caring for our fiddle leaf fig
HELLO, FRIENDS!
I’m popping in today to share about my favorite indoor plant: the fiddle leaf fig!
You might recognize the fiddle for its huge, fan-like leaves and statement-making shape. These beauties are a home decor staple and add something special to any room. I loved my first fiddle so much, I bought two more! Now I have one for our dining room, living room, and master bedroom—my husband finally told me to cool it, otherwise we’d probably have one in every room, haha!
Native to the rainforests of western Africa, the fiddle leaf fig prefers a humid environment. However, we live in the desert and have been able to keep ours happy by spritzing them periodically with a plant mister (check out Evi misting away—she loves an excuse to climb on the furniture!) You can also purchase a humidifier and place it near your fiddle.
As figs increase in popularity, they are becoming more widely available to purchase. I purchased my first fiddle at Fred Meyer, of all places! I found the second two at our local Home Depot. One thing I’ll warn is that plants from big box stores are often less healthy from those you’ll find at nurseries. The one I got from Fred Meyer had a bacterial infection that caused little black spots to form on the leaves. I re-potted it into a fresh container and eventually nursed it back to health, but it was a long road and I lost a few leaves in the process. While nursery plants usually cost more than their big box store counterparts, it can be worth it to go home with a healthy plant!
There are a few tricks to keeping a fiddle happy indoors.
1) Sunlight. Fiddles, like all plants, need sunlight to grow, but these guys prefer indirect light. Ours thrive near the big bay windows in our house. Rotate the plant each week, otherwise it will start to lean toward its light source and the leaves will gather on one side.
2) Consistent watering. Fiddles love a schedule. Consider them your type A friend who emails out an itinerary before your group weekend getaway. I water our figs once a week, every Saturday. I also tend to overwater plants, so I use a liquid measuring cup and give 2 cups of water to my larger trees and one cup to my smaller one. I also add a water soluble fertilizer every few weeks in the spring and summer to promote additional growth during the growing season.
3) Leave it be. Figs are notoriously fickle when it comes to change. Find a good spot for it in your house and leave it there. If you have to move it (we have moved twice with ours), watch it carefully as it acclimates. It is common for fiddles to drop leaves when under stress, but if it drops a substantial amount, consider offering it a different space in your home.
4) Clean the leaves. Those large, leathery leaves are one of the things that make fiddles so beautiful, but they also catch a lot of dust. In order to keep the plant photosynthesizing properly, use a wet cloth and gently wipe away the dust from each leaf. I like to hold the leaf with one hand underneath while I gently wipe with the other. Some people prefer to take them outside and rinse them with a hose, but mine are a bit big to be hauling in and out of the house these days!
Well, there you have it, friends! I hope this post has inspired you to adopt your own fiddle leaf fig—I’m sure you won’t regret it! These gorgeous green giants are one of my favorite things in my home, and they will be in yours, too!
Til next time,
xo
