Fiddle Leaf Figs (also known as Ficus Lyrata) are still  my absolute favorite house plant. You can find them at most nurseries (that’s where I got mine) and I think Ikea in some places even has them these days. They are so striking and visually interesting, and the good news is, if I can take care of one, you can too. Seriously…I once forgot about it for over a month and it didn’t seem to care at all. Here are some tips for keeping them healthy and happy (total neglect not included).
Water
Water your fig tree when only the top inch of soil is dry. Test this by sticking your finger in the soil. Pretty soon you’ll figure out about how often you need to water. Keep in mind that this may fluctuate based on seasonal humidity, etc. For me, this ended up being about every two weeks. I ended up just sticking mine in the shower and giving it a very thorough water (because I am lazy) so they can obviously take a good soaking.
Light
Keep your fiddle leaf fig in bright, indirect light. In other words, you want it to have a lot of light, but not sunbeams falling directly on it. If you see any dark burn spots appearing on the leaves, it is probably getting too much direct light. Pull it away from a window or behind a sheer.
TIP: Be sure to rotate your Fiddle Fig every two weeks when you water to keep it growing straight.Â
Food
Fertilize once a month during growing seasons, but not in winter. This seems like a lot to me, but follow the experts not my advice.
Repotting or trimming the root ball
When roots begin to grow out of the bottom of the pot, either re-pot into a container that’s a couple inches bigger or trim the rootball, being sure not to reduce the roots by more than 20 percent. (This latter option also keeps the plant from getting too big, if that’s a concern).
TIP: If you want your plant to grow taller rather than fuller, trim the lower leaves. New leaves can grow in an old spot and it will be forced to grow upwards.
Cleaning the leaves
Because of their large surface, fiddle leaf fig leaves tend to collect a lot of dust. To keep the plant healthy (dust can block light absorption), wipe dust off with a soft cloth.
Source: Tips for Growing Fiddle Leaf Figs | Apartment Therapy
