Normal result from a tip-pinch only, 1 or 2 new tips but no real reduction in upward mobility or increase in girth. Remove the lower leaves to encourage lower branches at the nodes where those leaves were attached. Practicing on Coleus is so fun because they grow so fast.

The internet is full of misinformation. These plants grow and will do best under the most intense full sun. Sun through a window is filtered and not anywhere near as intense as it would be outside. The only issue you could ever have is the leaf getting too hot if you’re air is stangnent. If there’s a fan, or even a heat/ac vent in the same room, that’ll keep the air moving enough. It’s a bummer to see everyone coming here with the same “bright indirect” light thing. People misunderstand what that means so they stick it in a dark corner and the plant suffers. Bright, meaning right up in front of a window. Indirect means not outdoors in direct sunlight. Glass filters the sun, hence not direct. That’s only because the plants have been grown under a shade cloth. They can easily handle direct sun if acclimated. All Ficus should be in front of the brightest window in your house. whatmay seem bright or plenty of light to a human is nothing for a plant. Dont water in small amounts. Fully drench the soil till is coming out the drain holes so you’re flushing fertilizer and tap water salts from the soil. Don’t water on a a set schedule. Water only as the plant needs it. This is be different in the summer and winter.

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.

"..... my main question or concern is that it seems as though someone had tried to ”notch” the plant, and I am wondering if it may have been done prematurely, and if it will cause significant harm to the plant since it was cut from the top of one of the two main stems of the plant." There is no evidence of attempted notching in the images you provided, but perhaps we just can't see the notch. You already asked about the trunk being chopped, and I explained what to expect as a result of that recent action and assured you no harm will result. You will soon see several branches occurring in the crotch (axil) of leaves immediately below the point where the trunk was chopped. Note the chopped trunk and new branches growing in axils of 2 leaves. Your plant will do the same as the result of the trunk(s) being severed. There is a growth regulator synthesized at the tip of every branch where the extension (lengthening) growth occurs. Auxin, the growth regulator suppresses growth of side/lateral branching. When the branch tip is removed, the reduction in the amount of that growth regulator flowing toward only the roots eliminates the chemical's ability to suppress growth of side branches. One of the new side branches will serve as the new leader/ upper part of the trunk. This maple clearly shows the scar where I chopped the trunk, which was about 8 feet tall when I chopped it back. The new trunk, above the chop, is a branch that I wired into place. See the same tree about 2 years later. You cannot even tell it was chopped, but in fact it was chopped 4 times. Bonsai practitioners chop their trees back because trees that taper radically, a thick base and thin/twiggy top makes them look old and more natural. Here is another tree ^^^ that has been chopped once just below the thin branch with the wire on it. The next chop will be immediately above the thin branch, but for the time being the part above the thin branch is serving as a sacrifice branch. It is helping to thicken the trunk to provide more taper, only to be removed later, thus the term 'sacrifice'. There is also slight browning on some leaves which i figured were due to underwstering but i think i figured out the watering so far. I see no damage that definitively says 'over-watering. What damage I see appears to be primarily mechanical injury (think 'bruising'), and maybe just a little bit of sunburn. Al