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How to Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig – 6 Quick Ways

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Fiddle-leaf fig, also known as Ficus lyrata, is a species of flowering plants belonging to mulberry and fig named Moraceae.

This plant is native to Western Africa, found in the lowland tropical rainforests from Cameroon to Sierra Leone. Their leaves have variable shapes, generally with a broad tip narrowing down from the middle.

Due to their resemblance to a lyre or fiddle, they’re often known as the fiddle-leaf fig. these leaves can grow up to 18 inches long and 12 inches wide and have a velvety texture with visible veins.

If you have this lovely plant, but its leaves are drooping, don’t worry because we will help you how to revive fiddle leaf fig!

How to Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig
Save my Fiddle Leaf Fig 🌱🌿🪴How can I revive this beauty? – via Reddit

Taking Care of Fiddle Leaf Fig

Before diving into how to revive fiddle leaf fig, you must learn how to take care of your fiddle leaf fig. Its striking broad leaves can be a perfect embellishment for your indoor plant collection. However, it can be a little tricky to take care of fiddle leaf fig and keep it healthy and happy.

Once you learn all the dos and don’ts in taking care of your plant and giving it proper care, the visual impact of this plant will be unmatched.

Fiddle leaf fig grows best in humid and temperate climates and does not work well in cold temperatures. The following points will help you take care of your fiddle leaf fig.

Light

Fiddle leaf figs require bright indirect light to grow properly. If the plant isn’t given proper light and kept dimly, the leaves will start drooping, and the growth will be retarded. To keep your plant fresh and healthy, place it in front of a window where it gets ample bright light.

Pro Tip: Ensure that the plant only gets indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can damage the leaves.

Soil

Using your normal potting mix will do well for fiddle leaf. Just make sure that the soil has good drainage. For that, you can enhance the quantity of sand in your soil.

Watering

Fiddle leaf figs prefer slightly moist soil to grow properly. You can water your plant every other week or check when the top 1-2 inches of the soil are dry; it’s time to give a drink to your plant. You might need to water it a little more frequently during summer days and reduce the frequency in winters.

Watering too often and keeping the soil too soggy may cause root rot and lead to the death of the plant.

Pro Tip: Fiddle leaf fig is highly sensitive to salt build-up. It is advised to rinse your whole plant under a shower and make sure all the water drains down from the bottom. It will help you get rid of any salt build-up and keep the plant healthy.

Temperature and Humidity

Fiddle leaf figs grow in temperate regions with higher humidity and temperature; therefore, they cannot survive in cold climates.

This plant doesn’t thrive well in extreme temperatures; keep your room temperature moderately warm but avoid getting too hot or cold. Also, keep your plant away from an air conditioner or heating vents and radiators.

Normal air humidity of about 40 to 60 % is good for the plant. If you live in a dry or hot area or feel your plant could use a more humid environment, then a fine mist sprayer is your best friend. Just mist your plant and the area around it to achieve the desired humidity level.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing your fiddle leaf fig during the growing season with a nitrogen-based fertilizer is advised to provide all the nutrients for good and healthy growth. Special fertilizers for fiddle leaf figs are also available. However, feeding in the winters is not necessary.

How to Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig 2
Fiddle Leaf Fig is Dying – We Need Help – via Reddit

6 Ways on How to Revive Fiddle Leaf Fig

After understanding how to take care of fiddle leaf fig, its problems, and its causes, it’s time to learn how to revive it. The following 7 tips will help you!

1.     Get Rid of Brown Leaves

If you see your plant leaves are getting brown, you need to take some nice clean and sharp scissors and trim off those bad boys. If the browning or dying leaves aren’t cut off, they take away important nutrients from the plant and affect its growth.

Browning or yellowing leaves may also indicate a bacterial infection, so it is best to cut them to avoid the spread of infection.

2.     Prune the Moldy stems and Branches

If you notice any white mildew or molding on the stem or branches of your fiddle leaf fig, then take a pair of sharp shears to cut them. You can prune your fiddle leaf at any time of the year. However, it is advised to do so during spring to grow and recover.

Pro tip: You may feel tempted to wipe off the mildew but do not do that under any circumstance as it may spread the spores over the plant and cause the mold to spread.

3.     Spraying with Neem Oil

Neem oil is a natural pest killer. If you witness any pest or mold growing on the plant, you can spray the stem with the neem oil, disinfect it, and get rid of pests. You can also wipe down the leaves with neem oil.

4.     Repotting

If the leaves are drooping and dying, it may be because of root rot. Your pot might not have good drainage to get rid of excess water, so the soil gets too soggy, and the roots start rotting. At this point, you need to report your plant in a better drainage pot.

5.     Cut Off the Rotten Roots

If your plant root rot is severe, gently take the plant out of the pot and examine the troubling roots. Trim off the roots, which are severely damaged from the rot. Such roots are a lost cause and cannot be revived, so your best bet is to cut them to allow new roots to grow and obtain nutrients.

6.     Change the Soil

If your fiddle leaf fig shows yellowing or browning leaves, it may indicate that the plant has a bacterial infection. Trim off the affected leaves, remove the plant from the soil, and clean it. Now take a fresh batch of good potting soil and replant your fiddle leaf into it.

Pro Tip: Ensure that your plant is kept in an area with good air circulation to prevent bacteria from growing and festering.


Conclusion

If you were worried about your dying fiddle leaf fig and didn’t know how to revive it, then this article is for you. It covers all the basics, from taking care of the plant to keep it healthy to managing and controlling any damage and health problems that may cause your fiddle leaf fig to die out.

Instead of throwing out your dying plant, you may be able to salvage and revive it. We hope now you know how to revive fiddle leaf fig. Now go and show some love to your dying fiddle leaf and update us in the comments on how it went for you!