A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Ficus lyrata problems since move.

My fabulous fiddle-leaf fig, my pride and joy, seems to be suffering in my new apartment. It's a big one: About 7' tall and 6' wide with several branches covered with leaves. Several leaves toward the center of the tree have been turning brown and falling off in the past month. Also, some new leaf growth is stunted and curled. (I took photos but don't see a way to post here.) I'm not sure what's causing these problems and would love feedback from experienced ficus lyrata owners.

It received direct light about half the day at my old apartment and I turned it every two weeks. It's in the corner of my new place, which is way too small to turn it, and the window receives somewhat less direct light. However, I supplement it with a grow-light placed underneath and shining upwards into the non-window side. I wonder if this lighting situation is a cause of the problems.

Also, it's very root-bound, but I've been afraid to repot because I'm worried it would get much larger, and at that point it would be too big to fit into a San Francisco apartment and too heavy to move. I noticed that most water I pour onto the soil seems to run straight through into the tray lately. I wonder if this could also be causing problems.

I dust the leaves regularly. I can't find any pests.

I'm considering trimming the branches considerably and repotting to give the roots more room while making it small enough for me to turn. I don't want to shock the tree too much, so would probably do one of these things, give it a month to recover, then do the other.

Does anyone have any better ideas? Dire warnings? Seasoned advice? I would be heartbroken if I killed it. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Kelly

Welcome!
Is there a way to lift the grow light up and point it down? Think about the way Mother Nature feeds light to her plants and try to copy that.
The water running straight through is a definite sign of root bound. You can also root trim your plant and I would with one in that condition. That way you can re-pot it into the same pot or the same sized pot. And I think I would trim the top at the same time. It may as well go through its shock all at once instead of a long drawn out affair.
I so want a fiddle leaf! Congratulations!

Thanks so much for your advice, Tina! I think you're right. I'm going to try to learn more about root pruning and then proceed.

I got this fig on Craigslist for $75. Such a bargain! To get it home we crammed it into my boyfriend's 1973 Mercedes with the pot in the passenger's side floor and the foliage filling up the backseat. It's thrived since I've had it, and I really want to keep it healthy.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Best wishes,
Kelly