Why does the fiddle-leaf fig die? Let's analyze the common causes.

The fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is one of the most popular internet-famous green plants worldwide, named for its huge leaves that resemble a cello, and with its upright, straight trunk, it looks great no matter how you place it - a perfect 100 for photos. To use the most popular phrase of the moment, the fiddle-leaf fig is the center-stage green plant everyone picks!

But fans who have actually grown a fiddle-leaf fig know that it is famously "good-looking but hard to grow," constantly letting you experience "the joy of harvesting an empty pot." This is actually a misunderstanding - the fiddle-leaf fig is a very robust plant, and in many southern cities it can be planted casually by the roadside and still grow lush and green. So why does your fiddle-leaf fig die? The main reason is that you don't understand it well enough yet.

Since you've picked the fiddle-leaf fig, you first need to understand your idol's habits. The fiddle-leaf fig originates from the relatively low tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, living year-round in an environment of 25°C~35°C with plenty of rain and sunlight, which is what shaped its personality of fearing cold, dryness and darkness.

When caring for a fiddle-leaf fig at home, be sure to place it in a spot with more than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day and good ventilation, usually a south-facing balcony or beside a floor-to-ceiling window. Water promptly to keep the soil moist; in drier regions like Beijing, you can also place a basin of water beside the pot to raise the air humidity around the fiddle-leaf fig.

Why does your fiddle-leaf fig die? The answer to this question is generally that the care environment we provide for the fiddle-leaf fig at home is not right.

- Cause of death 1: Sudden environmental change -

After we buy a fiddle-leaf fig from a flower market or online and place it at home, the care environment for the fiddle-leaf fig often undergoes a drastic change - light, ventilation, temperature and humidity all change. If the difference is too great, the fiddle-leaf fig will show a stress response to protect itself; the most common is leaf drop due to lack of light and excessive dryness, reducing nutrient consumption in this way to keep itself alive.

How to solve: Place it in a spot with 1~2 hours of direct sunlight per day and good ventilation to acclimatize; once the plant resumes growth (produces new leaves), the acclimatization has succeeded, and at this point move the fiddle-leaf fig to a spot with more ample sunlight (more than 4 hours of direct sunlight), where it will grow even faster.

- Cause of death 2: Death by shade -

The reason the fiddle-leaf fig evolved such huge leaves is to get more sunlight in competition with other plants in the tropical rainforest, and that is exactly why it can give everyone such a feeling of thriving vitality!

So the fiddle-leaf fig is a very light-loving plant, and only ample light allows it to grow healthily. There is a lot of information online boasting about the fiddle-leaf fig's tolerance of shade; although it helped the fiddle-leaf fig secure its center-stage position among green plants, it truly reflects a lack of understanding of the fiddle-leaf fig! If a flower shop owner tells you in the future that the fiddle-leaf fig is very shade-tolerant, please give a cold laugh and calmly turn around and walk away.

How to solve: Place the fiddle-leaf fig in a spot with more than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day and good ventilation for care.

- Cause of death 3: Death by dryness -

When introducing its place of origin at the beginning, I told you that the fiddle-leaf fig lives in tropical rainforests with ample rain. So it is actually a plant that very much likes moisture, and the soil needs to stay moist long-term; spring and summer are the growing seasons, and you especially need to water promptly, while in winter growth slows and you can appropriately reduce watering frequency to avoid root rot. The fiddle-leaf fig's root system is quite sensitive, and it easily drops leaves after being dry for even a short while, so it is better to err on the moist side than the dry side; as long as drainage is good and water does not accumulate at the bottom of the pot, there is no need to worry too much about root rot.

The fiddle-leaf fig's requirements for air humidity are also higher than those of ordinary plants, preferably above 80%; when the air conditioner or heater is on, it is best to place a basin of water beside the plant, which can effectively raise the local humidity around the plant.

- Cause of death 4: Death by cold -

The fiddle-leaf fig originates from Southeast Asia, warm all year round, with sunlight and beaches, plus tom yum goong and lemongrass grilled shrimp - a holy land for escaping the cold on vacation!!! So the fiddle-leaf fig is also very afraid of cold; below 15°C it easily falls into a dormant state, and below 5°C it will basically be killed by the cold. This is also the main reason the fiddle-leaf fig can be used as a street tree in many southern cities, while it is rarely seen in northern cities.

So apart from regions that are also warm in winter, such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Yunnan, other friends had best get a fiddle-leaf fig when spring and summer are relatively warm, and after the temperature drops in autumn and winter, be sure to promptly move it to a spot with heating and sunlight for care (usually beside an indoor floor-to-ceiling window).

- Cause of death 5: Death by disease -

The most common disease of the fiddle-leaf fig is mainly fig phytophthora rot (commonly also called leaf spot disease); it usually infects the leaves first, and after infection the leaves show rust-colored water-soaked spots that gradually expand and turn brown, causing leaf drop and affecting growth, and eventually spreading to the whole plant.

Fig phytophthora rot is most likely to flare up under high temperatures and poor ventilation. If you find this symptom on your fiddle-leaf fig at home, be sure to apply a fungicide promptly for treatment, otherwise once it spreads to the whole plant it is basically done for. If you don't like or find it inconvenient to apply chemicals, you can also use medical cotton dipped in alcohol to wipe the diseased leaves, then rinse once with clean water after wiping to avoid the alcohol harming the plant.

Of course, the best method of prevention and control is still to provide the fiddle-leaf fig with a care environment of ample sunlight and good ventilation - that is the real cure for both symptom and root cause.

- Tasha tomorrow's special offer preview -

Finally we've opened a special session for internet-famous green plants

Veteran idols

Monstera deliciosa, fiddle-leaf fig, bird of paradise, Philodendron bipinnatifidum

Rising newcomers

Calathea 'Green Apple', bird's nest fern 'Wave Leaf', Indian holly fern

7 selected picks - which one will you pick?

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- END-

Friends who have grown fiddle-leaf figs

Share your care experience in the comments!

Friends who haven't fallen into the pit yet

See you tomorrow morning at 10, be there or be square~