Ficus Lyrata or Fiddle leaf Fig plant

Ficus Lyrata or Fiddle leaf Fig plant

Ficus Lyrata is a wonderful and incredibly rewarding plant to grow indoors. They make beautiful corner plants and large indoor “trees” for entryways and foyers. Although it is a little more challenging, it is possible to overwinter F. benjamina in temperate areas without massive leaf-dropping, but it will require careful attention to watering and temperature. In general, make sure to aggressively fertilizer your ficus plant, especially during the growing season. They have a fairly high need for fertilizer. Also, make sure to prune away dead branches and pick dead leaves to prevent the spread of diseases or fungal infections that can severely affect your plant. Ficus Benjamina is vulnerable to pests including aphids, mealy bugs, scale, and whitefly. If possible, identify the infestation as early as possible and treat it with the least toxic option.

Ficus Lyrata is one of the most popular houseplants in the world. Known as the weeping fig, the F. Benjamina is native to India and Southeast Asia, where its an important fruit and landscape plant. One of the common complaints about F. Benjamina is its tendency to shed leaves easily: you move it, it drops leaves; the watering schedule changes, it drops leaves. It might help to know that part of this is because of the way these plants have evolved. F. Benjamina is native to the subtropics and tropics where there is a distinct wet and dry season. In their native environment, plants typically drop leaves at the beginning of the dry season, making them exquisitely sensitive to changes in moisture. In terms of indoor culture, they are not especially demanding, but dislike being moved and, as mentioned before, they are highly sensitive to changes in watering.

Plant Care

Light

Thrives in bright indirect light to full sun. A few hours of full sun is preferred.

Water

Water every 1-2 weeks, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Increase the frequency with increased light.

Plant Tip

fiddle leaf fig your plant is dropping leaves despite all these steps, and you’re giving it nice bright light, try supplementing with a little magnesium and manganese.