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Why Is My Fiddle Leaf Fig Dying – 6 Mistakes to Avoid!

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Fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is a beautiful plant containing prominent fiddle-like leaves.

The stunning specie is gorgeous, but it can be tricky to raise this plant and keep it alive.

Besides its beauty, it has its own problems, and the most common one is the dropping leaves which leave the gardeners scratching their heads, thinking, “Why is my fiddle leaf fig dying?”

It can make you extremely worried if you find your beautiful fiddle leaf fig wilting and on the verge of dying.

If you have purchased a fiddle leaf fig and have no idea how to grow and revive your plant, you do not need to worry about it because today, we will discuss why is your fiddle leaf fig dying and how you can save it.

So, without procrastinating any further, let us advance toward the article.

Fiddle leaf fig with brown leaves—why is my fiddle leaf fig dying
Why is my fiddle leaf fig dying? Are you also feeling poor about your dying plant and don’t know how to revive it? – Image via Reddit.

Why Is My Fiddle Leaf Fig Dying? | The Reasons!

Common signs that demonstrate your plant is dying can be yellowing of leaves, brown spots on the leaves, and dropping leaves.

But luckily, they are easy to fix.

Noticing the signs early helps you to understand the causes and how you can fix them.

Your plant may take time to recover from different problems; therefore, you must stay persistent and patient.

Usually, it takes a lot of research to find or understand the problem.

Still, I ensure you won’t remain doubtful about your plant anymore after going through the different reasons mentioned below.

1.      Improper Watering and Light

The first stage of a plant’s dying, leaf drop, is usually caused by little or more water concentration.

Yes! overwatering is equally damaging to plants as underwatering.

  • Underwatering will cause plant leaves to fall off while overwatering can damage the root of the plants.
  • What you need to do is to keep your plant hydrated.
  • But make sure not to drown your plant in the water.
  • Try to water only when the plant’s soil is 50% to 70% dry.

Lightening effect:

  • Besides watering, exposure to extreme hot or cold temperatures can also cause fiddle leaf figs to drop their leaves.
  • The fiddle leaf fig thrives in warm, humid, and tropical places; therefore, keeping your plant in similar conditions is better.

If your plant is in a dry environment, move it to another location where the temperature is gentle and humidity levels are high enough.

You can browse through this article to learn everything about caring for fiddle leaf figs if it’s dropping leaves.

2.     Bacterial Infection

If you notice the yellowing of leaves with brown spots in your fiddle leaf fig, your plant is infected by bacterial infection.

Like other plants, a bacterial infection in your fiddle leaf fig will eventually cause the plant’s leaves to fall off.

Remember, bacteria prefer feeding on new growing plants.

Therefore, a bacterial infection is more likely to blame if your fresh leaves are getting worse than the older ones.

Sadly, this is a challenging condition to treat your fiddle leaf fig.

  • It is better to cut off all the leaves containing brown spots.
  • Repot your plant in fresh soil.
  • Provide it with plenty of light and enough care to recover from the previous damage.

And try to keep the infected plant away from other plants to keep them safe from unwanted infection.

3.     Insect Damage

Although insect damage is rare among fiddle leaf figs, it leaves a deplorable effect on your plant leaves—in case your plant is affected by them.

  • Use a magnifying glass to spy on the insects on your plants.
  • The insect damage plant leaves and appears as small spots on the leaves that turn into holes.
  • Insect infestations are very easy to treat.
  • Use neem oil products specially designed for house plants.
  • Also, try to keep insects away from your other plants.

Ensure neem oil is applied to all the affected leaves to obliterate the damage.

4.     Wrong Container

Why is my fiddle leaf fig dying, you say? Your plant’s container might be the reason.

Most of the time, when we buy a plant from the store, we get it in a cheap, small plastic container that is usually unsustainable for the plant for a long time.

If your plant is in that condition, you need to move it to a new suitable container as early as possible.

Dying fiddle leaf fig — why is my fiddle leaf fig dying
Why is my fiddle leaf fig dying? You need to check whether your pot size is suitable for your plant or not — Image via Reddit.

If your plant stays in the small pot, it quickly becomes cramped and unhappy—dying.

Choose a pot that is almost two times larger than the current pot; it will give your plant enough room it requires for its healthy growth.

Make sure to use a pot containing drainage holes.

When you think about transplanting your fiddle leaf fig, stay careful in preventing the roots from any damage; your plant will thrive for years with little effort and care.

5.      Poor Fertilization

During the hot season, fiddle leaf figs grow more rapidly, requiring more nutrients for their proper growth.

If you do not fertilize your plant enough during the growing season, your plant will not be lavish as you expected.

During the summer and the spring season, you need to use fertilizers more often for your plant’s healthy growth.

But just like watering, using excess fertilizer also harms your plants. You can use a balanced fertilizer diluted to half its strength on a bi-monthly basis during growing seasons.

6.     Root Rot

Root Rot is a common disease among plants and is even more common in fiddle leaf figs.

The condition is characterized by drying and falling leaves due to the soggy roots, and it causes brown spots due to fungal infection of the roots due to overwatering.

  • It is essential to treat root rot instantly and to protect your plant from bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

What you need to do is to:

  • Remove the pot and inspect all the roots.
  • Remove all the affected leaves and make sure your plant gets sufficient light.
  • Cut away all the mushy brown roots and repot your plants.

Make sure to provide your plant with proper care and water regulation so that your plant can be grown in full lavish.

From here, you can know what does root rot look like.

I hope you got the answer to your question, “Why is my fiddle leaf fig dying?”

Why is my fiddle leaf fig dying? 3 Secrets to Revive a Dying Fiddle Leaf Fig | Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource Center – YouTube

Now is the right time to move toward the conclusion.


Conclusion

I hope now you do not have any confusion related to this topic.

Your lovely plant can be dying for different reasons, including improper watering, bacterial and fungal infections, poor fertilization, and root rot.

What you need to do is to inspect the reason your fiddle leaf fig is dying so that you can quickly treat your plant.

  •  If your plant is dying because of bacterial and fungal infections, it is better to cut the plant and dispose of it to prevent other plants from your garden.
  • If improper watering is the reason, you can create a better schedule for watering your plant.
  • If your plant has root rot, it is better to cut the affected area and change the container of your fiddle leaf fig.

I hope this article helps you a lot. If you still have any questions about this topic, you can mention them in the comment section below. I will try my best to answer all your queries!

Regards,
Moiz Atiq.