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Did you know that some house plants can outgrow your house? That’s crazy! Well, the fiddle leaf fig is one of those houseplants that grow extremely big if it is well taken care of.
The fiddle leaf fig is a native of West Africa(Cameroon), it belongs to the fig family and its native habitat is the tropical rainforest. The fiddle leaf fig is an ornamental houseplant that has a huge trunk with large leaves that possess the shape of a violin.
Because of their tropical homeland, most fiddle leaf plants thrive more in warm and wet weather conditions, happy fiddle leaf plants can grow as tall as 10ft.
When gardeners find it difficult to recreate their natural habitat in their home, the fiddle leaf fig might show changes or face problems that if left unchecked, might become fatal for the plant.
One of such issues the fiddle leaf plant might face is the drooping of leaves. Drooping of leaves in any plant is not always good, it is always the first signal to show if a plant is not growing well.
In this article today we are going to discuss the causes of fiddle leaf fig leaves drooping and how they can be revived.
Why Are Fiddle Leaf Figs Drooping?
A lot of factors contribute to why fiddle leaf fig leaves are drooping, we are going to discuss a few below and how best we can revive the fiddle leaf fig leaves from these problems.
- Insufficient Sunlight
- Overwatering
- Under watering
- High Temperatures
1. Insufficient Sunlight
A vital requirement for all flowering plants to grow is sunlight, without sun most plants will find it difficult to grow. Fiddle leaf fig leaves sagging or drooping is a result of insufficient Sunlight, this is because these fiddle leaf fig leaves are very sensitive and if they are not kept under natural conditions they find it difficult to thrive. Other signs of insufficient Sunlight showing on the fiddle leaf are; yellowing leaves, brown spots, leaves curling etc.
How To Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaves From Drooping Caused By Sunlight.
- Make sure that the fiddle leaf fig plant is placed in a bright location, this ca but outdoors or places close to the window where the sun can penetrate.
- As a precaution, fiddle leaf Figs leaves can get scorched by intense or hot afternoon sun so it is best they are placed in the sun only in the morning.
- To avoid being burnt by intense heat, during the afternoon, the fiddle leaf fig plant should be kept under shaded environments.
2. Over watering
Overwatering is often a problem most gardeners face when growing house plants, when plants are watered excessively, they cannot absorb all the moisture fully, the plants will begin to look soggy and in some species slimy. When this happens, it eventually leads to root rot. Fiddle leave plants that are overwatered may experience this root rot and one of the signs is usually drooping of the plants.
How To Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaves From Overwatering
- Reduce watering of the fiddle leaf fig to only when the soil is dry, this can be done by feeling the top soil to see if it is moist or not.
- Ensure that the soil is moist with good drainage to prevent the soil from getting water logged and causing root rot.
3. Under Watering
This should not come as a surprise to you because fiddle leaf fig plants thrive more in a warm and moist environment, so understandably your fiddle leaf fig plant will droop and sag when the plant is Underwatered. Underwatering may cause the plants to become dehydrated and the foliage will become weak and droop. To know if your fiddle leaf plant is under-watered, check the topsoil to see if it is brittle and has patches.
How To Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaves From Underwatering
- Increase frequent watering to avoid underwatering, take caution to avoid watering too much so that the plant doesn’t suffer from root rot.
- Some fiddle leaf plants may become dried out and will not survive even if they are watered. These plants need to be pruned to enable new foliage to grow
- Once the thirsty fiddle leaf plant has been watered, place the plant in a bright place with shades to reduce the time the place dries out.
4. High Temperatures
If you didn’t know before now, fiddle plants are unique plants, so therefore they require unique temperatures to grow.
When these temperature requirements are not met, they can cause serious problems for the fiddle leaf plants.
Extremely high temperatures can cause your leaves to become dry, yellow, or develop brown spots and droop. It can also cause the plant to become dehydrated.
How Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaves From High Temperatures
- Move the plant from intense sunlight to shaded areas or bright places with indirect sunlight.
- Remove the damaged leave, water the leaves and place them in a cool environment to assist in recovery and regeneration
- Instead of placing the plant under the direct hot sun in the afternoon, it should be placed indoors where air flows.
How Do I Know My Fiddle Leaf Is Dying?
Your fiddle leaf fig will show certain signs, if your plant shows any of the signs below, then it is dying and needs to be handled quickly.
Some of these signs may include:
- Yellowing of leaves
- Brown or black spots
- Curling of leaves
- Drooping of leaves
- Holes in leaves
How Do I Know If My Fiddle Leaf Needs Water?
Fiddle Leaf fig plants love wet and moist conditions and temperatures, so if you notice that your fiddle plants look has dry leave, strong and rocky soil with patches, drooping leaves and curling leaves are all signs of underwatered fiddle leaf fig. Proper actions should be taken to when you notice this to prevent the plants from dying.
Finally, fiddle leaf plants tend to show emotion, when they are happy and are given proper care, they can grow as tall as 10 feet with big broad shiny leaves. However, when they are not given their unique proper care, the fiddle leaf plants will suffer from problems ranging from drying, sagging, drooping, yellowing of leaves, stunted growth and falling of leaves.
If you don’t want your fiddle leaf to show these signs and look ugly, then follow the steps above carefully.
