How to Keep Your Fig/Fiddle Tree Alive

Fiddle trees are everywhere now and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon! They've been gracing the pages of home decor for a couple of years and you've probably seen them on every design episode on HGTV.  So you're thinking of getting one or have brought one home and perhaps realized they are a little moodier than your other plant babies.

I'm sharing what I've learned from having my two fiddle plants for the past two years and how you can keep yours healthy and happy.

Fiddle Tree Care

Fiddle trees are not the easiest plants to begin with, so if you are looking for an easy plant to bring home, I might not recommend this one to begin with. The good thing is that once you understand what it likes, you'll be set.

Let's begin of where to place the plant in your home.


Placing

The main thing about a fiddle is having it in a well lit area of your home. Although there needs to be a lot of light for this plant, it does not like direct sunlight (you will begin seeing brown spots on its leaves if the sun hits the tree directly). If you look at my small fiddle, there's one brown spot on a leaf where it got a sunburn. You also want to place it 2 to 3 feet away from any windows. I learned this the hard way during the first winter I had my large plant. It didn't like the draft from the windows, they are very sensitive plants.

Watering

With a fiddle tree, too much watering will absolutely kill your plant. You can water your plant a few different ways. Depending on the size of your plant, you'll want to water it about once every two weeks. I use a soil moisture thermometer (I purchased mine at Canadian Tire but Amazon has a few as well under $25). The figs usually like to be watered once it reads a 1 in the soil thermometer. When watering it, make sure that the roots have been soaked but that they don't sit in the water - this will cause root rot; this is a common problem for fig trees so be extra careful not too overwater.

New leaves coming in 

Re-Potting

I'd recommend re-potting your plant once a year, especially if you begin seeing the roots at the top by the soil. When you re-pot, be sure that your new pot has proper draining in the bottom so the roots don't sit on water. I also make sure to tip it from side to side once I've watered it to make sure that the water drains properly and it doesn't sit in a pocket of soil. 

Cleaning and Polishing Leaves

I like to clean the leaves every few days with a damp cloth to remove any dirt. Not only will this make your plant look great, the leaves will be able to better absorb light from the sun. 

If all this sounds too daunting, start with a small one before you invest on a larger plant. I purchased my small plant for about $25 from a local flower shop. Once I felt confident, I got the 4 foot fiddle for our living room! 

Let me know what plants you have and if you have a or are thinking of getting a fig tree!