skip to main content

Tropical Plants Figs House Plants

Leaning Fiddle Leaf Fig

last year

last modified: last year

Hi there! New to this discussion board. I'm here worried about my fiddle leaf fig.

I have had it for approximately 2 years and it has grown fabulously. I've never repotted it and it has grown about 3 feet taller with many new leaves since the day I brought it home. 2 days ago it was time to water it. I did what I always do and put it in my bathtub, watered it until it drained out the bottom, then put it back in front of the window. When I came back to it a few hours later, it was suddenly leaning as pictured below. Previously it was standing straight and tall. It's never leaned before. As soon as I saw it, I turned the pot so that the lean is away from the sun, hoping that it'll correct itself by pulling back upwards toward the light. In addition, I've been shaking the branches every time I walk by now to encourage them to strengthen.

What are your thoughts? Should I stake it or give it more time to hopefully straighten itself out? I don't understand why it happened so suddenly. I also added a picture of what it looks like in the pot currently. I'm not sure if repotting right now would make the issue worse. My dog is apparently also very upset about it haha

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
well for gods sake.. thats a new way for a dog to pee on a houseplant.. lol ...

its too heavy with leaves.. to pull it self up toward the window.. though good thinking in that regard ...

i think you are left with staking it somehow.. and with that bulky a plant.. in that small a pot.. good luck figuring out how to do that ....

you might want to consider taking some cutting for propagation.. to basically prune your plant into a more stable form ...

and its looking like its time for a repot... media does wear out .. and you got a LOT of plant in that pot ...

lots of things to consider... and say hi to the dog for me.. what a card ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=fiddle+leaf+propagation&iax=videos&ia=videos
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last year
last modified: last year
Hi, Amy - The reason the plant won't support itself is, it's not receiving enough light. There are 2 fixes for this issue. 1) As a prophylactic measure, give it more light. Summering the plant outdoors would do wonders for it's vitality and increase the thickness/ strength of the stems/trunks. Plants thicken most when they are creating more energy than they need to maintain existing living cells and keep their systems orderly. Reason they grow: to provide a place to store the excess energy. If your plant is barely breaking even in terms of energy production being able to keep up with energy use, it's not in a good place (not referring to its location, but that too. 2) The lean of a plant that's lying over due to a weak trunk is easily remedied by pruning the trunk. Staking is exactly what it looks like - a crutch, and there is really no need for it if you prune judiciously.

The images below are of a young cherry tree in training as a future bonsai. I took the liberty of wiring a root sucker into a passable representation of what you're dealing with, weakness in the stems/trunks of your clump planting.

After I pruned away some of the clutter, take note of where the small piece of string is tied to the sucker - that is where a pruning cut must be made to make the new branch that will grow just behind the pruning cut grow mack toward the central axis of the plant (toward a point directly above where the trunk(s) exit the soil.

Above, I have roughly pruned the stem, and you can see a burgundy bud in the leaf axil (crotch formed by the leaf stem and the branch/ trunk). I cut the leaf along either side of the main vein (to improve the illustration) and wired it in the direction the new branch (that comes from the visible bud) will grow. As long as the tree is viable (alive) the direction the new branch will grow is as reliable as the sunrise, not withstanding the effects phototropism (bending toward the light). As you can see, it changes the direction the branch is growing so it is now growing back toward the center of the planting. This is called 'directional pruning', or sometimes, the 'clip-and-grow' method. It is a valuable tool to have as part of your skillset.

If you want help with the pruning, I'll help you get things straightened around. Your set-up, with the multi-legged pot holder is going to make it very easy to maintain as much of the planting's current ht as possible, this, by using a combination of pruning and mechanical manipulation, a fancy term for zip-tying some sticks of wood to the vertical legs and using them as temporary anchor points to straighten the offending trunks.

Your tree also needs repotting, and I'm guessing that 5 or 7 trunks will end up looking the best, with the 'extras' being eliminated.

Al
Amy C thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
Related Discussions
What causes fiddle leaf fig leaves to lean straight up?
Q
Comments (6)
You provided one clue to the likely answer to your question when you said, "I woke up this morning to find a couple leaves of one of my FLFs pointing straight up", and a second clue when you said, "I haven't watered it in a couple days (I'm waiting for the soil to dry out)". There are only a couple of things that ultimately affect the leaf's attitude (the spatial position it occupies). One is turgidity, which is essentially internal water pressure, and the other is phototropism, or the plant's reaction to light. We can eliminate phototropism because it wouldn't occur to the extent you could notice it over the course of a day, unless you were specifically conducting an experiment to measure it. Here's what I think. Your plant was somewhat wilted because of an excessive amount of water in the soil (too much water deprives the roots of oxygen, which limits their ability to function efficiently/normally). This caused the leaves to change their attitude (hang down a little/wilt). During the dark phase, the openings in leaves (stomata) that allow water to escape from the plant are closed (or very nearly so). This means that a root system that wasn't able to keep up with transpirational water loss during the day while stomata are open, WAS able to keep up with water loss at night while those openings were closed. Couple this natural rhythm of the plant with the fact you were waiting for the soil to dry down, which means that root function was probably regaining efficiency with each passing day, and you can see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. The plant simply regained its normal turgid state and the leaves went back to their pre-wilt positions. FWIW, if FLF and rubber trees (F elastica) wilt badly, the leaves are very often permanently affected and unable to recover their previous attitude. Al
...See More
Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata) leaf issues
Q
Comments (11)
You're using the dowel correctly. Water when it first comes out dry. I will begin fertilizing per your recommendations--additional info to ensure I am using a good fertilizing regimen would be helpful. I'm not sure how often I should fertilize, and how that will change when the plants go dormant, and when that may be...I would expect that in October they would be at the end of their growing season, but they have both put out two new leaves in the last few weeks. They won't go completely dormant, but they will become largely quiescent or at rest but growing slowly. How fast they grow depends primarily on light levels, temperatures, and nutrition. If you invest in a container of Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, you won't need anything else. Did you read the link I left above about how to deal with water-retentive soils? My plan would be to flush the soil thoroughly asap, then fertilize with a full recommended solution of the FP 9-3-6. It makes more sense by far to tie your fertilizing frequency to your watering frequency. If you continue to water in sips for the winter, flush the soil every 6th time you water and fertilize right after with a full recommended dose. Using a full dose when the soil is still saturated means there won't be a full strength concentration in the soil solution because of all the water already in the soil. People that simply recite the advice that you shouldn't fertilize in winter usually tell you that the plant doesn't need fertilizer because it's not growing, but nutrients are used by the plant to keep its systems orderly and do more than grow, so your plant needs a full compliment of nutrients in the soil all year long. The plan I just laid out will help you maintain the proper ratio of nutrients at an appropriate concentration and prevent the ratio of nutrients (each to the others) from becoming out of balance, which can very quickly become a serious issue if you're watering in sips. More on flushing the soil if you actually plan on following that advice. You'll also find plenty of good info that will help turn your plant around if you follow the link. Speaking of, the plant that put out the deformed leaf is now producing leaves with holes...at first I feared it was pests, but it looks like they are just developing with holes in them. Would this be caused by the same water/fertilizing issues we've discussed? Very commonly, dry air causes a leaf of F lyrata to stick to itself before it unfurls. As the leaf opens, the 'stuck together' part often tears, leaving split leaves, or if the entire piece of tissue that's stuck to another part of the leaf's surface pulls free - a hole. This is very common in leaves that unfurl in winter when humidity is VERY low or in leaves that are in a cool, air-conditioned environment - especially if the cooled air blows over the plant. There are some nutritional issues that can cause weak or dead spots in the tissues of young leaves, but getting on a sound fertilizing schedule should put a stop to that. Al
...See More
Fiddle leaf fig with pale, gray leaf
Q
Comments (4)
This looks like the fungaluglies at work, perhaps anthracnose. I'd remove the affected foliage with a sterile tool and dispose of the leaves in a sealed plastic bag or burn them. I'd also treat with a fungicide - a systemic would be most effective. Bayer's Disease Control for Roses/ Flowers/ Shrubs delivers the systemic 'tebuconazole' which is a very effective fungicide. As always, read/ follow directions and only spray outdoors. Al
...See More
Leaning fiddle leaf fig AND vent/window question for plants
Q
Comments (0)
Almost all of my windows have vents below them. How badly should I worry about air drafts for my plants? Also, see my FLF below. I have a tight space and this lean takes up a lot of room. Should I just cut back where I've marked it in blue?
...See More
socks
last year
I have no idea about your plant, but love the dog and Ken’s comment Thanks for the chuckle.

Related Stories

HOUSEPLANTS Play Up Some Fiddleleaf Figs for a Lively Indoor Tune

By creative jewish mom.com

Strike a dramatic chord in a minimalist scene or a country note in a rustic setting — fiddleleaf fig plants harmonize with any style

HOUSEPLANTS See How Fiddleleaf Fig Trees Can Liven Up Your Decor

By Janell Beals - House of Fifty

The tropical houseplant with big green leaves adds a cheerful and striking design element to rooms

CONTAINER GARDENS Consider These 10 Pet-Safe Houseplants

By Laura Gaskill

Help keep cats and dogs healthy with the right selection of indoor plants

HOUSEPLANTS 10 Top Plants to Grow Indoors

Brighten a room and clean the air with a houseplant that cascades artfully, stretches toward the ceiling or looks great on a wall

LIVING ROOMS New This Week: How to Punch Up a Modern White Living Room

By Mitchell Parker

Consider these easy combinations to bring personality, color and texture to your neutral backdrop

DECORATING GUIDES The Dumbest Decorating Decisions I’ve Ever Made

Caution: Do not try these at home

HOUSEPLANTS 8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants

Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 10 Ways to Make Your Landscape More Environmentally Friendly

By Victoria Harrison

From creating wildlife highways to planting pretty pollinators, there are lots of simple ways to be green in the garden

CONTAINER GARDENS Happy Houseplants, Happy People

By Laura Gaskill

Potted plants add life and beauty to a room. Learn easy ways to keep them healthy

GARDENING GUIDES How to Keep Your Citrus Trees Well Fed and Healthy

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Ripe for some citrus fertilizer know-how? This mini guide will help your lemon, orange and grapefruit trees flourish

Sponsored

More Discussions

Need help! Tropical Houseplants not flowering/blooming

11

Need Help Identifying this Plant

2

What’s going on with the growth points: Monstera

0

Sterlizia curled leafs

0

Zamioculcas zamiifolia, aka ZZ plant,

2