What you need to know about the Fiddle Leaf Fig

Is a fiddle leaf fig a good indoor plant?

The fiddle leaf fig is one of the world’s most popular indoor plant/ tree. And they are rather Instagram worthy! We have around 7 of them in our house, some have been grown from cuttings and the others purchased (it’s not uncommon for hubby to come home from Bunnings with another Fiddle leaf fig! ‘But it was a bargain’ he tells me! lol). I’ll be honest, I love them! They have become a focal point in our home due to their lovely large size. If you don’t want to spend much time on maintenance, then this is the plant for you.

It can be positioned indoors, which is one of the reasons it is so popular, they can transform a room for instant greenery and a tree like feature. So yes, they certainly are a great indoor plant!! It has large, heavily veined and violin shaped leaves that grow upright on a sleek trunk. It is a relatively fast grower (even our dwarf fiddle leaf fig grew to 2 metres!). If the top leaves begin to die off you can trim that section off and it will reshoot from the trunk, often adding a lovely new branch (with visual appeal). And if you also remove the growing tip this will encourage the plant to thicken and provide more support for the giant leaves.
They do prefer a more humid climate but do very well in a dry one too (we live in one of the driest states in Australia and have about 7 of them!). 

Is the fiddle leaf fig high maintenance?

Like a  lot of indoor plants the fiddle leaf fig will attract pests and disease. However they are a relatively low maintenance plant. Often it will drop it’s leaves (which will tell you something is up!). 

It’s large leaves will gather dust, so regular dusting with a damp cloth will help remove the build up and ensure longevity. You can mist the leaves with a spray bottle of water, which increases humidity. This is important during winter when rooms have heating. We recommend repotting every spring when the plant is young but only replace the top soil once a year for a mature plant.

Does the fiddle leaf fig need a lot of water?

When it comes to watering, only water if the top 5cm of soil is dry to touch. It does love a good drink but not to be over watered (speaking from experience here).

Indoor Plant Therapy’s Plant Love Rating

So in a nutshell we love the Fiddle leaf fig and here are our overall thoughts:

• Looks – we love their big leathery leaves
  
• Height – we love their large stature and focal point ability
  
• Maintenance – low amount required (=win for a buys family)
  
• Growth – they are slow growers but easier to maintain because of this
  
• Pest issues – few issues with pests, mealy bug seems to be the main one we have
  
• General issues – our older plants can tend to look a bit scraggy
  
• Watering – an occasional good soak, less is more with these gorgeous specimens
  
• Toxicity – yes they are toxic to pets and humans but neither in our house have chewed them! I feed them good dinners so they don’t need to! lol
  

Fiddle Leaf Fig Official Stats

• Scientific Name: Ficus Lyrata
  
• Family: Moraceae
  
• Kingdom: Plantae
  
• Soil Type: Loamy, well drained, med. moisture
  
• Mature size: 3m (indoors)/ 15m (outdoors)
  
• Growth width: up to 4m wide (indoors)
  
• Plant Type: Broadleaf Evergreen
  
• Native Area: Tropical western Africa
  
• Toxicity: Toxic to cats & dogs