Fiddle-leaf fig growing so fast it can't support its weight

[negan]

Hi Gardeners,

Last August I bought a very small fiddle-leaf fig. By now it has grown 5x if not more and looks happy but it would bend and break if not the window that can support it.

(It started bending before I put it against the window for support).
Is it normal that the trunk is relatively thin compared with the height?

Also, it likely needs repotting so I'm curious if I should wait till spring or if I need to act faster (it does drink all its water within 2 days)

 

[oneeye]

You can top fiddle leaf ficus without any problems. You can prune the top 4 nodes and put the top in water and root it for another plant. They propagate easily.

I would wait until Spring to up-pot into a large container. The reason is it's very easy to overwater any plant in the Winter. Adding more soil mass will raise the amount of water volume and drown the plant. Wait until Spring when the plant can grow and transpire the excess water. When you do transplant only increase the pot size by only two inches to keep from overwatering.

 

[Eeilee]

Mine did the same. It grew tall fast so I staked it to keep it from falling over. I repotted mine in June.

 

[cpp gardener]

It's what they (and a whole lot of other tall plants) do because there is no air movement to strengthen the trunk. Cutting back and staking both help. Staking gives you a bigger plant while cutting back gives you a bushier plant. Since it's indoors and near a window, transplanting now isn't a problem as long as you let it dry out down about 2" before watering again.

 

[vegiokragrapevibrant]

It's totally normal for the trunk to be a bit on the thin side compared to the height. Don't fret, as long as your plant looks happy and doesn't snap in half, you're doing a bang-up job! Keep giving it that window love and it should keep flourishing.

 

[negan]

Thanks for your great tip! Just curious: why does the air movement strengthen the trunk? Is this the plant adapting to the wind?

 

[cpp gardener]

Yes, it’s like laying in bed doing nothing.
There needs to be some “stretching” for the plant to develop the type of wood tissue that will hold it upright.

 

[oneeye]

Thanks for your great tip! Just curious: why does the air movement strengthen the trunk? Is this the plant adapting to the wind?

Each time a plant is pushed by the wind, it releases a hormone called an auxin that stimulates the growth of supporting cells. Google