One plant is showing up everywhere in the design and decor magazines: the finicky fiddle leaf fig tree!
This popular house plant is tall and bulbous with large fiddle-shaped leaves and can be quite challenging to care for and keep alive. I have two of these types of plants (one is over 5 years old and the other is a year old “rescue” from Lowe’s) and I have learned a lot about their needs through trial and error over the last few years.
Tips:
-lots of natural sunlight is good (err on the side of more light)
-water with about 2 cups of ice every week (don’t let soil get too dry or too moist – you can test it by putting your finger tip in two inches – it should be moist but not saturated between waterings)
-dust the leaves weekly with a soft ostrich feather duster – this enables light to get through for photosynthesis. (A great resource for high-end French cleaning implements and products: Andree Jardin – but I got my feather duster just on Amazon.)
-re-pot every 18-24 months to allow for growth
-fertilize 2 times per month if you suspect your plant is not getting enough light (especially in winter). This is the fertilizer I like – available at Amazon – and just mix with 2 cups of water:
