I’m not as extreme as this crazy plant lady, but I do have a few Fiddle Leaf Fig trees and a greenhouse in my backyard. I’m not really an expert but I have successfully kept three fiddle leaf fig trees alive, and even split one into two so actually, I have 4 now after a little over a year. I’m not gonna lie I was not prepared for how much work these beautiful plants were but I’m kinda addicted to them now!

Where to to get started!

Styles of Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees

I have two different types of fiddle leaf fig. The first fiddle leaf fig I got from Dragonfly Floral in Tioga, ND actually started out as a bush style bit I split the two stems into two separate pots and now have two tree style. I picked up this bush style one in July from Amazon and this cutie was super cheap and has been the most fun to watch grow! I was keeping the baby fig on a North window in front of my sink and it was actually doing really good and has now outgrown that spot! Check out where my fiddle leaf figs are hanging out this winter!

The first thing you need to consider when purchasing a fiddle leaf fig tree especially up here in North Dakota is where you will keep it in your home. Since our winters have such short days mine have done much better in south windows with direct sun. A lot of places I researched online said indirect sun but my fiddle leaf figs were just not happy there. We also have some huge evergreen trees in our yard so technically maybe it’s not direct direct sun but it’s pretty bright!

My first suggestion for thriving fiddle leaf fig trees in North Dakota is no to purchase them off amazon in the winter. I have gotten two of mine off amazon and they are doing great but I also ordered them in July. Don’t be surprised if they start dropping leaves right away if you order them in the dead of winter.

Pots

The one thing that has made the biggest difference in my fiddle leaf figs is getting self-watering pots! I have three different pots. This one is the smallest one I have for my baby fig. I have two of these medium-sized ones for my actual tree figs. And finally, I have this larger one for my large bush style fiddle leaf. I love that you can fill the water tank and mix in the fertilizer- I’ll get to that later. I was surprised at how much more water my figs took in the winter time. It shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise since the air in our house is much dryer during winter months.

Soil

You do need to use a different type of soil for the self-watering pots I have had good luck with this one! Since the soil doesn’t hold many nutrients you should fertilize your plants a bit more than normal. I also noticed that some of my fiddle leaf figs actually had similar soil in the grow pots! The soil comes in compacted dry squares like the photo below. When you get it you open the bag fill it with water and let it sit so the soil can soak up the water and expand before repotting your plant.

Fertilizer

I have used two different fertilizers on my fiddle leaf figs. This one I found on Amazon was great and you mix it into the water. During the summer I use it every time I water. In the winter I have only been using it ever 2-3 watering. This is the other fertilizer I have used. You stick these stakes in the pot. Not sure if one is better then the other. They both seem to promote growth in my fiddle leaf figs.

Trouble Shooting

I have had a couple of things go wrong with my fiddle leaf figs. The first problem was light. Our old house was super dark and didn’t have great light in the living room where I wanted them. I relocated them to Grayson’s room where there was much more light and the plants seemed to perk back up. My second problem with my figs was actually over watering. I had moved them over to the new house and my father in law kept coming over and watering them. I didn’t know he was watering them too so we were kinda drowning the poor things!

Small brown spots on the new growth of your fiddle leaf fig

If you’re finding small brownish red dots on the growth of your new leaves its usually a sign of inconsistent watering. This is where those self-watering pots really come in handy! On the larger one of my pots it holds more water but what I didn’t realize is that the gage sometimes gets stuck so it was showing a full tank when in fact it was bone dry! Just be sure to move the gage up and down every once in a while to ensure an accurate reading.

Spider Mites

Spider mites suck. No way else to say it. If you think you might have spider mites try to quarantine your plant from the rest. You will notice tiny webs in the leaves, especially around new growth. You might be able to see tiny almost clear spider-like bugs. I couldn’t ever see the ones on mine just the webs. I ended up taking a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol and wiping down each leaf. This really stinks when you get it on one of the bush style fiddle leaf figs. It takes some time to get them all. I would say expect to wipe it down every day for a week or two. The first few times you will see a reddish brown residue on the cotton ball this is the eggs of the spider mites.

Large Brown Spots – Root Rot

This is what was starting to happen to my fiddle leaves when both myself and my father in law were watering the trees. you will see large almost black spots on the leaves and they will start dropping. If you have water standing in your drainage tray this is a clear sign to back off the water. Again I can not stress enough SELF-WATERING POT!! I have noticed now that my little baby fig is getting larger, it is starting to loose some of its smaller leaves on the bottom. The upper leaves are still looking great so I’m pretty confident that this is just part of the growing process.

Good Luck!

If you are considering purchasing a fiddle leaf fig good luck! Don’t get discouraged if they drop a few leaves right away. Any change can stress the plant out and cause it to drop leaves. Don’t expect much growth from October through about May in North Dakota. You will be surprised to see just how much they grow in the summer up here though! For more resources check out www.fiddleleaffigplant.com they have some excellent resources! They are also the makers of the liquid fertilizer for fiddle leaf fig plants! If your interested on checking out some more day to day of my fiddle leaf figs check out my Instagram highlight story for my indoor plants here! Below are links to the pots, plants, soil and fertilizer I’ve used and love.

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