Plants are an everyday staple in our lives, because they provide warmth, ambience, and most importantly, oxygen. Today, more people are realizing the importance of having and planting their own trees. The activity can be relaxing and soothing to the one choosing to plant a tree or shrub, since it teaches them how to take care of another living thing. Plants like the fiddle leaf fig can be used in areas like your garden or backyard. They definitely add to the style of any area they are placed in.
Learning certain skills is required when starting your own garden. Each plant is unique and has varying needs. If you choose to plant a fiddle leaf fig, you definitely have to learn how to prune fiddle leaf fig. Pruning is an important process that is done almost regularly, depending on the plant. It is also a necessary maintenance step to any healthy garden. Maintaining a garden takes a certain learning curve, and it takes quite an effort.
1. Basic Facts of Fiddle Leaf Figs
The fiddle leaf fig got its name from the instrument called a fiddle. This is because the leaves of the fiddle leaf fig are shaped in such a way as to resemble the fiddle instrument (fiddle is a folk-y name for the violin). It is a very popular plant. It can be planted indoors, which makes it a good ornamental plant.
It gives a great ambiance to any room, and is small enough not to overcrowd a room. With a thin stem and a lot of leaves, the fiddle leaf fig ends up looking pretty sophisticated in any interior. They especially look good in plain and white interiors. Their dark green leaves match the clean outlook white interiors provide.
The fiddle leaf fig was originally from Western Africa, and can usually be found in rainforests that are tropical. These plants thrive in areas that are moist and dense, which is why they are many in number in rainforests. The fiddle leaf fig does not produce flowers, fruits, or other types of bearings, and is only limited to the growth of its large green leaves.
These trees can be planted either as indoor plants, or outdoor plants. When it is planted as an indoor plant, it only grows up to a certain height, making it manageable as an indoor plant. When planted as an outdoor plant, it grows much bigger than it would have grown had it been indoors. Outdoors, any neighboring tree might be at risk due to the growth of the fiddle leaf fig. These plants are known to send its roots deep underground and strangle other trees. Because of this, constant monitoring and proper placement of the fiddle leaf fig is important.
Like many indoor plants, keeping the humidity and moisture in the room is important, which means moving the plant from place to place with differing temperatures and moisture might not be as advisable.
2. How to Shape a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree
Shaping plants and trees comes with the expectancy that they will eventually overgrow. They tend to grow in a lot of different unruly and ugly directions. Sometimes, they grow in directions that you do not want them to. If you want your plants to follow certain aesthetics and orderliness that match the interior or garden in which they are found, it can be frustrating when you can’t make them grow the way you want them to.
Learning how to shape a fiddle leaf fig tree includes knowing first what kind of shape you envision your plant to be. Shaping your tree should be done every time overgrowth tends to make it look unruly. Then the next thing to know is how to prune and cut parts of a fiddle leaf fig effectively.
3. How to Prune Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaves
Pruning is essential to making sure that your plants are healthy and thriving. This process includes the removal of stems and leaves that have brown spots, or old and look dead. This also includes removing diseased parts of the plant to prevent the disease from spreading.
So, how to prune fiddle leaf fig leaves? You can start the process by trimming all the leaves that are starting to brown and wither. Trim towards the base of the leaf towards the stem, and make sure that you cut using sharp scissors or shears. It is highly important to use clean and sharp shears to avoid making messy cuts that will damage the plant.
Since the aesthetic of the fiddle leaf fig tree is an important factor that convinces many people to purchase and plant said tree, then making sure you prune it every now and then when it starts to go brown helps in maintaining said aesthetic.
Pruning should be done regularly. As soon as leaves of the fiddle leaf fig start to wither, you should not wait for the withering and brown parts of the other leaves to spread on towards the other parts of the fig.
4. Pruning the Top of Fiddle Leaf Fig
Sometimes, owners of a certain plant only want to prune certain edges of the said plant. Whether it is the top, bottom, or sides of the plant, it all boils down to the preferences of the one who owns the plant. For those who believe in pruning the top of fiddle leaf fig, this can be done by leaving the sides of the plant alone when you start to snip or cut the brown parts off of the fiddle leaf fig. Hopefully, the other portions of the plant have not started to wither or die when you do this, otherwise, cutting off only the top portion will not be a good way to maintain your fig.
General Fiddle Lea Fig Care Tips
There are three basic aspects you have to concern yourself about when growing a fiddle lea fig: light, soil and water.
Fiddle leaf figs enjoy sunlight. If indoors, place your plant near a window where it can get tons o sunlight. It is best to start with indirect sunlight and later on make your plant get used to direct sunlight. This will help your plant thrive in the long run.
Every now and then, wipe the wide leaves of the plant to remove the gathering dust on them. This will let increase the plant’s productivity in photosynthesizing. And since fiddle leaf figs are tropical plants, they do not do extremely well in the cold, so avoid exposing them to cold droughts of air.
When it comes to soil, a well draining soil is your best bet. Even though fiddle leaf figs are natural in rainforests, they do not do well in a soil that retains too much moisture. That is a recipe or root rot.
Generally, one watering a week or every ten days is enough for a fiddle leaf fig. Make sure that the top two inches of the soil is dry before watering again. If the leaves develop brown spots rom the inside, it may be getting too much water or not enough sunlight.
If the leaves turn crispy brown from the edges, it may not be getting enough water or the air is too dry. The leaves may also get sunburn, turning the leaves white-yellow to brown in the places direct sunlight is hitting it. If you are seeing these things in your plant, try moving it to a different place and gauge its reaction. Be careful with making drastic changes with it though, fiddle leaf figs are not overly fond with environmental changes.
Conclusion
For those who own a plant, or a fiddle leaf fig in particular, certain questions like how long does it grow into? Or, when will it star to produce green leaves? Or, more importantly, does learning how to prune fiddle leaf fig turn out to be difficult? A lot of questions often surround a new adventure, especially when it involves living things like plants. The fiddle leaf fig is indeed a popular and great addition to any home, garden, or interior. Though it does not produce a fruits like the fig tree, or flowers like the beautiful wisteria, the plant is still beautiful in its own right.
Because of its beauty and simplicity, maintaining it and making sure that it grows to a certain extent will always be the goals of any one person who aims to have a cleaner and greener home. Knowing the ways in which you can help your fiddle leaf fig grow in a healthier environment is a fulfilling experience. It teaches you to be patient and aware of your surroundings, and how they might affect the plant.
