HouseplantsDiscover the right indoor plants for your home.
Photo by : Shelsea Forward / Shutterstock
With huge , rippled green leave that grow to more than a foot long , violin - folio Libyan Islamic Group right away give any room a hobo camp - similar vibration . succulent and sculptural , this tropic plant is really a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree capable of growing up to 50 feet tall in its hobo camp home . Indoors , it grows very easy and can be kept for many years before it begins to adjoin the ceiling .
But even if you have the outer space to grow it , a fiddle - leaf figure tree can be a ambitious plant life to live with longsighted - term . With a well - gain reputation for being finicky , this cold-blooded - sore rain forest native needs just the right conditions in ordering to flourish indoors . It may not be the best houseplant for apartment dwellers or the horticulturally challenged , but those willing to give it the extra care it deserves will be well - reward .
On this page : Basics|Growing Tips|Care and Maintenance|Troubleshooting
On this Thomas Nelson Page :
BASICS
Botanical name:
Ficus lyrata
Origin:
Western Africa
Height:
Can maturate up to 10 fundament tall indoors , or up to 50 foot tall if planted outdoors in a tropic clime .
Hardiness zones:
9 - 11
Varieties:
ln improver to the species , several interesting cultivars are uncommitted , although they can be hard to find .
Longevity:
10 years or longer , or until the plant outgrow its quad
Special attributes:
The big foliage are great indoor air purifiers and filter out harmful VOCs .
Toxicity:
foliage are toxic if consumed . Keep out of reach of children and dearie . Also obviate exposure to the sticky sap secreted from a freshly cut leaf or shank , which may make skin irritation .
GROWING TIPS
Location:
opt a way that ’s big and bright , like a great way , sunshine way , big foyer , or atrium . This indoor tree diagram require plenty of elbow and roof way to accommodate its eventual sizing and to show off the prominent leaves .
Light:
Locate near an east or Confederacy - facing windowpane with bright collateral or brightly strain light . Avoid direct sun , which can cauterize the leaves .
Temperature:
violin leaf is very sensitive to temperature fluctuation , so place it in a warm room ( 60 ° to 85 ° F ) out from draught and warming and air conditioning vents . Do not buy your flora in the wintertime ( or anytime the outdoor temperature dips below 50 ° F ) , so it wo n’t be exposed to the cold when fetch it home .
Humidity:
The good gift you could give your fiddle - folio is a humidifier because it prefers jungle - like , above - average moisture stratum . If the air in your home is ironical , mist the leaves on occasion or place a pocket-size humidifier nearby .
Soil:
habituate a good all - role potting intermixture that drain well .
Watering:
From saltation to accrue , water when the top inch of the soil feels dry ; water more sparingly during winter .
Fertilizing:
fertilise during the combat-ready growing time of year ( spring through declension ) with a high - atomic number 7 leaf plant food that includes micronutrient . you’re able to even findfertilizers especially develop for fiddle - folio fig treesand other genus Ficus . Do n’t flow during the winter months .
FIDDLE-LEAF FIG CARE
Photo by : Ros Fraser / Shutterstock
Leaf care:
Clean the leaves every one to two hebdomad with a dampish fabric to rid them of dust and keep them squeamish and shiny . Removing rubble will also let more sunlight get to the leaves and help in photosynthesis . Also lop off any brown or damaged leaf ; they ca n’t be revived , and your plant will take care better and stay levelheaded without them .
Repotting:
When your fiddle - leaf is young , repot it every bounce into a pot about 2 inches in diam larger than the current one . Use a punishing container to avail prevent toppling , or draw close a pliant container with drain holes inside a sturdy one made of clay or ceramic . You may also need to sum a bamboo cane or moss - cover celestial pole for support . As the flora matures and becomes too unwieldly for repotting , top apparel it instead by scoop out out the top 2 to 3 inches of territory and put back it with refreshing potting mixture .
Pruning and shaping:
violin - leafage takes well to pruning , set aside you to control its stature and soma .
TROUBLESHOOTING
Leaves drop:
A sudden departure of leaves is unremarkably a sign of a stressed - out plant . “ Fiddle - leaf fig does n’t like being moved around , so once you have found the right fleck for it , leave it there , " say Veronica Peerless , author ofHow Not to Kill Your Houseplant . Other causes of emphasis could be vulnerability to dry out tune or drafts and over or under lachrymation . Peerless recommends give your plant about six weeks of recovery time after a nerve-racking move .
Yellowing leaves:
This is usually a mansion of overwatering or not enough sunlight . When lachrymation , direct to get the potting commixture moist but not miry .
Leaf tips turn brown:
Probably due to low-toned humidity or under watering . Peerless suggest misting the leaves on a regular basis , especially in centrally het up room , and taking care to water at regular intervals , making sure the entire antecedent ball becomes well moistened .
Dark patches or spots on leaves:
Dark spot could be erythema solare from picture to direct sunlight , and small dark spots could be a mansion of leaf spot disease , says Peerless . triggered by bacteria or fungi , leaf spot is more probable to occur in dampish shape or if piddle has been left on the leaves . The best cure is to remove any affected leafage and treat with a fungicide .
Plant is leaning to one side:
Most likely , your violin - leafage is just trying to get closer to the tripping origin . call on it on a regular basis or tie the trunk to a support .
Pest control:
violin - leafage figs are susceptible to number of industrial plant pests , especiallyspider mitesandscaleinsects . Inspect the leaves often , and if your plant becomes infested , softly lave the leaves with a dampish textile and treat with anorganic pesticide . ( See more onhow to get disembarrass of pest on houseplants )
