can't tell if its a joke or not. :) it normal. they have been there all the time.

also not sure if just 2 cups are enough watering.

Oh my gosh, thank you Jen. I never noticed them until now and assumed the worst. Haha, that's great to hear!

Lol, also, nope, wasn't a joke somegu7. I'm craaazy new when it comes to plant care and couldn't find any answers online after a lot of googling 'little black leafs on fiddle leaf fig'.

I hear different options of what is the right amount of water for this tree, so I settled on 2 cups per week according to the video I found (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mEEI_XCWbI) and some general advice online. The little guy seems to be doing okay for now. I'll try touching the soil more often during the week to see if he's dry or not.

No problem! He seems to be doing pretty well right now,! When you water, the amount will depend on a lot of things like the type of soil, the size of the pot, the size of the root system, and the temperature. General rule of thumb is water until it starts to drain out of the bottom and then stop. Don’t water again until the top 2-3 inches or so is dry. :) there’s no set amount and all plants are different and they do have “personalities”. Haha I have one happy go lucky FLF that will thrive no matter what I do to it, and another who will make a brown spot if I look at it wrong. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The best way to water is by applying water evenly over the soil surface until the soil is completely saturated and water is draining from the drain hole. Stop watering. Return in 10-15 minutes and water again until at least 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain hole. Alternately, water slowly over the entire surface until at least 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain hole. This practice prevents an unhealthy accumulation of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution. Watering only until you first observe water exiting the drain, then stopping, ensures an accumulation of dissolved solids. Also, most hobby growers are using a soil that is overly water-retentive. In deeper pots, there can be several (up to 6 or more) inches of soil that is 100% saturated at the bottom of the pot when the top 2-3 inches of soil feels completely dry. Use a 'tell' to 'tell' you when it's time to water. When the tell comes out nearly dry, it's time to water.

Using
a 'tell'

Over-watering
saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so
learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store
their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose).
Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and
in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food.
From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in
the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too
much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a
prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a
build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a
plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves
us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that
requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that
drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point,
so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever
we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form
of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation.
Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer,
which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor.

In
many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by
hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from
light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot
is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of
the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and
gauge the need for water.

Fingers
stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not
for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that
feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100%
saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation
can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very
notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering
meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical
conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled
water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'.

One
of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water
is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a
wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They
usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and
serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and
slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a
straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry,
it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you
might need to try several places until you find one where you can
push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then
withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings,
withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see
signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought
stress isn't a recurring issue.

Al

@tapla I flush mine every 3-4 waterings or so, is that not enough? I’ve got probably 60 houseplants and flushing them all every watering would have people even more concerned about the time I spend with and on my plants lol .

That's fine, Jenn. I think that as long as people are aware of the fact that salts from tap-water and fertilizer solutions tend to build up in the soil/soil solution, and they act with some regularity to mitigate the effects, they're well ahead of the crowd.

I have my pots set above the collection saucer so I CAN flush with every watering. The water exits the drain hole and sits in the collection saucer until it evaporates. Since the drain hole(s) are above the waterline, there is no pathway by which the effluent can make its way back into the pot.

In the winter, I fertilize at low doses and flush the soil with fertigation solution every time I water In summer, because I water with a hose when plants are outdoors, I fertilize weekly whenever temps allow, and flush the soil with each watering.

Al