Fiddle leaf fig growing leaves at bottom is an issue that can be happening due to various reasons like plant stress, nutrient deficiency, growing season, root damage, delayed pruning, and a couple of more or less similar reasons.
If you need to know which reasons apply to your fiddle leaf figs, our plant experts are here to help you.
Contents
What Reasons Can Lead To Fiddle Leaf Fig Growing Leaves at the Bottom?
Reasons that can lead your fiddle leaf fig growing leaves at the bottom include the production of offshoots and the fig being under stress. We love plants growing new leaves at the top, not at the bottom. Leaves growing at the bottom are something that you should be concerned about.
The leaves at the bottom can give your trees or plants a bushier and untidy look, which is different from what we want for an ornamental plant.
Are the leaves at the bottom something that you should be concerned about? Are they indicating a plant health problem? Let’s look at some reasons and put a rest to our anxiousness.
– Your Fiddle Is Probably Producing Offshoots
The new leaves emerging from the base of a fiddle leaf can be offshoots of the plant. If your tree is otherwise showing healthy growth, new growth is coming at the top, and the foliage is green and spotless, this may be why you have guests coming.
Suppose you do have offshoots growing out of its base. In that case, it could be because of several reasons, including but not limited to: watering the plant too much, not getting enough sunlight, and maybe the soil isn’t compatible with its roots, which can cause root rot and hence cause offshoots to start growing.
– Your Fig Is Under Stress
Plants or trees undergoing stress are very likely to exhibit behavior out of the norm and be prone to various plant diseases taking a toll on the plant’s health.
New leaves can appear at a tree’s base when stressed as an emergency response. The new leaves are called suckers, which can signify that your tree is experiencing health problems or another threat.
– Insect Epidemic
The attractive foliage of fiddle leaf makes it irresistible for the insects, like scales, spider mites, and mealybugs.
To them, the rich green color means more chlorophyll meaning more food. They feed on the leaf’s cell components and deprive the plants of their essential nutrients, making your plant look like it is dying.
When the plant’s mature leaves get attacked by insects, they react by producing suckers at the bottom. An insect outbreak is normal when the plant is exposed to conditions that the insects like.
– Nutrient Deficiency
If your fiddle leaf is not getting the essential nutrients, it may react by growing new small leaves at the bottom accompanied by a feeble trunk. Nutrient deficiency can be difficult to diagnose as every symptom indicates a different deficiency.
The common symptoms of nutrient deficiency may indicate other causes. You will have to look into the details to figure it out.
Still, signs that bespeak nutrient deficiency are the green color shifting to yellow, the new leaves being smaller in size than the mature ones, and the plant exhibiting stunted growth and learning. Your plant will be dropping leaves too.
If any of the above symptoms have been noticed, it is safe to say that your plant suffers from nutrient deficiency.
– Growing Season
Your plant is growing new leaves because it is its growing season!
Every four to six weeks between spring and summer, it is normal for fiddle leaf figs to grow new leaves. The growth happens quite suddenly, and it is normal for the plant to grow several leaves within a few days or weeks.
Furthermore, it is important to know that fiddle leaves grow leaves at the bottom to support their shapes.
– Possible Root Damage
Fiddle leaf figs and many similar trees grow leaves at the bottom of the plant as a result of root damage, over-watering the plant, and lack of sunlight combined to cause the roots to rot. This is their way of coping with the damage; if they are not successful at covering the damage, it can cause the plant to get sick.
– Delayed Pruning
Fiddle leaves love indirect light and some indirect sunlight. Likely, you may not have pruned your fiddle leaf fig plants or fiddle leaf fig trees for a while now, which has caused new leaves to come at the bottom.
The unpruned leaves at the top and the middle tend to over-shadow the stems and leaves near the base of the stems. This creates favorable low-light conditions for the plant or tree to produce new leaves at the bottom. You can witness the growth by lifting the bigger leaves, and you will be amazed to see baby leaves sprouting at the bottom.
What Solutions Are There to Figs Growing Leaves at the Bottom?
The solutions to figs growing leaves at the bottom are quite easy to execute but require your time and patience. It is also necessary to identify the right reason before going for a solution; even though most solutions apply to all the above reasons.
– Using the Right Kind of Fertilizers
Fertilizers are necessary to overcome the plant’s nutrient deficiencies. They are the plant’s food. And choosing the right kind is the most important part.
Fiddle leaves perform best, with fertilizers having a ratio of nitrogen 3 percent, 1 percent phosphorus, and 2 percent potassium, the famous NPK fertilizer. You can find out what the ratio is by reading the product’s label, so keep an eye out.
Your plants or trees can also do with fertilizers containing 1 percent nitrogen, 1 percent phosphorus, and 1 percent potassium. However, they will not be as effective as the former one.
– Avoid Watering More Than the Plant Needs
Fiddle leaves thrive with weekly watering sessions. Watering it daily will not only cause root rot but can also be why your plant or tree is growing leaves at the bottom.
A point to remember while watering the plants is to let them dry out between the sessions. If you water regularly, the soil will remain soggy and cause abnormal behavior, like growing new leaves at the bottom. Also, you should avoid watering from taps as they can contain harmful chemicals that can cause dark brown spots on the leaves.
– Do Not Transfer Your Plants Often
Even though growing leaves at the bottom can sometimes mean nothing, indoor plants or trees can often go into shock from regular or often replanting. Allow your plants to rest in one spot for a good amount of time, so they do not react unexpectedly to shock.
Like humans, plants can easily adapt to their new homes or spots. If there is a certain place in your house or garden where you have placed them, and you can see that they are thriving there, try not to deprive them of those surviving conditions.
– Using Pesticides
The best pesticide to get rid of unwanted insects, yes, there are beneficial insects too, is neem oil. Neem oil is made from the neem tree’s leaves. It is a fool-proof way to set your plant free of lingering pests and insects.
Neem oil disrupts the insects’ hormones and reproductive cycle, making it quite difficult for them to lay eggs. No eggs mean that the insects, or pests, will eventually die out.
You can apply it to your fiddle leaf plants or trees without constant worry, as it is not toxic to pets or humans. Just make sure that you apply the oil all over the leaves. This will ensure that your plants remain healthy and do not react abnormally to present and future infestations.
– Regular Pruning
Almost every tree and plant requires regular pruning. But specifically for our case, regularly pruning the fiddle leaf is extremely important, so the plant does not grow leaves at the bottom.
Pruning will allow the mature leaves to remain healthy and encourage plant growth. It removes any hidden diseases your plant might be a victim of. Clipping off the damaged parts of the leaves will also make your plants look more appealing. It will also help the plant in forming a tree-like shape or the tree with maintaining its shape.
Its growing season is the most important season to prune your plant or tree. Fiddle leaf’s growing season starts in spring and lasts till the end of fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
– Is it Recommended to Remove the Leaves Growing at the Bottom of Fiddle Leaf Fig?
It is not recommended to remove the leaves growing at the bottom. Producing new leaves at the bottom is sometimes a part of its growth system. It might be one of those times that the fiddle leaves grow leaves at the bottom when they are ready to shape themselves.
They should be left alone until the last step of the shape-forming process. However, keep an eye out for pest or insect infestation to avoid major inconveniences.
– Can the Bottom of the Fiddle Leaf Fig Be Trimmed?
Yes, you absolutely can trim the bottom of a fig. But with a few precautions. You will have to wait until spring or summer, the plant’s growing season, to help it take a tree shape. Cut at least six inches down from the top of the plant.
You can save the piece and later use it for propagating. Just make sure that you have cut an internodal space.
– I Want My Fiddle Leaf Fig to Branch at the Bottom – How Do I Do That?
If you want your fiddle leaf fig to branch at the bottom there are two methods: First you can make small cuts or notches on the stem. Be careful not to decapitate your tree! Second, you can pinch off the growing tip when it reaches the desired height.
– Will the Leaves I Use for Propagation Grow Back on the Plant?
No, any cutting and pruning you do on a peperomia is permanent. For example, if you do end up removing the bottom leaves, they will not grow back and you will have a bare patch. So, be very careful what you do!
Conclusion
Understanding why your fiddle leaf fig is growing leaves at the bottom is simple now that you have carefully read our article and learned how to resolve the issue!
Let us sum up the key points we have mentioned so that you are fully prepared to help your fiddle leaf fig out:
- Fertilizing with the right amount and the right kind is extremely important to avoid unusual plant reactions and, in our case, new leaves emerging at the bottom of the plant.
- Your plant may be growing leaves at the bottom because it has entered its growing season. Or maybe because it is turning into a tree. Both of these reasons are nothing to fuss over.
- Interestingly, delayed pruning can create conditions for leaves to grow at the bottom.
- Plants tend to shock when we dislocate them or move them around frequently. It is best to leave them in a spot they have adjusted to.
- Water your fiddle leaf figs every week. If the plants have brown patches or edges on their leaves, it can be because you have mistakenly watered them with chemical-rich tap water.
After reading our recommendations, you can certainly now prepare ahead of time to deal with leaves growing at the bottom of your fiddle leaf figs.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3115168/
- http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/neemgen.html
- https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/24125
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