happens here as this is the one that has taken the most abuse, being cut down about three times now.
This picture below is what the FLF in the first photo looks like right now close up. This is where I cut off the air layered branch. You can see that very quickly a bud has formed in the axil on the left and another small bud seems to be sprouting on the lower right. These will eventually be branches.
This is where I began to understand why it was recommended that I wait until spring/summer to do this. Apparently if I waited the roots that supported the branches I cut off would have had lots of energy left that would have forced more buds to pop. This way I got the expected one in the axil on the left but only one bud below, which is exactly what Tapla said could be expected in one of the posts somewhere.
This picture is where the tallest branch had been on the right as shown in the first picture. This only made one bud, not two.
At this point the original plant looks like a shrub, but the new growth looks strong and healthy. There is a thin third branch that seems to be strengthening because the tree has less on top to provide for now. It will be interesting to see what happens with it in the next few months.
The FLF behind it looks pretty much like it came out of a decorating magazine. I was fortunate enough to buy it that way and I hope I can keep it that way! Eventually I'd like to notch it in one spot to encourage a branch. It was much fuller when I first got it and due to the change in climate/light it lost a good number of small leaves from the bottom and inside.
I know this was long, but hopefully it was helpful. Now that I've seen the results of my choices I understand more fully what experts were explaining. While more vigorous, immediate growth would be preferred, it has been fun to watch the changes over the fall/winter.
If I experiment any further I'll post again if I think it will be helpful. Thanks for indulging me here and Happy New Year to all!
Comments (19)
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Fiddle Leaf Fig Rescue + Pruning
Comments (5)Hi Chihsin, I live in NYC and care for more than a dozen Ficus lyratas and have for over 30 years. Humidity is not the problem, so you ca dispense with the pebble trays, humidifier and showers. When properly irrigated, Lyratas do just fine in low humidity. Likewise, stop fertilizing. Fertilizer is intended for healthy, vigorously growing plants that are using up nutrients in the soil. It is not medicine. Light may be a problem because your windows are overlooking a courtyard and not receiving as much as a south or west window would in locations outside the city. Your Lyrata would benefit from a few hours of direct sun. Move your plant directly in front of a completely uncovered (no sheers) window. Watering Lyratas is tricky. They do not tolerate dryness very well, but they also do not like constantly wet soil either. I suggest that you allow no more then the top inch of soil to dry in between thorough waterings. Develop a consistent watering routine. In FL nurseries, Lyratas are grown in two basic forms - tree and bush. You have the latter but apparently prefer the former. The multiple stems is the tip-off to that. It will be very hard for you to achieve the tree form vision that you have. You can remove the lower leaves if you prefer, but having multiple bare stems at the bottom may look a little odd. But that is personal choice. Howeve you prune, it will not affect the health of growth of the plant. It will only alter its appearance The important thing is to get the light and watering under control so that all future growth will come in healthy and blemish-free. Existing brown spots will never disappear, so it is important to prevent more in the future. ~Will...See MoreMy Dischidia has bugs
Comments (17)Insecticidal soap is just a normal type of soap - not some special pesticide. The manufacturers just pick a which soap to put in the bottle to reduce the damage done to your plants (typically long chain molecules). Human safe and plant safe are not the same thing. The difference is that if you pick up some soap of your shelf at home it could be a short chain version that is phytotoxic. And plants really don't need lotion or scent additives either, as Rhizo mentions. If you have cheap plants then use cheap soap and risk it. But if you have an expensive collection with rare or sensitive plants, I would recommend using a product designed for specific treatments. Natural does NOT mean safe. If you look at any organic pesticides, they typically require the use of chemical resistant gloves, respirator/mask, and full clothing. Same requirements as when using synthetic pesticides. Natural does NOT mean it won't kill your plant. Since you mentioned succulents, neem oil will kill or severely damage Kalanchoe. Many houseplants have sensitivies, so it's good to always check prior to use. This applies to synthetics too. Not saying anything against natural pesticides, just that these are common misconceptions. Honestly, the vast majority of synthetic pesticides are created based on natural ones. Mother nature is a real pro at developing nasty/toxic/potent things - the easiest way is for scientists to copy what's already there. For aphids, alcohol and water spray is normally enough, as mentioned above. =)...See MoreHow to prune a fiddle leaf fig tree
Comments (77)Hi, Kim. I think you're being a little too hard on yourself. Your plant looks healthy, so you get gold stars for that. Where most of the plants seen here would be designated as 'of the species', your is actually a cultivar - 'Bambino', probably, and was selected for it's growth habit. It varies from the species plant in that it exhibits a very compact growth habit - very short internodes relative to the species plant, with smaller/thicker uniformly green leaves with lighter veins, the leaves oriented more nearly upright on very short petioles (leaf stems). I'm sure the cultural wants of your plant are the same as those of the species plant. Should I cut it way down to encourage branches lower? Sometimes a grower gets a message a plant is sending with only a casual glance. Your plant looks reluctant to back-bud, which is the first step in forming new branches. You can wait to see what the plant does on its own; put the plant outdoors in brighter light (when temps are above 55*), where the light and air movement bight stimulate back-budding; or you can cut the plant back to about 2/3 of the ht you want to maintain it at, which will force back-budding, but to what degree is still a question. I'd do it around the 4th of July if I lived in SF. I've read posts about better soil so I will try that also. I just want a fuller plant. Also I live in San Francisco if that matters in terms of light. Not the sunniest spot in CA, it it? ;-) Is the pot big enough? Is that a trick question? It's more than big enough, but that comment needs to be qualified if it's to have any meaningful value. If the roots have reached a degree of congestion where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, it needs repotting. Repotting doesn't mean 'moved to a larger pot', that's potting up. In fact, it may well turn out that a much smaller pot would be a more realistic choice after a repot, which includes root pruning, but that decision would be made based on your choice of soils. The better your soil drains and the less excess water your soil holds, the less important pot size becomes in terms of the plant being over-potted. The reverse is true as well. The more water retentive your soil is, the more critical pot size is and the more important it becomes to avoid an over-potted plant. Al...See MoreFiddle Leaf Fig tree Root Maintenance & Prune
Comments (2)"Is it ok to both prune and repot at the same time?" Yes. If your plant is healthy and your first root reduction requires removing a significant volume of roots, removing a commensurate volume of foliage can help keep the plant from indiscriminately shedding the leaves and branches IT will "decide" to shed. Many growers are very quick to repeat the current/conventional mantra that foliage shouldn't be reduced at transplant time; but w/o taking into consideration the fact that you're also going to remove a significant volume of roots, repeating the singsong mantra is rather meaningless. Your tree is an organism that receives chemical messengers that will tell it to shed foliage if the roots are significantly reduced, and roots if the canopy is significantly reduced. It's better to make the reductions yourself so you have the choice in the matter. It might not be all that significant for your tree, which only has the central stem; but it could be disastrous if you had a well-developed branch structure and the tree shed branches critical to the tree's eye appeal after you repotted. Typically, the first couple of repots end up being the most stressful because more work needs doing to get the root mass straightened out. Too, my repots are usually pretty severe; severe to the degree than I wouldn't suggest you try to emulate what I do. Because of that, I regularly prune quite hard when I repot or very soon after - as in as soon as I see new growth appearing. This really does little to slow development or growth of the tree. Root pruning represents a short-term setback, but that setback is more than repaid in the form of growth much more robust than your plant would have realized had you NOT repotted it. "Should I look to sort out the roots and then move onto the pruning?" That's typically what I would do if the repot wasn't one of those epochal sessions where a very large fraction of the roots were removed (75-90%). "I would also like to propagate the off cut stem into another tree, as the cutting will be approx. 1m. I thought spring would be the best time for this, is that correct? The best time for propagating cuttings would be just before Christmas for you. That's when the plant will have the most stored energy. Any advice and/or tips would be appreciated." If you like, you can increase the probability of your cutting striking (growing roots) and the speed with which it will strike by doing this: Purchase some IBA rooting powder. Cut 2 pieces of electrical tape long enough to make at least 2 wraps around the stem. Sprinkle one end of each piece of tape with the powder, making sure it sticks to the tape, then wrap the tape where you want roots to grow on the stem so the powder is against the bark and secure the tape. The tape will create darkness, so you'll be 'blanching' the stem. It will also trap moisture against the trunk. These cultural conditions will help stimulate root initials to form. The IBA hormone will work in concert to help stem cells in the vascular cambium decide they want to be roots, rather than whatever other organ cultural conditions would push the plant toward developing. In mid-Dec, you can sever the cutting just below the lowest tape, remove the tape, cut off leaves at the node immediately above the tape, and stick the cutting in a highly aerated, damp (but never wet or soggy) medium in open shade and out of wind. You'll want 2 nodes buried and 2 healthy leaves left on the cutting. If you want a single-stemmed plant, make a tip cutting. If you want a multi-stemmed bushy plant, take an internodal cutting. It's helpful to cut the leaves left on the plant in half across venation to reduce the likelihood of the plant shedding the leaves as a drought response. You can always start an air layer now if you like. It should be ready to separate around Christmas or just before when you do your repotting. I apologize for the tardy reply. I only got to your message asking me to look at your post tonight. I get at least 10-20 plant-related messages from Houzz members every day, and it's taken me this long to catch up after being away for a week's vacation around mid-Aug. I hope I've provided you with some insight you can put to work for you and your plant. Give a lot of thought to the medium you'll ultimately provide as a home for roots. The need to fight your soil for control of your plant's vitality takes much of the fun and reward from growing, so soil choice is a key factor that influences how rewarding your growing experience CAN be. Your turn for questions or added input. I hope I'm not too late to have provided anything useful. Al...See More
spjin
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoIt has been about three weeks and I have new leaves blooming all over. The bud I showed in the fourth picture in the original post now has two growing leaves (on left), there are more blooming on the first cut (right) and the thin branch that has done nothing for two years now has leaves blooming from the tip.
My air layered cutting (in blue pot above) has roots growing out of the bottom of the pot and it has sprouted even more leaves from the tip. The one I put in sphagnum moss is now potted and we'll see where that goes. The moss probably wasn't the best idea because it was very difficult to get it out of all the roots without breaking a bunch.
My plants get a lot of light all day long which I'm sure has allowed all of this new growth to sprout in the winter. It has been fun to watch and I can't wait to see what this will look like at the end of the summer.
(New leaves on end of thin branch)
Debbie H
6 years agoNice info! How are they doing now :)
I just got mine 2 weeks ago. It's by north facing window. I hope it is enough light. Probably need to use grow light to supplement when winter comes
spjin
6 years agoDebbie H
6 years agoI am not very sure why I am surprised but the leaf has rooted in water :) I'm elated
Andrea ME z5b
6 years agoDebbie H
6 years agospjin
6 years ago
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agoDebbie H
6 years agoThanks spjin and Al
I was waiting for roots to become longer and I trimmed my leaves at a different time. I did notice a new leaf is coming out in water tho. Regardless, I'm gonna pot then soon before winter comes :)
spjin
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agospjin
6 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agonoelle_e_mckinley
6 years agoDebbie H
6 years ago
Dave