HELP!! FLF - Fiddle Leaf Fig revival

[kimii89]

Hello,

I’ve recently adopted this fiddle leaf which was really stressed out in someone’s home. This is my first fiddle leaf and this is going to be a challenge for me to revive this properly and would really appreciate tips from this forum.

As you can see I believe I have the following issues I need to tackle

1. Droopy leaves
2. Caterpillar
3. aphids or whitefly
4. Leaf drop
5. top heavy slant (should I pinch the top and repot?)

HELP PLEASE !!!

 

[Silentrunning]

You have so many problems going on that I will let one of the Ficus experts answer you.

BUT -

Get that away from your other plants!
If you don’t, it is going to infect all your plants. Don’t ever bring a plant in the house that has parasites or diseases.

 

[treeguy]

It's pretty leggy. Houseplants should be only as tall as they can hold themselves upright without a post. Chop off the top at about where you would like the new growth to start. Drench the soil with an indoor-friendly horticultural oil and/or insecticide and watch it like a hawk for renewed critter activity and do it again every time they reappear. Try to pull the whole thing out of the pot and see if the roots are circling the pot. If so, repot and remove 60% of the heavy anchor roots in favor of retaining lots of hairy feeder roots. It doesn't look like it has grown enough to be potbound, but without a history, who knows?

For the future, it should grow two or more stems if you cut it off now below all the foliage. It will have growth spurts from time to time. When it has a rest period in-between growth spurts there will be an obvious pointy terminal bud on all stems that you will cut off. When it enters the next growth period, that will make each stem put out two buds that will grow shorter branches. Over time you will have a bushier, shorter plant. Any time you want a branch to grow longer than bushier, don't cut that bud and subsequent growth will be just an extension of that branch.

Feed it any brand liquid houseplant when it is growing but just water in the quiet periods. Enjoy!

 

[Silentrunning]

Be sure to root any cuttings if you are able. Ficus cuttings root very easily. Young Ficus plants make great thank you gifts for people to remember you by.