Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree - Grow Light Needed??

Hello!

I purchased a 6' fiddle from a reputable garden center about a month ago. It is currently in a 14" growers pot and the lady there said I could repot it into a 16" this spring or wait till fall (I'm starting to see roots circling at the top so I'm thinking sooner rather than later...). They wrapped it well for us to transport home but it has dropped probably 10 or 12 lower leaves since getting it here. I expected some but not sure how much is normal..? Now trying to figure out what the issue is (if its not just stress from the move).

It is in a west facing window and gets bright indirect light from about 1-5/6 every day. I'm watching the water carefully...I noticed him droopy the other day so I drenched him and the next morning he was perky again, so I've been trying to time it so as to water him a day before "droop" sets in. I pretty much just shove my whole finger down as far as I can get it to make sure he's pretty dry before I water him.

I'm thinking perhaps I should get a spotlight with a grow bulb and put it up in the very top corner of the room pointed down on him? I know nothing about grow lights...but really wanting to do what is best for him...and the investment we made! :)

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have!
Katie

The Ficus genus tends to be a little more apt to shed leaves in response to diminished photoperiod or intensity, especially when it's sudden, like when it makes a transition from nursery to greenhouse or plant store and then ultimately to the new owner's home. The plant can also lose foliage is response to increasing light loads, but the plant is much more tolerant of increasing than decreasing amounts of light.

I would suggest that you use something longer than a finger to test the soil for moisture content, like a sharpened wood dowel or skewer that can be inserted into the deepest part of the pot. When using many soils based on large fractions of fine ingredients (peat, coir, compost, composted forest products, sand, topsoil, .....) the soil near the bottom of the pot can remain entirely saturated, even while the top several inches feel dry to the touch. Soggy soil causes a drought response, during which the plant will rid itself of leaves its chemical messengers are telling it it can't support. IOW - your plant can die of thirst in a sea of plenty because of a lack of O2 in the root zone imposed by saturated soil.

Also, plants have natural rhythms we can use to our/their advantage when we make decisions about any significant changes needed (mainly heavy pruning + repotting and root pruning). Learning a little about those rhythms and timing events to take advantage of a plant's strengths and give it a break when it's at its weakest ends up being a win/win situation.

Hopefully, you'll find helpful information here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1136338/?hl=

The sticky thread at the top of this forum will also help you avoid all the most common pitfalls. Making sure the soil is appropriate is a primary consideration. If you can't water to beyond saturation (so you're flushing accumulating dissolved solids [salts] from the soil) at will, you'll be constantly vying for control over your plant's vitality with the soil it's in.

Al

I think I would put it on the floor. That will bring the top down into better light.

That's a beautiful Ficus, MommyPool. I'm envious. :)

Al,

Thank you for this info! Very helpful...

So for the watering...with all my other plants I water until I see water come out into the drip tray and then I let it stand for 15 mins or so and then dump/soak up excess...because this tree is so big and in a pot I can't actually SEE when water runs out, so I have no idea what is going on at the bottom of the pot...my thought is to get a 16" growers pot, pot him into that and then put that on a plastic drip tray down inside an 18 or 20" decorative pot...that way I'll be able to peek down and see water running out/standing water...thoughts?

For checking....the garden center recommended a plastic dowel or chopstick...tried a chopstick but really couldn't tell if it was moist or dry..? Is there a trick I'm missing with that whole method??

Thanks SO much!

Ideally, you want any effluent that exits the drain hole to be separated from any possible pathway back into the soil. You can figure out how to do that so it doesn't offend the eye. The reason for using enough water so 15-20% (minimum) of the water you apply exits the pot is to flush the soil of accumulating salts. If the salts have a pathway back into the pot, it sort of defeats the purpose of flushing the soil. Lift the pot so the soil is above the effluent and the effluent can't possibly get back into the soil. Where dissolved solids are concerned, water very quickly reaches a state of isotonicity, which is a fancy way of saying the salt level of the effluent will quickly equalize with the salt level of the soil solution if there is a pathway for the effluent back into the soil.

Buy a 48" wood dowel rod that is 1/4 or 5/16" thick at a hardware store - they're cheap. Cut it in 2 or 3 pieces with a hack saw or whatever is handy, and sharpen both ends of each piece in a pencil sharpener. Use that to check for soil moisture by sticking it all the way to the bottom of the pot. Only when it comes out clean/ dry/ and not feeling cool on the inside of your wrist is it time to water.

Al

Okay....so I always thought that one should let a plant stand in the excess water for 15 mins or so so that it will "soak up" as much water as it needs...is that not correct? You are saying to water it so that the water flows out but the pot doesn't stand in that water?

Will buy a dowel rod tomorrow...I was told to let the top 1/3 dry out and then water...you are saying to go all the way to the bottom though...so let it dry even further, correct?

And what about the grow light? should I mount one in that top corner above the tree?? And if so, what kind of bulb should I be getting?

Again...thank you!!
Katie

Letting the water sit in the effluent for 15 minutes ensures the level of dissolved solids in the soil solution will be the same as that in the effluent. We want the level of dissolved solids in the soil solution (its fertility level) to be as low as possible w/o the plant experiencing nutritional deficiencies. From this, we can see that a soil that allows you to flush it at will (which is like hitting the fertility 'reset button'), and fertilizing frequently at low to moderate doses offers the plant the best opportunity to realize its genetic potential.

I over-winter about 100 tropical (bonsai) trees under lights. Each has it's own collection saucer (a white plastic plate). The pots sit on top of several 1"x1"x1"x2" long pieces of plastic channel ( [ ) that raise the pot 1" above the bottom of the saucer. You can use anything that won't absorb water and get foul.

There is a vast difference in soils. The soils I use for trees are very gritty and don't hold water between the particles. If I wanted to, I could water and fertilize every day and my plants wouldn't suffer. Your choice of soil dictates how you should water, or how you CAN water while minimizing limitations that stem from soil choice/watering practices. Most growers have no idea how limiting their choice of soil and watering practices are, but the fact that at least 9 of 10 growers that come here looking for remediation of plant issues are here ultimately because of poor root health. A healthy plant is impossible w/o a healthy root system, which sort of makes root health a critical issue that so often goes ignored.

When you're using a soil that holds several inches of perched water (perched water is water that remains in the soil, filling all air spaces within the depth limitation of the water column) that won't drain because of gravity's exertion alone, a soggy layer persists at the bottom of the pot or perched above any coarse "drainage layers" a grower might try to use. That's the water that has such a significant impact on root health, so minimizing the amount of perched water a soil or soil/container combination can hold is a worthy goal. You should wait until that water supply is diminished to near nothing by evapotranspiration (evaporation + water used by the plant during transpiration).

I have some pictures that illustrate some of these things, but I can't access them from work. I'll try to remember to post the pics along with additional links that will help you put all this together, if that is your wont.

I don't think you need a grow light, given where the plant is sited, but I agree Diana's assessment that it should probably be resting on the floor.

Al

Hi Al (et al),
Some follow up from a while ago -
I have lowered the tree a few inches so most of him is in the window...and I'm very careful about how I water him now, not letting him sit in water. :)
I haven't repotted him yet, and I'm thinking I really need to because I'm still loosing leaves...attaching a few pictures of the lost leaves, can you tell me if this is normal looking loss or does my tree have some sort of infection that I'm missing....?
Thank you again in advance for your help!
Katie

I would think some kind of salt burn.
Salt might be certain minerals in the water, fertilizer, or something in the soil.
Do you have hard water? (Mineral deposits around the sinks?)
Have you added any fertilizer?

To get rid of either of these you can soak the plant really well with plenty of water, hopefully with low mineral levels, then allow that water to drain away, do not catch and save any of it.

The necrotic leaf tips/margins are almost surely manifestation of a drought response, but there is no way to tell if the issue is from under-watering (probably not, unless the plant has wilted often because of a soil too dry), over-watering (most likely), or a high total dissolved solids (TDS, salts) in the soil solution, or a combination of over-watering and high TDS.

A TDS issue becomes more likely if you've been watering in small sips to avoid the probability the soil would remain too wet, too long, and in doing so, inhibit root function and have a negative impact on root health. To flush the soil and rid it of unwanted dissolved solids, first saturate the soil and let it sit for 10-15 min, then run room temp water equal to at least 10X the pot volume through the soil, even if it's a BIG pot. When it stops draining, tip the pot at a 45* angle and note how much additional water exits the drain. Here's why: