Two Perfectly Heathy Fiddle Leaf Figs not growing at all. Help!
Leigh Maslij
6 years ago
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Dave
6 years agoCassandra H
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Fiddle Leaf Fig - Grow Light?
Comments (7)Stuart - it's kind of difficult to provide adequate light if the plant is tall unless you use very intense lighting like HPS or metal halide. These lights produce enough light that you can keep them at a distance from the plant and 'bathe' the plant in their light. The problem is, they're expensive, expensive to operate, give off a lot of heat, and are noisy. Photo intensity (brightness) diminishes by the square of the distance from the light source. This means that light measured 3 ft away from the bulb is only 1/9 as bright as it is at 1 ft. That's why it's hard to light a tall plant with CFLs or other types of lights. Usually, you'll end up with the top of the plant fairly well lit, and the lower part of the plant getting very little help. There is a saying, 'The right plant for the right spot ....' that is used frequently and carries a lot of weight with experienced gardeners. It's often used in praise when a plant is doing exceptionally well, or as a gentle reminder that the spot chosen for a particular plant is what is causing it to struggle. The right spot has a lot of influence on how well the plant does, and by that your degree of success. If you decide to try it, maybe one of those spring loaded light trees (someone help me out with what they're called?) with multiple CFL bulbs would be the ticket if you can find them. You might try the 'Growing Under Lights' forum. There have been a lot of advancements in using LED lighting that I'm not up on, and you may get some help there. I have 64 sq ft under fluorescent lights, but the bulbs are very close to the foliage. I cycle them on timers at very close to what Toni mentioned - 16 on/8 off. Best luck, no matter your decision. ;-) Al Here is a link that might be useful: Growing under lights...See MoreNeed help saving my Fiddle Leaf Fig!
Comments (30)I believe they are totally repotting in fresh medium. When I was asking the woman I spoke with about the soil they use there, she told me that the tree is in the soil it arrived in, and that their own soil (the nursery's) for ficus is well aerated and appropriate for the tree. She then said that if I were to buy a pot there she would recommend going up a size to a 12" and that they would do the repot for me. Which I assumed meant that they would completely change out the medium. I was aware of the difference between the terms, but I'm glad that you brought it to my attention again so that I can make sure they're doing a full repot. I would have assumed they would know not to mix the two soils, but it would be better to play it safe and make sure they're doing the whole shebang. I see what you mean about the advice potentially being bad at times though. I think it depends on who you're talking to, just like at a mechanic. The woman seemed to be the owner or at least in charge of the ficus area. Although, when I was looking at the variegated jade plants (I've been researching and preparing to bring one of those home as well) a young man approached me and started talking about their care and pruning. He then told me to prune any all white leaves, and to leave the fully green ones. Which I know to be backwards advice, as the fully green ones don't revert back to being variegated!...See MoreFiddle Leaf Fig/Ficus Lyrata lower leaf growth/pruning HELP!!
Comments (9)If it were mine and I wanted it pretty much the way it is now, single stem with a bushy top, I would cut it back below the branches on each prong of the 'trident'. Put it outside in partial shade for a couple weeks to acclimate, and then move to full sun. Ficus back bud easily, and full sun will encourage this. Once new growth is under way, move into part shade so as not to produce sun leaves, which will not like being moved into a relatively dark house for winter. Ficus are known to drop their leaves if a shadow passes over them lol. If you want a bushy plant that branches near the soil line, you can cut the main stem to 6-12 inches, and proceed as above. There is a chance, however slight, that the plant will not like being chopped on and turn up it's toes, but I think it's a chance worth taking considering the state the plant is in now....See MoreHelp! My fiddle leaf fig is rapidly dying!!!
Comments (5)Darn, I thought the pot was just the right size. My plan today was to do a full repot with the new mix. I'm very nervous but at this rate, don't want to risk waiting until next season to do anything and watch all these beautiful leaves turn black and fall off. I've never done anything like this before, so please let me know based on my plan if I should change anything- my plan was to go get materials today. Use black gold potting soil I showed you yesterday Use this perlite soil to add in Use this reptibark for the bark portion. Buy this sieve to separate any fine dust or particles that could get into the mix and cause it to be too compacted. My plan was to get ingredients today and then this evening work on combining them. Once I know my mixture is good, do the repot tomorrow morning/afternoon as I don't want to do anything late into the day since I figure that could cause more stress. I planned on having my husband help me take him out of the pot and to flush out all the current soil outside with a garden hose (my one reserve to this is the water could be too cold?) once everythjng is cleared, bring him inside and place him into a bathtub with lukewarm water (id prep it first to avoid dry roots) and then inspect to see if I need to snip any rotting roots away meanwhile I will have my husband wash out his plot completely so the root rot is not in there anymore. (But if you think I need a new pot will just do that) fill pot up with some of the mixture, place root ball in, fill remaining with mixture. Perhaps give the pot a little toss/shake to ensure that roots are not crushed and that the mixture makes its way evenly through the system. move him to a more sunny area, at least for the time being... There really aren't more places in our house that get more light than this one, it does get a lot brighter after about 12 o clock in here and in the evening the sun comes in a lot stronger (but not directly on his leaves which is nice) so I might move him back here to see if it works okay with a better soil/root system. Thoughts? Are the ingredients for my mix okay? Anything I should know when repotting? I don't want to hurt him further...See MoreEkor Tupai
6 years agoLeigh Maslij
6 years agoDave
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoshrastin
3 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoshrastin
3 years agoem_fan
2 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
2 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)