How to Plant, Grow and Care for an Indoor Potted Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

If you are struggling with decorating and filling out your new, big house, you can either keep spending thousands of dollars on decorative vases and furniture, or you can do the smart thing by investing in a suitable indoor house plant.

Having a bigger house with lots of space can be exciting; however, decorating it is never easy on anyone’s pocket, especially in the USA, where furniture and other decor items are quite expensive.

The same dilemma is often faced by restaurant or hotel owners with wide-open spaces and lobbies that look undone without a bold centerpiece.

However, although new furniture, vases, or large lamps look exquisite, they usually do not do much for the overall space.

No matter how beautiful or costly your newly installed wall table is, it will always be just a table that your guests or visitors might easily pass by without noticing.

If you want a centerpiece that is bold, chic, and almost impossible to go unnoticed, there can be nothing better than getting yourself a tall and well-matured indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree.

With the ability to retain its undeniable beauty and aesthetic appeal for nearly thirty years, the tall Fiddle Leaf Fig indoor tree can take your home or restaurant’s decor to a whole new level.

Table of Contents

The Appearance and Appeal of an Indoor Potted Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

The Appearance

Native to the tropical rainforests of Western Africa, the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is an excellent and highly demanded planter that can be kept indoors or planted outside.

Characterized by its violin-shaped, veiny, deep green leaves with a well-distinguished glossy cuticle, a well-maintained and fully matured Fiddle Leaf Fig can reach a whopping ten feet in height, towering over any other neighboring structure around it.

Although a tall Fiddle Leaf Fig can do wonders for your landscape, its appearance and health are often poorly affected by direct heat and light from the sun.

Hence, most people usually plant their Fiddle Leaf Fig trees in tall, wide-based pots or ceramic vases that are either white or neutral to the color of the floor.

The Dramatic Appeal

Moreover, unlike most tall indoor planters, such as the Sago Palm tree or tall Bamboo shoots, the Fiddle Leaf Fig does not grow symmetrically upwards.

Instead, this fabulous indoor planter grows multiple branches out of its dark brown and sleek trunk, which allows it to resemble an actual mini-African tree.

This quality not only gives the entire tree the structure and size it needs to act as the focal point of any room but also allows it to add a subtle touch of the African wilderness to your indoor ambiance while still being undeniably chic and sophisticated.

The Health Appeal

Known for its mesmerizing dramatic appeal and beauty, an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will do much more for your living space than just create a bold statement.

Instead, popularly demanded for its excellent air purifying qualities and medicinal benefits, an indoor Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will offer healing and health, especially to people with asthma, bronchitis, or other respiratory diseases.

The High Tolerance

Furthermore, another excellent quality that significantly adds to a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree’s overall appeal is its ability to survive and thrive on very little care.

Even though your indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will thrive in certain indoor conditions, it will still retain its health and beauty despite being kept in unideal conditions for an extended period.

Hence, if you are looking for an indoor planter that is tall, large, the most stunning combination of wild and chic, and relatively easy to look after, there can be no indoor plant as perfect for you as a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree.

Continue reading to learn more about the different types of indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig trees you can find and the care routine that helps these stunning deep green trees grow tall and survive up to three decades.

Moreover, the article also highlights the common signs and symptoms of an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree that is sick or poorly managed, along with highlighting some effective treatments that work for most Fiddle Leaf Fig diseases.

Let’s get started!

The Different Types of Indoor Potted Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees You Can Find

Although most people seek a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree for its height and wide-spread canopy, some people with smaller living spaces prefer the mini versions of this plant.

Hence, if you plan on getting yourself an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree, you have the option to choose from the following varieties:

The Ficus Lyrata, commonly known as the Fiddle Leaf Fig for its fiddle or violin-shaped leaves
The Ficus Lyrata Bambino or Dwarf Fiddle Leaf Fig, which is a dwarf or mini version of the original tree
The Ficus Lyrata Compacta, which is a moderately sized Fiddle Leaf Fig tree
The Variegated Fiddle Leaf Fig is characterized by its variegated foliage that consists of white, yellow, or cream stripes running on the deep green violin-shaped leaf

How to Care for an Indoor Potted Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree?

People who invest in planters for the first time assume that the smaller potted plant varieties will be easier to manage and keep alive.

While this perception could be accurate for some plant species, it cannot be generalized.

A tall indoor plant like the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is usually pretty easy to look after compared to many highly demanding succulents and flowering plants.

Hence, if you are skeptical about investing in an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree due to your lack of experience or plant care skills, know that this African plant will be the perfect candidate to develop and polish your green thumb on.

With a fantastic tolerance and commendable resilience that gives the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree the strength it needs to outlive many other indoor planters and survive various unideal external conditions, caring for the Fiddle Leaf Fig requires basic knowledge of the plant’s individual needs and adaptations.

Some of the primary care routine for an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is as follows:

Sunlight

Originating from the African rainforest wetlands, a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is best adapted to growing in warm and well-illuminated environments.

However, since a wild Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is usually well-shielded from direct sunlight by other taller trees, it is best adapted to surviving under indirect or filtered sunlight exposure.

Hence, if you have an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree at home, refrain from planting your tall plant in your garden, as the light will burn and overheat its leaves.

Instead, place your potted planter indoors next to a large glass sun-facing window or under a skylight that allows almost six to eight hours of uninterrupted, indirect sunlight to fall on the Fiddle Leaf Fig’s violin-shaped leaves.

However, since a fully-matured Fiddle Leaf Fig tree can be pretty tall and wide, it is crucial to rotate its pot every two to three days to ensure all leaves trap sufficient sunlight from the sun.

Moreover, if a long period of cloud cover is expected, investing in a suitably sized solar lamp can help enable your Fiddle Leaf Fig tree to photosynthesize its vital plant food.

Watering

Like sufficient indirect sunlight, water is a key component of any plant’s primary needs. While sunlight acts as the main catalyst, water is one of the two key ingredients that enable a plant to photosynthesize plant sucrose.

Without sufficient amounts of self-produced sucrose sugar, the entire plant will lack the energy required to carry out the processes that keep it alive and upright.

Hence, although your indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree does not need a massive amount of water every other day, underwatering will lead to sucrose deprivation and dehydration, resulting in the plant’s death.

Hence, to keep your indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree’s soil moderately moist, use a controllable spray bottle to water your planter at least once every five to seven days.

However, if the external conditions feel too dry, water your indoor African plant more frequently to compensate for all the hydration diffusing out of its leaves down a concentration gradient.

Moreover, although underwatering an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree can lead to dehydration, overwatering can ironically yield the same results.

When a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree’s soil is watered more than required, all the excess water accumulates inside the plant’s pot.

Since the roots will only absorb the water they need, the remaining accumulated water will create a medium that encourages and harbors fungal growth.

If the growing fungus manages to spread over the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree’s roots, root rot will begin.

What is Root Rot?

Since fungus tends to consume and grow by feeding on dead and decaying plant matter, it begins to spread and damage a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree’s healthy root.

If the root rot continues without any external intervention, most of the tree’s roots die and get consumed by the growing fungus.

With only a few surviving roots transporting water up the plant, the entire Fiddle Leaf Fig tree suffers from severe dehydration and inhibited photosynthesis.

Eventually, the violin-shaped leaves lose their deep green pigment, curl inwards, and fall off the tree.

External Humidity

Since an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will be directly affected by excess watering, it is important to further limit the water provided to the tall African plant when external humidity surpasses 65%.

Ideally, a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will do best in the 30 to 60% humidity range. However, when the atmospheric humidity is great, the best tip is to water the plant less frequently and invest in better indoor ventilation.

Soil PH

Like most other indoor planters, a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will also experience faster growth and better health in slightly acidic soil; however, why is that the case?

Since a plant depends on the various micronutrients present in the soil, the roots’ porous cell wall sometimes fails to absorb the larger nutrients.

However, when there is slight acidity in the soil, the larger micro-nutrients get broken down into small, more absorbable bits.

External Temperature

Due to its native African roots, a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is best suited to growing in warm temperatures. However, if the external temperature gets too high, the entire indoor tree gets overheated.

As a result, the leaves of the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree begin transpiring water, which evaporates off their surfaces, leaving a cooling effect.

Although this coping mechanism is quite effective; however, when too much water leaves the plant, it can lead to dehydration and insufficient sucrose sugar production.

Hence, to keep your indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree healthy and tall, refrain from placing it under direct sunlight or next to cold and drafty windows.

Repotting

Since a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is a fast-growing indoor planter, repotting it at least once every one to two years can help facilitate healthier and more rapid growth.

Common Signs that Indicate Your Indoor Potted Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree is Not Doing Too Well

As discussed above, an indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is extremely popular for its excellent resilience and tolerance.

If you water your African plant just right and keep it close to a sun-facing window, your indoor tree won’t have any trouble staying tall and evergreen.

However, like all other plant species, a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree has its limits.

When these limits are constantly tested for an extended period, the indoor tree’s immunity is affected, and its survivability and expected lifespan are also shortened.

Hence, if your Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is also kept in poor conditions for too long, it will begin to display the following signs and symptoms of poor health and sickness:

The leaves will no longer have a deep green color, and will instead turn yellow or brown
The faded leaves will curl inwards before falling off
The entire Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will be shedding more leaves than usual
The sleek trunk of the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree will fail to hold up the whole plant’s weight and will droop sidewards
Fungus or unwanted plant pests can be spotted on the tree’s body or in the soil

Popular Treatments for Sick or Dehydrated Indoor Potted Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

If your indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is suffering from weakness, dehydration, or root rot, follow the following tips to treat your African plant back to health:

Begin using a pair of pruning shears to trim all dead and faded leaves from the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree.
Not only does this help direct nutrition to the healthier leaves, but it also encourages new leaf growth.
Moreover, if the soil is too dry, water it and use a small garden shovel to stir the water into the soil.
However, if you believe the excessive dryness is due to the low humidity in the atmosphere, invest in an indoor humidifier and water your plant more frequently.
Furthermore, if additional watering is still not doing much to restore any hydration to the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree, inspect its soil for any fungal growth.
If you do spot white, yellow, or green fungus growing inside the soil, the chances of advanced root rot may be high.
Hence, proceed towards digging out the entire tree from the pot using a garden hoe, and wash its root ball under running water.
Once the roots’ surface is clean and visible, use the pruning shears to trim off all dead and decaying root matter, and slightly dampen the remaining healthy roots to keep them hydrated.
Meanwhile, take another pot with a better drainage system, and fill it two inches deep with a new batch of highly nutritious and well-draining potting mix.
Place your Fiddle Leaf Fig tree inside the new pot and add the remaining mix around the tree’s roots and trunk.
Use your hands to press in the soil to stabilize the trunk and release any trapped air.
Finally, water your repotted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree’s soil and wait for a few days to reexamine the hydration of the leaves.
Moreover, if the fungus has only grown in the top layer of the soil, add a natural fungicide, such as powdered cinnamon, to the soil to inhibit the fungal growth.
Furthermore, if you can spot any plant pets in the soil or the tree’s body, immediately use an appropriate pesticide to disinfect your indoor potted Fiddle Leaf Fig tree.

Final Thoughts

For bigger houses or more spacious hotel lobbies, the dramatic and bold appeal of a well-cared-after and fully-matured Fiddle Leaf Fig tree can be second to none.

Demanded by its super glossy and deep green violin-shaped leaves, the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree’s wild African roots allow the plant to demonstrate commendable tolerance and resistance, which allows it to enjoy a long lifespan of nearly thirty years.

However, if the leaves of an indoor Fiddle Leaf Fig tree are falling off more frequently than usual, the entire plant needs to be examined and accordingly treated for root rot, pest infestation, dehydration, etc.