A Guide to growing a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree!
Ever since I wrote the post Growing and Pruning Your Fiddle Leaf Fig, the biggest question people have had is about how to grow a Fiddle Leaf Fig from bush to tree form! This post will go into more detail on the subject and hopefully answer any questions you have.
I’ve spent years now researching and reading up on Fiddle Leaf Figs, as well as growing and experimenting with my own. I’m happy to share what I’ve learnt, especially since there can be a lot of misinformation out there!
Can I grow my FLF bush into a tree? The answer is yes! FLFs are so versatile that they can take on a bushy appearance, or be grown and trained into a tree-shape. There are a few factors involved in making sure your FLF ends up looking like a tree. Firstly be patient – it takes time for a tree to grow! Maybe you’ve found a smaller, bushy FLF to bring home. Younger (and therefore smaller) plants are cheaper and less of a risk to buy if you’re not sure how well you’ll be able to look after it – its less of a risk if it doesn’t last in your home. Sometimes I prefer to bring home smaller plants, as you can then experiment and grow the plant to the size and shape you like.
The three main components of a tree-form Fiddle Leaf Fig over a bush-form are height, the single bare trunk and the branches. So lets look at each one individually:
Height
Fiddle Leaf Figs aren’t the fastest growing plants but you can speed up their growth by providing the right conditions for them. Growth depends on three factors: light, soil and water. It may take a little while to understand what your FLF needs. Keep an eye on it and see what it responds to in terms of how much water and light it needs. FLFs need a well draining soil with a good fertilizer (this one is best for FLF’s
Branches
Once your FLF is at a height where you would like it to branch, prune or pinch out the tip or give notching a try to encourage branching. Pruning the tip tells the plant the that the main growth tip has been hindered and it needs to send out other shoots to survive. Notching has a similar affect and you may want to use this method if you have a precise idea of where you would like a branch to grow.
Notching a Fiddle Leaf Fig may seem scary but it shouldn’t be! Use a pair of clean and sharp cutters, or a razor if your FLF has a thinner trunk. Cut around 1/3 of the way across the trunk and around 1/3 deep, at an angle. Do this above a leaf node. If you’ve done it correctly, some milky white sap will drip. If you see no change within a week to the bud below, go over the same spot again.
Similarly, you can prune any unwanted branches, but just be aware of the affect it will have on the plant – don’t leave your plant too bare.
Trunk
While the bush-form generally have the trunk covered in leaves, the internet is full of whimsical pictures of the tree-form FLF with a bare waif-like trunk. After some years the lower leaves can drop off by themselves. If you can’t wait that long, the easiest way to get a bare trunk is to pull the bottom leaves off, BUT – they will not grow back. Make sure you are ready to prune these leaves as a last resort. (the trunk should be tended to last out of these three components).
The lower leaves provide support for the trunk and help it to grow strong, which is important for a tree-form as they are top-heavy and more prone to bending or tipping. Be careful of removing too many leaves at once and leaving your FLF too bare. If there’s not enough leaves, your plant will not be able to get the nutrients it needs from sunlight and heightens its chances of being unhealthy or dying. Read my full guide on strengthening a weak or leaning trunk here.
Multiple trunks: If your FLF seems to have more than one trunk in its pot, it is possible that it is actually more than one plant! See if you can tell if they are attached (a low fork) or separate trunks. If they are separate or even if you’re not quite sure, you should be able to separate them when repotting. Carefully separate the roots and replant them in multiple pots.
Using the above steps, with time your FLF should begin to take on a more tree-like appearance. It’s fun and so rewarding to be able to do this process yourself! I’ve also found it has taught me more details on how to care for them, and I’d now feel confident I could get any size and shaped FLF thriving!
Keep in mind that any work you do on a FLF (including repotting, pruning and fertilising) should be done in its natural growth time of Spring and Summer to allow the plant to adjust to the changes and react in the best possible way. See these posts for other information on Fiddle Leaf Figs.
Do you have any other questions about how to grow a Fiddle Leaf Fig from Bush to Tree? Let me know in the comments if this was helpful or if you have anything else you’d like to know!
112 Comments. Leave new
Thank you for all your helpful tips. One answer I can’t seem to find anywhere:
My FLF is about 12′ tall, and I’d like to cut it back because it’s leaning (I’ve since learned to rotate the plant, etc.), but if I cut the tree down to about 6′, can I take the other 6′ piece and propagate that in water? I’d like to start with a big long tree versus 6 sections of 1′ trees. Many thanks in advance for your advice!
Hey there, if you’re wanting to propagate a large section of the plant the best way to do this is using the air layering propagation method. Water propagation works best with small cuttings as they can survive while they are growing roots for a lot longer than a large cutting can. Hope that helps!
Help! I received a fiddle leaf early winter and everything went wrong from the beginning…it was shipped via mail, it HATED the first spot I had placed it (it had a draft I found out) and then I discovered it was infested with little gnats (?). It lost 90% of its leaves but since having a full soil change, getting rid of the bugs and moving it to a warmer sunny spot in my home it is bouncing back. It is now producing new leaves but with a few leaves at the bottom and then 3 feet of bare branch with a patch of new growth at the top it looks dreadful. Should I cut it all the way back to the lowest leaves and let it start again? And can the top be used for propagation?
Hey Tenille, pruning will definitely help it grow back more bushy in the long run if that’s what you’re after! Where exactly you prune is up to you, and you can propagate cuttings – more info on propagation here.
Hi! I recently purchased a FLF, it has three branches. The lower branch only has 1 leaf left on it (three of them dropped? Should I try to prune and propogate the branch and will it encourage growth after it gets pruned?
Thanks!
Hi Sheila, pruning the branch may encourage growth, but growth will generally depend on a lot of other factors too, including how ideal the growing conditions are! It would pay to ensure it has a great growing environment first – this post on encouraging growth should help!
Hello! So I just bought a relatively small one from Home Depot, and it came with like 6 trunks. I want it to be more of a tree, but I’m not sure how to go about it. A couple of questions. First off how long should I wait to repot it and/or separate it? And then also what do I do if it isn’t separate plants? If it is just 1 or 2 plants but many trunks, how do I still get the look I’m going for?
Hi Jess, depending on how close together the trunks are in the pot (take a look at soil level), it can give you an idea of how easy/difficult they might be to separate. If they are quite close together, then they will be harder to separate and may cause damage to the plant in the process. In these cases, sometimes it’s better to enjoy the fullness of the plant as is, and grab another one that lends itself to a more tree-like style (eg single trunk in a pot) 🙂 Another option is to prune a part of the plant to propagate it and grow a tree style from that cutting.
Your site is now saved! Thank you. I am a growing plant enthusiast. I have 1 fiddle leaf fig I purchased 7 years ago…. before they were super hot and I did not care for it as well as I should… 3 children and a newborn and all. I successfully transplanted in the spring… two branches into 2 trees. What I am wondering… with my lack of care and knowledge within the first couple of years the leaves on the lower became scraggly… I pulled them (now I know I should have left and cared)… with the transplanting they both are doing amazing… but they are doing amazing at the top 1/3. The lower is blah and the tree is tall… and bending. Can I trim about half of the tree… soak the top to start a new plant and will the lower regrow leaves at the top.. thereby creating a stronger FLF?
Hey Kelly, pruning can definitely help create a stronger tree! If you are looking to propagate the section pruned, you can find some tips here. The plants won’t regrow leaves where they’ve been lost, but it will most likely branch where pruned and create a fuller look from there.
I just bought a small FLF in a 10” nursery pot. I’d like to grow it to a tree. What size planter should I get to transplant it?
Hey Jasmine, there’s more info on soil & repotting in this post! 🙂
You’re blog is very informative and helpful, thank you so much! My fiddle has been thriving, so much so that it is almost reaching the top of my 10ft ceiling! I rotate it but it’s now leaving pretty heavily to one side. I tried to notch it but haven’t been successful so far. I know it’s a 50/50 chance it works but now that it is winter can I try to notch? I live in Chicago. I want to grow another branch to help it out. Also, should I cut it at the top? I don’t want to make it angry so I am hesitant. Lastly, I found some white dusting on the soil… I cleared it off but soul seems wet. Should I just wait until it dries out? I can see a root so may need to put more soil in it. Would love your guidance! I know this is lengthy but hoping you can help. Thanks again I appreciate it!!
Spring is definitely the best time to make any changes such as pruning or notching, it will also give your plant the best opportunity to respond favourably (aka provide branches!) You can read more on branching here. Pruning is definitely the most successful branching method and by the sounds of it, it might be best for your sky high fiddle leaf 🙂 FLFs can grow aerial roots so some visible roots is quite normal, otherwise you can add a top layer of soil if they are being overly exposed.
Thank you! I will wait until the spring to prune and/or notch and keep rotating in the meantime In Hopes it stops leaning. Appreciate your help!
Hell!! My flf has a sturdy trunk with five branches. Two of the branches have dropped all leaves and have shriveled now. Do I cut them to save the tree? Will they ever sprout leaves again? I will check for root rot and repot tonight. Any other tips are welcome 🙏🏽
Hey Ana, if the branches themselves appear to have died, you can prune back the branches to a spot where the inside is white/green and there’s sap. This is a sign of life. Otherwise they should sprout again at the growth tip of the branch. If the branches were next to each other, it could be possible that something external to the plant itself caused the loss! Such as being near a draft or heater.
My FLF had a brown spots on a few leaves when I bought it. Is it better to leave those leaves for now if the spots are relatively small, or should I prune them off?
If they’re small, it’s better to leave them on the plant! More info in this post on brown spots.
Hi! I have three individual plants that are planted in one pot. They are growing amazingly well and are constantly getting new leaves. I did notice it likes me to water it 2 or more times a week with a lot of water. Is that unusual? When I was only watering it once or less per week, the leaves had brown edges and there was not as much growth.
The branches are all getting top heavy with all the new growth. I read not to stake the plants. I tried shaking them each day, but that made it worse. Can you recommend how I can get them from leaning to the sides? Thank you!
Hey Rebecca, how often they need watering will vary from plant to plant, depending on how much light they get, the soil, environment, size of plant and a bunch of other factors. So it’s good to be able to read your plant and water accordingly! They will often lean towards the light source, so make sure you rotate the plant around weekly. Other than that, some time outside in the breeze and a good fertilizer should help with leaning. I’ve also got a whole post about tips on leaning that might help too 🙂
Hi! I bought my FLF as a mature tree. It is now approximately 8 feet tall. The adjustment was hard as we figured out where it would thrive and it lost many leaves at the beginning. It seems to be thriving now – but not in the way we had hoped. The top is VERY sparse with 4 branches that have 1-7 leaves on them. Most of the leaves are small. At the beginning of this growing season, two branches started from the very bottom of the trunk and have now grown to be 3-4 feet long with 10-12 large leaves on each. Is there any way that I can turn this half tree-half bush into a thriving tree? If I prune those two large branches from the trunk, will it encourage new growth at the top of the tree? Can I use those to propagate a new plant? Do I need to wait until the spring to touch it? Thanks for your help!
Hey Alex, Spring is definitely the best time to encourage new growth & branches so I would wait til then before trying anything. Pruning is definitely the best way to get branches, so I would consider pruning it back to a point where you’d like it to branch. There’s more info on branching here. And you can definitely propagate what you prune – more info on propagation here. Hope that helps!
Hello, this is all so fascinating! I’ve got an amazing mature FLF tree, but I wondered as it only has leaves on the top third (it’s about 5ft tall)if I notch on a lower part of the trunk will it encourage lower leaves/new stems, or does it not work like that?
Thank you!
Hey Rhi, yes notching will encourage branches at the location where you make a notch. You can find more details on notching here.
I bought a fiddle leaf fig, probably 2 years ago. When I got her I noticed it had two trunks. There both 2-3ft tall and put out leaves constantly. She’s been repotted once but I didn’t split them because I was too scared I would kill them. Even though ive had the plants for a couple years in the same pot could I still split them and get two plants or would you keep them together? I feel like keeping the together would stunt the growth of them. Also how would you go about splitting them?
Hi Sarah, splitting them or keeping them together is personal preference and it won’t harm the plant to keep them together. You can still split them but how successful it is will partly depend on how close together the trunks are or how intertwined the root system is. There will always be some inevitable damage with separating them so that is something to consider and may cause a little bit of leaf loss too. If you can remove all the old dirt with some help from the hose you may be able to detangle the roots a bit better and cut cleanly any that can’t be detangled with clean, sharp cutters. All the best!
Wow! I have gone down a serious rabbit hole of information on your website and I’m SO thankful! I have 2 FLF. 1 has 2 trunks and the other has 3. Both have leaves on their trunks from the soil to the top of the trunk. I really am after a “tree” look. Can I braid these trunks? They aren’t huge plants… only about 2.5 feet. Should I start the braiding now? All trunks are brown and woody looking. I’m assuming to start braiding I’d need to cut off the lower leaves, correct? Thanks again for all the great info!
Hey Claire! I haven’t braided any myself but I know its best to start early (or as soon as you can) while the trunks are still young and flexible. It may mean removing some of the lower leaves! All the best!
Your site is so hopeful – caring doe FLF can be confusing with all the info out there. I have a 3” little one and want to repot but accidentally ordered a massive pot. This is may be a silly with all the info online but I don’t know how to report or if I should.
FLF came in a pot that is 4”Hx6”W
Pot I purchased is 14”Hx17”W
My question is can I transfer to larger pot? Possibly filling it up with rocks and then soil? I’m lost and would appreciate your help.
Hey Maryan, glad the blog could be helpful! Its best to only go up one pot size at a time to help them grow better and prevent overwatering, so the pot you purchased sounds like it would be way too big for the plant at this stage. I have a whole post with details on soil and repotting that you might find helpful!
Hi, I love following your site and Instagram. It’s been so helpful. Thank you!
I pinched the top bud (main trunk) of my FLF. Does this mean that it will never grow taller anymore? I just scratched the top a little (where I pinched it) and there’s still sap coming out of it.
Did I kill the branch when I pinched that top bud? Or will it be able to grow upwards from that spot later down the road?
Thanks!
Hi Matt – the plant won’t keep growing from where it has been pruned, but it can still grow taller from branches that form after pruning. Pruning activates branches, so you should start to see some buds forming on the stem below where it was pruned 🙂
Hi there, I purchased a FLF and it’s growing really well it’s pretty much doubled in size 1.5ft to 3ft in about 2 months. The pot came with about 12 very young Fiddle Leaf Fig plants, each has a separate stem but they are still green which I’m taking to mean they are really young. There is a mix of about 4 which are 3f tish high and some much smaller ones.
I would like to try and take some of the smaller plants and separate them to grown in their own pots but I’m not wondering if it’s a bit too soon. My thoughts are either:
1. I try to separate now, risking that they may be too young and struggle to grow
2. Wait until next spring risking that some of the smaller plants may get a bit shaded out
Which one is my best bet to try and maximise the amount of full size FLF’s I’ll end up with?
Hi Rob, I probably can’t answer that question as one way or the other, as there’s so many factors that go into the health of a plant! I would say that if you don’t want to risk disturbing the roots of the tiny ones, you could instead cut them at ground level and propagate them in water. Here’s a post on propagation that might help. If I was in your position I would probably try to take one or two out now with the roots, see how they go, and then decide to take the rest out now or later depending on the how the first one responds after a few weeks. All the best!
I just purchased my first FLF bush. I actually purchased two with the thought of putting them on my covered patio in a tall planter to create a living privacy screen. They are healthy,beautiful and bushy and about 2 feet tall. I’ve been reading up and appreciate all of your tips. However, I haven’t found a lot of advice about leaving them outside. I live in Texas (zone 8) and we get all of the seasons. Summers can reach well over 95 deg and in the winters we drop down to the 40s. Spring brings plenty of rain and in the Fall we get breezy tornado weather. Any tips for leaving them outside? Thank you!
Hey Whitney, I generally recommend to bring them inside if it reaches temperatures below about 50. Because they are tropical rainforest plants, they don’t do too well in cold environments. They may be able to adjust if you did want to keep them outside year round however it can cause leaf loss – so its up to you if you wanted to trial them outside and see how they go or not risk it!
Hi! This post was so helpful in fact I’m wondering because I just started using miracleGro plant food spikes 6-12-6 on my newly purchased baby FLF. I’ve seen great results except for a few dead leaves.
Would you recommend switching to a 3-1-2 and how long should I wait to switch after I stop using the 6-12-6 spikes?
Hey Miah! 3-1-2 is the best ratio for Fiddle Leaf’s needs so it would be a good idea to switch over. I’m not familiar with how the spikes work but it might depend on if they are a slow release fertilizer or not. See if you can read on the instructions how often it says to use or change them, and when their time is up then I think it would be fine to switch over 🙂
Hi Emily,
First and foremost, you have the best site on FLFs that I have seen, so thank you! I have a FLF that is About 2.5 feet tall. Overall, he’s very happy. Before he came to me, the grower must have chopped the main trunk (about halfway up) and there are two stems that have grown in a Y shape from that cut, so now the tree is growing out in two points rather than up. My question is – in the interest of getting him to grow into the mighty tree I know he can be, what do I do with these two diverted stems? Will one of them become the main trunk? Do I band them together? Do I take one off? Thanks in advance!
Thank you Sarah! You could either prune the two trunks part-way down, so that the trunks will grow further branches and become the bushy, tree-like shape themselves. Or if you think the ‘Y’ shape is too low, you could choose a dominant one and cut the lesser one off. Or wait to see which one becomes more dominant -there’s not necessarily one answer for your situation 🙂 It’s possible that if you do prune one of them off, it will activate more buds that will grow into branches, so keep that in mind.
Another thing to do is to embrace the Y shape! Plants won’t always grow exactly how we’d like them to and sometimes embracing this can lead to a unique plant. Whatever you decide, try to imagine how you’d like the plant to look in the long run. This should help guide you on if or where to prune, keeping in mind that pruning generally does encourage branching. All the best!
My fiddleleaf has branched out too much. It has three branches and I really want just a tree-type. It is getting huge and I live in a small cottage. Can I rope these limbs together? I don’t think I am strong enough to carry the tree outside and divide it. It is very healthy and loves it’s location but it is getting way too big.
Hi Judy, you could rope the three branches together as an option. If it is getting to big, pruning is a great way to chop some of the length off and it also encourages branching, which can give you more of that tree shape. This post of branching may have some tips if you’d like to try shape your plant into more of that tree shape! All the best!
I have an 8 foot tall fiddle leave who has lost most of its leaves on top leaving exposed branches with no leaves on them. There is some new growth coming on from the bottom of the tree. How do I get leaves to come back to the top of the tree? and do I cut off the branches with no leaves?
Hey Jaime, I think the plant will keep growing from the top when it is ready, unless the branches themselves have died. Dead branches will have no sap within them, so you could scrape near the top of each branch to see if it is white/green inside and has sap. If so, the branches are still alive and should regrow leaves from the top when ready. If they are dead, you can cut them back to the point where there is sap (life) again. If you wanted to encourage more growth at the top, make sure it is getting lots of light on these areas or add a grow light to the top to help stimulate the new growth 🙂
So my FLF is about 5 feet tall right now, and regularly puts out new growth (it just put out another round of leaves a couple weeks ago). I want to encourage branching by notching, but I’m worried this will impede its growth from the top. Does notching make the tree stop growing taller, or does it just slow it down and send that energy into the branching?
Hi Katrina, notching is a way you can encourage branching without impeding growth from the top. If you were to pinch or prune the top bud, this would stop the growth at that point. This article on encouraging a Fiddle Leaf Fig to branch might have some more useful info too! 🙂
Thank you in advance for your help! I bought a bushy, 4.5 foot three trunk FLF six weeks ago. It lost a few leaves at first, but now is doing well in a sunny window and the smaller leaves on top are getting bigger. I do think it’s root bound – because when I water it seems like the water goes straight through. I water every Saturday 5 cups of water and there are no brown spots on any leaves. My question is do you think it’s possible to separate three the almost 5 foot trees at this point? One of the 3 trunks isn’t growing as well (and not as pretty) as the other 2. My goal is to have one trunk grow into a tree with branches. Would love your input. Thank you again.
Hey Jill! You should be able to tell if its rootbound by checking if there’s lots of visible roots on the soil surface, or if there’s roots poking out the bottom of the pot. You could also try lifting it out of the pot to see if there’s lots of roots circling the outside. If there is, it sounds like it needs to be repotted! Keep in mind that FLFs like to be snug in pots so unless its very root bound, it should be ok in the same pot.
One thing to note is that it’s best to just water until the excess drains out the bottom, rather than giving them a set amount (5 cups). You’re only in danger of overwatering if it gets watered too often.
It would definitely be possible to seperate your plant. Keep in mind that there will always be some damage to the roots when you seperate them, because they will be so intertwined. This may hinder their growth for a little while or require some time for them to recover. Its also best to wait til the growing season before making changes like this. If you’re concerned about the smaller branch not growing, you could try facing that side of the plant closest to the light! 🙂
HI! I just purchased a FLF. It’s already a good size. Seems nice and strong. Its almost 3 feet tall. There are two semi mature trunks in the pot, meaning theres actually two trees. But then there is also three more smaller trunks that aren’t as mature. I would like to get rid of them all together. It seems that it would be way too difficult to try to separate and repot them as they are very close together. Can I just cut them at the base? Or would that damage the plant?
Hey Alissa, I think the plant would be fine if you wanted to cut these smaller growths off. FLFs are quite resilient and I don’t think it would affect the rest of the plant. If you wanted to keep them, you could even try propagating them in water!
Thanks for all the great info on FLF. I do have a question and since you’re great at responding back, unlike others, I will ask you… I have a FLF bush with about 7 stems in it. The plant is still in the 10 inch nursery pot that I got it in. The soil on top is dry, but moisture meter is reading wet in the middle downward. Taking a while to dry out in this plastic pot with the type of soil Lowe’s used. I’m SO SCARED to repot, since I’ve killed other plants by doing so and all the leaves fell off, even though I used terra cotta pots with cactus/succulent soil mixed with perlite. I have it in a window with very bright light and noticing brown spots on the edges outer part of leaves. So what would you recommend me doing? Just water little by little or wait until it fully dries out and then water fully? Overall the plant looks great.. besides few brown spots, but worried about the soil taking so long to dry out.
Hey Kimberly, thanks so much – I’m always happy to help and reply to comments 🙂 It’s normal for the soil to be more wet/damp the further into the pot, and it will dry out first at the top. Testing to feel if the top 1-2 inches are dry with your finger is a great way to know if your FLF needs water. I use this method as some moisture meters can be unreliable.
I’m guessing you’re thinking of repotting as the soil isn’t seeming to dry out in the middle? I would say unless there’s signs that the plant is suffering from it, it isn’t necessary to repot. You don’t want the WHOLE pot to dry out – this would stress out the plant. But FLFs do prefer to slightly dry out between waterings.
The repotting system you’ve used in the past (cactus soil, perlite & terracotta pot) I would say would be very well draining and the soil would dry out quickly, as terracotta sucks moisture out of the soil. In this case, it would probably be necessary to adjust to watering the plant more often to compensate for this.
Brown spots around the edges of leaves are usually a sign the plant is too dry. When you water, it’s best to fully soak the soil until the excess runs out the bottom. Overwatering is only an issue if you water too frequently (the amount you give the plant doesn’t cause an issue)!
I don’t recommend watering little by little as all the roots need to be watered, and watering until the excess drains allows the soil to be flushed of any chemical or salt buildup that can be present in the water you use.
So: water the plant fully until the excess drains. If it takes a looong time for the excess to come out (or it doesn’t come out at all), the soil is possibly compacted and the plant could do with repotting. But again, if there’s no unhealthy signs of this already on the plant, I would say the soil is most likely fine.
Test the top 1-2 inches of soil is dry with your finger before watering fully again.
Hope that helps, it was a lot of info! Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
Hi Emily, love your informative post! I have done top pinching for my Lyrata and thinking about doing it to my Compacta which is about 35inch tall, i am in early Spring of Australia, do you think Compacta will branch out as well as Lyrata? Thank you!!
Hi Meagsie, thanks for the feedback! Glad the post could be helpful. The method for branching is the same no matter the variety, so I’m sure you will get branches on both plants. I’m in Australia too and pruned one of my FLFs just this week to get more branches. It is a little earlier in the season than I would normally prune, but I think as long as your plants are getting good light there shouldn’t be any issues with branching.
A good tip may be that if your Compacta is already putting out new growth, it will likely respond well to pinching or pruning. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi there, Apologies if I missed you explaining this one but my question is, my fiddle leaf is about 50cm tall. I really like the look of a really leavy fiddle. Mine only has one stem, can I get another one and plant them in the same pot?
Thanks for the great article 🙂
Hey Shianne, thanks for your feedback! I don’t see any reason why you can’t plant a couple FLFs together, if that’s the look you’re after. Some people even plant 3 or 4 together and braid their trunks as they grow. FLFs do like to be snug, so I would go with a pot that is no bigger than twice the size of a single pot, maybe even just 1.5 times. If they are planted in a large pot, sometimes they spend all their energy spreading out their roots rather than growing new leaves! Hope that helps 🙂
Have you had any luck notching the trunk below the branches? My branches start too high. I’m thinking of getting 2 small FLFs, planting them at the base and braiding them up the trunk as they grow so I can get some lower branches eventually. Also, some of my leaves are getting puckery looking, not smooth but still green. Is this a lack of humidity or maybe misting with hard water from the hose? I have mine on my patio. The humidity is 36% today which is probably about average.
Hey Cindy, notching does work best on the older, woody part of the trunk so you can definitely try notching below where your FLF branches! I have seen others have success this way. You may want to do multiple notches, as not all of them may take. The braiding does look stunning too, as long as you can plant them without doing too much damage to the existing roots.
The crinkled, puckered leaves are definitely a sign of low humidity and 36% is very low. As FLFs are tropical plants, they like to have upwards of 60% humidity. Hosing it down probably isn’t making much difference to increasing humidity. There are measures you can take if your plant is indoors (here’s a few ways to increase humidity), but outdoors is a different story. It won’t affect the health of your plant so much, its just a natural response to not quite ideal environmental conditions. I think when we take plants out of their natural climate its best to understand that they may just not grow as lush as if they were in a tropical rainforest! If the plant is otherwise healthy and growing, that’s the main thing 🙂
Thanks, I’ll go out and add a few notches right now.
Hello! I’m in the middle of separating my two trees and was told to cut the roots whilst it is still in its pot, to wait 6 weeks and then repot in separate pots. I was wondering – throughout these 6 weeks can I try notching to encourage new branches? Or will the plant go into shock? There are currently 3 new leaves growing out the top (thanks to your fertiliser tip) and it seems ok after I cut through the roots.
Hey Michelle! I haven’t actually heard of this method of separating trees and am a little unsure of the reasoning behind cutting them in the pot and waiting. But I would say that while this is happening, the plant probably wouldn’t respond well to notching. Instead, it’s energy would be focused on rebuilding the roots. That’s why it’s best to make changes to plants (such as notching or pruning) during the peak of the growing season (eg late Spring), which gives the best chance of seeing results. This is because the plant generally has the most energy stored during this time and can therefore respond favourably to it.
I think you could try and it’s not likely to shock the plant (notching isn’t really a huge stress on the plant) but the chances of seeing results may not be as high! If it’s summer where you are, there wouldn’t be any harm in trying. All the best!
I’ve had my FLF for about a year – after I moved it started to drop leaves and was not looking healthy. I put it in a new spot out of the direct sun and it seems to be doing better now. It’s taken on a weird shape after I had to trim a few dying leaves and it also has a small trunk with no leaves on it (3 trunks total with possibly another one growing). Any suggestions on how to make my FLF look healthier and continue to grow? Thanks!
Hi! FLFs love sunlight and I’ve found that it’s a major factor in getting them growing large and healthy 🙂 Just remember they do need to be acclimatized to any direct sun. And if they are in a brighter or sunnier location, you may need to adjust your watering schedule! Now is a great time to be fertilizing them (if you aren’t already) as a quality fertilizer will give it a nutrients boost. Keeping it in a consistent location should help too 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hi Emily,
I have a FLF that is about 2 feet tall with 7 small(er) trunks. While I don’t feel confident in my ability to separate them and re-pot, I still would like each trunk to grow straight-upwards and relatively close (grouped) together (i.e. not a sprawling bush, but more of a bush-tree). What are your thoughts on tying the branches together at the bottom to keep them aligned as each trunk grows taller?
Hey Chris. I wrote a post of strengthening FLF trunks, which could be helpful. You can read it here. Taking the steps in this post will strengthen the trunks as well as help them grow straight, rather than leaning.
You could still tie the branches together, however this won’t necessarily help the plant in the long-run, in terms of getting it to stand straight on it’s own. Plants that are staked or tied generally rely on that for their support. This means they end up needing to be tied indefinitely, rather than the plant supporting itself! If you don’t mind that, you can of course tie them together. But with a little extra work it’s possible to get them to support themselves. Hope that helps!
I’ve read most of the comments about pruning and supporting growth but I’m still not sure how to go about getting a thicker “trunk” on my FLF. It keeps sending out leaves from the top seems to be growing well. I’ve left all the leaves on the trunk but I would like more of a tree look. How exactly do I encourage branches and get a thicker trunk to support a tree? This particular FLF is about 5′ tall. I have 2 FLFs and would be interested in experimenting with a shrub look on the other one. Ideas on that? Thank you for your help.
Hey Mary! I actually wrote a post on strengthening the trunk, and the tips in that post will help with thickening the trunk too. you can read it here. I would say the main steps for thickening the trunk is giving them lots of light and using a quality fertlizer. FLFs have naturally thin trunks so it will take time for them to thicken as the plant matures, too.
Pruning is the easiest way to encourage branching – you don’t need to cut a lot off if you don’t want. Pruning will signal to the plant to send out new shoots. Keep in mind that the branches will grow at the height you prune, so that may determine how much you want to prune off.
A bushy FLF generally occurs when there’s multiple trunks in the one pot – some FLFs are sold like this while others are sold as single trunks. They are the same type of plant, but to get a bushy look you’d need to start with a plant that has multiple trunks growing out of the soil. These ones don’t need too much maintenance and should happily grow bushy-looking all by themselves 🙂
Hello, thanks for the information!
I recently removed few leaved from my FLF because they had big hole or had big brown spot. After that, one side of FLF looked empty so i did notching to encourage to grow the new branch a month ago but nothing happened….. Now it seems like scar 🙁 Is there any tip for notching? Or is there any way to encourage the new growth on the same spot i did notching?
Thanks!
Hi Joy, for any plant or FLF to respond to pruning or notching, it must have enough energy stored to produce new growth. So for best results, the best thing to do is to make sure your FLF is getting enough light, water and nutrients through fertilizer. I find they often need a lot more light than they’re getting, so consider if yours is getting enough! A good way to know is if your FLF is regularly pushing out new leaves at the top or not. FLFs will also generally have the most energy stored at the peak of the growing season, aka late Spring-ish. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, now is a pretty good time to give it a go.
Notching is best done on more mature, ‘woody’ stems. Young stems are green, and will then slowly turn brown. If the stem was green, this could be why you didn’t see results from notching. You may want to wait until the stem matures and thickens. When you notch, if you don’t see any small new growth within a week, go over the notch again. You could also try nothing in several places, as not all notching will end up being successful. Hope those tips help!
My FLF had grown to over 10′ tall and getting close to the ceiling. I live in NC where I can take it outside in the summer months so I do. It has about 5 main branches, some longer than others. I want to cut it back to about 8′ and to be bushier, lollipop shaped if you will. Can I just lop off the longer branches? How do I promote new leaf growth to get the lollipop shape I want. My tree also needs repotted, can I do it all at the same time?
Thanks
Hey Doug, I would say it would be fine to prune your FLF back to about 8′. Generally it’s best to prune no more than a third of a plant to prevent it from going into shock. When you say your FLF has 5 branches, do you mean 5 trunks coming out of the soil, or a single trunk with 5 branches further up? If it is a single trunk with 5 branches, you shouldn’t have too much trouble pruning them back as long as you follow the ‘no more than a third’ pruning rule. Pruning will naturally promote new leaf growth and back-budding, which should result in bushier growth. If your FLF has 5 trunks coming out of the soil, I wouldn’t suggest pruning them all off to leave a single, tree-shaped trunk as the plant will most likely suffer from the change.
It is a little tricky to give exact advice without knowing what your FLF looks like, however I would probably suggest repotting first and then pruning once your FLF has adjusted to the new pot. This may look like waiting until your FLF is growing again (a sign of health) before attempting to prune. If you have multiple trunks in the one pot, you could try separating them when you repot. You may want to dig into the soil a little bit to see how connected the trunks are before repotting, to see whether you’d be up for attempting it! As your FLF sounds quite mature, I would say you’d have to cut the roots apart to do this, which can be a little risky. It’s up to you what you decide to do, depending on if you feel confident to do it and if you think your FLF is healthy enough to adapt to the change. If it all sounds a bit much, I would suggest to start with a new, smaller, singe-trunk FLF to get the lollipop shape you want and enjoy how much your original FLF has grown! 🙂
Hello! Thanks for all the great info! I just purchased a FLF today! Its a small 4″ plant. I am wondering, the lady who potted my plant recommended I bind the stems together to make them form a stem and trunk, but I can’t seem to find any information on this! The plant has multiple green stems coming up from the roots with small leaves beginning to grow. Do you have any information on this? Or will the trunk begin to form as it grows and then I can begin pruning smaller leaves off the lower portions, as you described? I appreciate the help!
Hey Kyra, I’m wondering if she meant to braid the stems together? It’s not very common, but I have seen FLFs where the trunk has been braided as it grows. You can google it to see what I mean… I haven’t done this myself and would assume that it would take a bit of work to continually braid as it grows, although the results look amazing. I’m sure its best to start this process while the plant is still young.
If you have a cluster of stems in a pot, its likely that a few may end up leading the pack while some stems may stay smaller. It sounds like your plant may share the one root system, which would make it harder to grow into a tree-form unless you did the braiding. When multiple stems share the one root system, its riskier to separate them and may cause more harm to the plant if you do. If you are really after a single-trunk tree FLF look, you may be better off getting another FLF with a single stem that you can then more easily train into a tree style.
I would always let the lower leaves stay on as long as possible, regardless! They do a lot to help support the trunk and provide nutrients for health and growth. As your FLF matures you may find they eventually drop off, which one of mine has started doing.
Hope that info helps, sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance with the braiding! I’m sure there is some info if you look up braiding 🙂
Hello!
My FLF is about 7ft tall and is one branch with leaves. It won’t stand up on its own and I have stakes holding it up. What should I do with it? It keeps growing but the trunk does not support it.
Hey Nichole, there’s definitely a few things you can do to help, depending on how you’d like your FLF to look! If you are happy with your FLF’s height and single trunk, you’ll need to work on strengthening the trunk so it can stand straight by itself. Sometimes the trunks are weak because they have grown without enough sunlight – you can confirm this if there are gaps between the leaves. When there’s enough light, the leaves grow closer together and support the trunk better. Make sure your FLF is getting enough light or move it to a brighter location. If you can, putting your FLF outdoors will help the trunk. Any breeze will help strengthen the trunk and within a few weeks you should notice a difference (I helped one of my weak FLFs this way). If you cannot get it outside to experience the breeze, wiggle the trunk every second day or so to mimic the wind. It sounds strange but it does help! Your FLF can handle a lot of wiggling, so don’t be afraid to really move it.
If you would like your FLF to branch or it is growing too tall, pruning will definitely help the trunk. With less leaves to support up top, it won’t be as bendy. Pruning will encourage branching and stop your FLF from being so top-heavy.
Lastly, I saw huge improvements in my FLFs trunk when I started using a quality fertiliser. A specially-formulated one will also help the leaves grow closer together and the trunk to thicken. There should be a link to a great FLF one in this post if you need.
This is a lot of info but if you do each of these things, they will definitely help your FLF! Staking is great for short-term help but it doesn’t help the trunk to grow stronger or support itself. Let me know what you decide to do and how you go! All the best 🙂
I read a comment by someone who said that their FLF grew to 6’. Mine is the same.
I got mine just a year ago and it was 36” tall. It is now all the way to the ceiling and still giving off new leaves. It even grew a side shoot about two thirds up its main trunk. Totally unexpected for me! Mine is really fast growing and I have it indoors in less light than it should have and in the NorthEast. It is a really fun plant to grow!
That’s great Brenda! You must have the knack for FLFs! You can always prune it if it gets too tall. They are very fun to grow and bring so much joy 🙂
In my research i’m finding that the smaller versions are actually a different variety (“compacta” or “suncoast”?) mine has three trunks rather than one… is pruning it to a tree still possible?
Hey Sarah. Yes, there are smaller versions available, such as the bambino, although I haven’t heard of the ones you’ve seen. These versions are referring to the size of the plant rather than if they are a ‘bush’ or ‘tree’, as their shape mostly comes down to how they are planted and are cared for.
It is possible to grow yours into a tree but you may need to assess further when you repot. If it is too difficult to separate the three trunks, it may be best to keep them together to prevent too much damage from trying to untangle the roots. If they are still young, it will be easier to try separate them than if they are older (and therefore have a larger root system).
If so, other options could be to propagate a stem, which you can then grow singularly in a pot to form a more tree-like shape. Or leave the three trunks in the one pot and enjoy how lush and bushy they get! You can always find another single FLF in a pot to train into a tree-shape.
I’ve just bought another FLF with three stems in the pot, to grow bushy and lush. My FLF that I’m training into a tree is well on its way – branching at the top now! More FLFs is always better, haha. All the best! Let me know if you have other questions.
That link for “good fertilizer (this one is best for FLF’s)” – for a second, i thought it was a flat iron LOL 🙂
Great article and great advice! thank you for the helpful info! 🙂
I’m glad the info was helpful Virginia! Yes, there was an issue with the image in the link but hopefully it will be fixed. 🙂
Got my first FLF 1 month ago. Mine is more of a small bush,but i’ve got big plans for my little guy (Newt). Thanks for your helpful tips to help him grow up to be a beautiful tree❤.
Aw that’s great Janae! So glad this post was helpful for you 🙂
Hi!!! I’ve been looking for an answer online that I can not seem to find it anywhere!! I have two very big and beautiful fifis (how I call them) for a while now. I got about 10 pots with leaves propagation that I have started in water and then placed them in pots. They are all still green and looking like healthy but nothing changed!! No growth whatsoever! How long does it take for a leaf in the pot to grow into a little tree?! ?
If you can help me that question you will be a legend!!! And I will be very thankful too of course! ?
Hi Thais, I think it will depend on the type of cutting you did. I’m pretty certain that FLF’s can’t be propogated from a single leaf – they need to have some stem attached. The leaf can still grow roots and live but it isn’t likely it will grow into anything else from a single leaf. If your cuttings were a leaf plus part of the stem, then they should most likely grow! But just to get roots may take 6-8 weeks, so as you can see, it may take a few months before you see any new growth. It also entirely depends on how healthy it is, it’s environment and the season. Patience is key 🙂 hopefully you will get some growth soon!
Quite useful tips however I do not agree that they are slow growing and I’ll explain why..I have had my flf bush since 6/2017 and it was but 3 feet tall when it was purchased. I waited about 2 weeks to repot and it’s been in the same location (an easy facing window w white sheers) every since…I ignore her basically only watering about every 2 months and currently it is 6 feet tall and shows new growth weekly. Now patiently waiting for her to start branching out
Hi Chad, that’s amazing growth! It must love its location and conditions 🙂 Well done, I hope your FLF continues to do well!
Thank u so much..i think i should consider moving it to some different place since its winters here and the room gets a bit colder as conpared to other rooms in the house
Thank u for the help 🙂
Hi,
I’ve just got a 1 foot tall fiddle leaf fig..its been 1.5 months now and the plant was doing fine and it even sprouted two new leaves but recently i am noticing some brown patches on most of the leaves mostly near the edge..i am not able to understand what’s wrong..i water it once in 10 days and its placed in a south facing room with large glass doors..although its a little away from the glass door but i think it receives moderate light..i am concerned if the brown leaves are a result of cold air passing through the doors..
Hey Anamika, if the brown spots are on the edges of the leaves creeping in, I would say it has something to do with moisture levels or the environment its in. Is it in the path of a heater or air con? If its getting hit with dry air for extended times this could be a reason. FLFs love a bit of humidity so make sure its in a good location and you can even mist it with a sprayer. Once every 10 days is generally a good time to water. To be even more sure, feel if the top 1 inch of soil is wet or dry. If the top inch is dry, its time to water again. When you do water, you can fully saturate the plant until water runs out the bottom (make sure the pot has a hole in the bottom, FLFs also need good drainage). Hope this helps you. Once you get the basics right, your FLF should stay happy! 🙂
Hey I’m still very new to caring for indoor plants and I’m not very sure what you mean by pruning or pinching (where and how – Pictures would be very helpful!). I have a FLD plant and would really like to encourage it to grow into a tree and I’m well aware that it will take time 🙂 Thanks nonetheless for this post!
Hey Melissa, pruning and pinching will encourage a bushier growth and branching, but if you’re wanting your FLF to grow tall, just make sure its getting enough light, water and nutrients 🙂 Pruning uses sharp secateurs to cut branches when they are growing too big and need to be trimmed, or to encourage other branches and leaves to grow. Pinching is literally using your thumb and finger to pull out a new bud before it develops (similar effect to pruning). Hope that helps!
Hi, I’ve done a lot of search but can’t seem to find the answer I need. My question is- where exactly do I cut the top off in order to branch? Should it be just above a bud, just below one or doe it not matter? Hopefully you can help with this. Cheers
Hi Breanna, check out the link to the forum below which has some more specific information – These forums taught me a huge amount! They talk specifics about pruning and notching for FLFs to branch:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1465570/pruning-ficus-lyrata-to-branch
Hope it helps!
Have you had success notching? Would love to see pictures of how to notch . Every time I top the FLF I only get 1 new branch instead of 2. So frustrating!
Thanks for your help!
Hey Teresa, I’m still experimenting with notching myself, but have a look at this link which talks really specifically about how to notch for new branches. These forums were an amazing resource for me and I would definitely recommend checking out more! Plus they explain things better than my attempts:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1465570/pruning-ficus-lyrata-to-branch
Let me know how you go!
Emily. Can you please show me exactly what notching looks like. I would hate to do something too dramatic and damage my plant.
Hi Liz, have a look at this forum link which talks a lot about notching in detail and also shows some photos:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1465570/pruning-ficus-lyrata-to-branch
These forums go into a lot of depth about FLFs and are a great resource! I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me 🙂
Thank you so much, that was exactly what i was looking for! Hope my fig will groš healthy:) have a lovely day!
Hi Emily,
I have a FLF and it was doing well until I took it outside to give it a shower. Then before I could move it back inside two leaves got direct sun and turned brown. The new growth above them is fine.
Can I trim off these two large leaves just below the new growth?
I know I can trim off the brown on the edges, but these leaves are mostly brown.
Hi Anne, unfortunately if you trim the edges of the leaves, they won’t grow back! You can do this if you are ok with the trimmed leaf staying that way. My dog took a bite out of a lower leaf on my FLF and the teeth marks are still there! If it looks like the leaves are dead and aren’t recovering, you could remove them completely to keep your tree looking green.
Thanks for the tips, very helpful! I thought the bush variety was a different plant than the tree, so I was happy to hear that it just takes time!
Hey Nathan, that’s what I originally thought too! Just gotta have patience for these ones to grow. There is a smaller variety called bambino, but the leaves are so teeny tiny you would know if that’s the variety you had ?
Hi. Thank you for your post it is very helpful foe me coz my FLF has 2 branches and it gives me an idea to see if its 2. But Im not really good in planting and no green thumb as well, just trying my plants to stay long. For the soil, what kind of soil would you suggest if I repot it? Thanks.
Hi Lerry, when repotting it is best to use soil that allows the plant to drain water easily – so go for a chunky mix or add in some small bark pieces. This creates room for excess water to drain. Your local nursery should be able to help with specifics! Hope that helps 🙂
I found this post while searching for an answer for my leaning branches. I have a three branch fiddle that quickly found it’s happy spot in my house. It’s grown about a foot since I bought it with at least 15 leaves since last August. Even grew in Oregon winter! Weird! I think the branches are forked just under the soil, but I will try the stakes as you suggested to another commenter.
Hi Shannon, that is a lot of growth, sounds like you are doing something right! Thanks for your comments, hope the info helps 🙂
Hi,
Thank you for this post! I’m still not sure what I should do about my bush Fiddle leaf tree…
There’s two branches growing down at the dirt level. It is one plant though, not 2 or 3. Will I ever be able to achieve the tree shape? I’m afraid the trunk won’t be strong enough if I cut them.
Thank you!
Hi Eve! It sounds like your FLF has a double trunk, you could still achieve the tree-shape letting both the trunks grow, it would be a unique FLF! In my opinion the attribute that makes the FLF appear most like a tree is the removal of the lower leaves when it gets big enough. You could remove the less dominant trunk, but this may be a little risky and there may always be that ‘kink’ in the spot where it was removed. Remember its always best to prune with the tree’s natural shape in mind! 🙂
Hi, thanks for the info. Maybe you can help me, my FLF is doing great, the only thing, it’s getting really tall and starting to lean pretty bad. I’ve staked it awhile ago, but as it continues to grow , it leans more and more. I guess I could stake it with a taller stake……… any other suggestions?
Thanks
Hi there, FLFs are renowned for their thin trunks and are therefore prone to leaning! You can prune the top to remove some of the weight higher up, otherwise you can stake it higher – this will help stabilize it but may not help the trunk grow thicker. Try pruning or notching to create branches that might help balance the weight. All the best 🙂