Fiddle Leaves Drooping and Falling Off: Reasons and Solutions

Fiddle figs as houseplants have recently become very popular in the US, especially if outdoor gardens are in the hardiness zones between 9 and 11. These can thrive all year without the hassle of bringing them inside for the winters and then repotting them outside in spring.

They can grow up to a foot long, and their lustrous leaves are prized for their smoothness. Fiddle figs are descendants of tropical Africa and require a hot climate with lots of sunlight to survive.

Are your fiddle fig leaves drooping and falling off? There is no reason to panic if you follow through with the information and advice in this blog. Fiddles frequently experience this difficulty, but thankfully, there are several solutions you may try.

Here, we’ll talk about why Fiddle fig leaves droop and how to fix it. We’ll also advise on maintaining your Fiddle tree’s wellness and best appearance. Continue for advice if your Fiddle fig tree exhibits warning symptoms of trouble.

Fiddle fig Leaves Drooping: Reasons

Fiddles have delicate leaves that can be affected by shifts in the environment where the plants grow. The drooping top and bottom leaves are a sign that something is wrong. Identifying the issue to protect the Fiddle fig from drooping is best. What then results in fiddle leaves drooping?

Fiddle fig leaves that are drooping indicate overwatering or underwatering and root rot. Wilting can also be brought on by tension from inadequate lighting and potting shock. To revitalize the fiddle fig, remove the excess water from the pot first and relocate the plant to an area containing intense yet filtered light and moderate water.

Remove the fiddle leaf plant from the pot and check the base for root rot if the drooping continues and the leaves start to fall off. We’ve listed the reasons and solutions below to assist you in identifying the problem and curing it so you can save your plant.

Overwatering Leading to Root Rot

The Fiddle fig tree can grow naturally in warm, humid environments, but planting it indoors considerably reduces its water needs.

So long as your indoor Fiddle fig tree’s soil can keep a moderate amount of moisture at all times, watering it once every five to ten days should be sufficient.

Water your indoor tree as soon as you sense the soil growing too dry, even if it’s a little earlier than recommended by its timetable.

The likelihood of root rot increases if an untrained or uninformed caretaker overwaters the already moist soil of their Fiddle fig tree.

You must be wondering how root rot can cause the drooping of Fiddle figs and how this will lead to Fiddle fig leaves dropping or falling off. Well, here’s how it happens:

1. Regardless of how much water a potted indoor fiddle fig tree receives or how humid the environment is, the plant’s roots will only take up as much water as their cell capacity can hold.
2. Therefore, since the plant is not using up any additional water, surplus moisture will start to build up inside the container of the indoor tree.
3. If the overly moist soil is not drained and dried, a medium that encourages and harbors fungus development will be produced.
4. Therefore, it will only take a few days for any airborne fungal spore to land on the moist soil, proliferate, and spread to the tree’s roots.
5. Root rot will start if the fungus can cover the entire surface of the root.
6. If the growing fungus consumes most of the roots, the tree will have insufficient water intake.
7. If such circumstances persist for a long time, the plant’s leaves will droop and die prematurely from dehydration.

Solution

Do the following to prevent your indoor fiddle fig leaves from drooping and falling too soon if you find that it is showing symptoms of root rot:

A Fiddle fig tree can be huge and heavy, so you might need several hands to slide the planter out of its pot. Start by carefully digging out the entire plant and its root ball from its diseased soil.

If you can detect any fungus on the root surface, use a soft-bristled brush to gently remove it until no indications of any fungal growth are left, then lay the tree’s root ball under running water until all the soil and fungus are washed away.

Analyze the roots and remove any fragments of dead or damaged roots using pruning shears.

After cleaning the remaining roots with a microfiber cloth, mist them with water to keep them hydrated while you treat them. Finding a different pot with a more robust drainage system and larger drainage holes is the second crucial stage in the procedure.

Place the Fiddle fig tree’s roots gently into the soil of the new pot, then fill it with a potting mixture rich in nutrients and has excellent drainage. After patting the soil with your hands, add moisture with a spray bottle to remove any air pockets.

To prepare your Fiddle fig tree for new leaves, trim and discard all dead and limp leaves using the pruning shears. To ensure that the plant is not put at risk by any additional fungal infections, you may add an organic fungicide to the soil.

Dehydration or Underwatering

Make sure your Fiddle fig isn’t dehydrated. Maintain a regular watering schedule and water whenever the top two inches of the soil feels dry.

You can notice limp branches or leaves that have started to crisp up if you unintentionally let the soil of the fiddle fig plant dry out completely. A thorough soak is necessary if the soil is arid over the entire container.

Solution

Here is a method to hydrate an underwatered Fiddle fig plant:

1. Put your plant in the sink or bathtub without the bottom platetub. About 3 to 4 inches of water should be in your basin. Check to see if the water is lukewarm.
2. Give your plant at least 45 minutes to absorb water through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
3. After giving your plant a soak, feel the topmost 2-3 inches of soil to see if the water has reached that depth.
4. Water the Fiddle plant gently from the soil’s top layer to assist the speed of soil saturation if not all of it feels soaked.
5. Drain your sink or bathtub once the soil of your plant is uniformly moist, and then leave it to rest while it completely drains. Put the plant back in its rightful location on the saucer.

Transportation Shock

When you purchase a brand-new fiddle fig plant, it goes through much stress moving and placing it in a new setting. Fiddle figs prefer a steady environment and dislike change.

Given that the plant was raised in a sunlit greenhouse among numerous other species with good relative humidity, the current illumination and humidity could be much lower than what the Fiddle fig is accustomed to. The plant may respond to shock by shedding older leaves at the center and bottom, combined with the physical stress of being bruised during transport.

Solution

While it acclimates to its new surroundings, some leaves should fall. To ensure that a more significant issue is not at hand, keep an eye on the number of leaves shed.

Usually, a plant recovering from stress will remove around 3 to 7 leaves per day. Make sure to maintain consistency in your plant’s lighting, moisture, and irrigation routines to aid in its recovery.

Keep your Fiddle fig away from vent hoods and chilly draughts in a shining light without direct sunlight. Whenever the uppermost one or maybe two inches of soil is dry, you must water it once every seven days.  Give your Fiddle fig plant a couple of weeks to adjust to its new location.

Sunlight

In their natural habitat, the Fiddle figs develop beneath the shade of higher trees, where they get filtered sunlight. If your Fiddle plant receives excessive direct sunlight, the leaves will start to droop.

In contrast, too little sunshine is undesirable, as too much can cause your plant’s leaves to become limp. To survive such a situation, the Fiddle figs require direct, intense light. The leaves start to limp and even fall off if they don’t receive enough light.

Solution

The best solution is to relocate your plant to a location with filtered or indirect sunlight if it is getting more than enough light.

In the opposite scenario, you can move your plant to a brighter location or add a grow light to help it get more light.

Conclusion

Fiddle figs are an excellent plant choice if you live in California or Florida; the climate there is perfect for the growth of such plants. However, if your Fiddle figs leaves are drooping or falling off, the underlying issues could be root rot, dehydration, or incorrect light.

We hope this information about the causes and solutions of Fiddle fig leaves drooping can help you revive your plant in time.

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