TWEAKS+inspiration : A Member of the Family Grows Up
Updated: Aug 22
On August 6, 2022, a new member of the family arrived. Four years later, "Freddie Fiddle Leaf" and his little brother have grown to tell another story. It all started that August when I watched a few YouTubes regarding the glossy leafed Fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata). Bought at Costco, my beloved 42"er is at least 10 years old but some of the leaves were getting yellow in spots. Turns out, it needed to be replanted. Doh! So, off I went to to a San Leandro nursery and then Home Depot. After repotting and a little pruning, here's the final result. I think we're ready for the next 5 years at least. But that's not the end of the story.
At Home Depot, I saw larger Fiddle leaf figs - for the unbelievable closeout price of $49.98. Last time I looked, a plant this size was about $200. I found one with 3 branches of glossy leaves. That was exciting as many only had two branches and it's rather hard to get another branch started. In the end, I went home without it as I just couldn't figure out where to put it. But, it was such a great deal!
Turns out, I had a mad crush on this tree as I woke up the next day thinking about it. As soon as the store opened, I drove over to find it just where I left it. When I got it outside, I missed our van. I brought plastic bags and a blanket and was planning to have some of it hang out the window as I slowly drove home.
I had no sooner put the blanket on the seat than a knight in shining armor arrived. "Hey, you need help with that? " Turns out this guy's first job in high school was as a loader at a Hayward, CA nursery. He loaded plants into people's cars so he was a true professional. He tied the plastic bags around leaves to keep them close to the trunk and loaded into the passenger seat. It fit perfectly.
An uneventful ride home.
Before I watered it, I imagined this 7' beauty in the sunroom.
Seems like this Fiddle would be happier in the living room where there's lots of indirect light.
The next order of business was to give it a shower. Native to tropical western Africa, Fiddle-leafs can grow up to 50' outside. Indoors, about 10' is average.
I know Fiddle-Leaf Figs trees are a bit tricky to keep happy, but for $50, it seems well worth trying. When the top 2" of soil is dry, it's time for a quart of water. Every week, I'll rotate the pot so all the leaves get sun. And every month, I'll dust off the leaves. I'll find a larger pot and some clay pebbles (to help with root rot). I'm thrilled to have a new member of the family.
In November, 2023, a year + later, it was time for Freddy to get a haircut. That's the thing with Fiddle Leafs. You need to be on top of their maintenace - otherwise, you end up with long trunks and few branches. I cut about 16" off the two longest branches. (please see "A New Member of the Family, part 2" at the very bottom of the page for how I found this pot for Freddy for $35).
Just pinch the dark leaf node to stop vertical growth. It will produce some sticky white sap which you'll want to blot with a paper towel.
Here's Freddy with his new haircut in November, 2023.
Yesterday, I snapped a photo for Freddy's 4th anniversary of hanging with me. Hard to see, but he has 4 big branches and is a full 8' tall. Next month, he's due for a new haircut as I want all the branches to eventually be the same height.
Now for the rest of the story. After Freddy's haircut in 2003, I put the two branches in a pitcher, freshened the water and fertilized regularly. It made a nice plant on my desk while I waited for it to take root.
A year and a half later, the branches were ready to join the plant in the basket (the one you saw pictured at the beginning of this story).
A nice root system had taken shape.
About a year later, in fact yesterday, I noticed that the sister plants were getting a bit tall so I pinched off the top leaves. The moral of this shaggy dog story, is if you water properly, notice the light the fiddle leaf needs and fertilize regularly, a plant like Fred and his offspring are very rewarding companions.
And speaking of companions. For years, I've had a family of lizards living in a large jade plant near the garage doors. This litle Western Fence Lizard came into the garage last week and didn't move. Not once for days. I thought maybe she was dying or ready to lay eggs coming inside to hide from predators. When I was in very warm Klickatat, WA last month, Connie was thoughtfully putting out water for her lizards. I filled a plastic jar lid with water, even though it's only in the mid70's here. Yesterday, the water was mostly gone and some had spilled. The lizard was gone. Now I'm wondering if I'm a foster mom and just don't know it yet. Enjoy your Sunday and be on the lookout for end-of-season house plant deals. After all, there's no better decoration for our rooms.
Please Note : Like many plants, fiddle-leaf leaves are toxic to both cats and dogs.
