Fiddle Leaf Fig Yellow Leaf: The Causes and The Right Fixes

Fiddle leaf fig yellow leaf is a common problem many plant owners face, and you would see how the foliage is changing its color. However, there is no simple case with a simple solution to the yellowing problem.

To get the right solution, first, the correct cause needs to be determined. This article explores all the common problems that lead to the yellowing of the fig leaf, so read on for some great tips.

What Are The Reasons for Yellowing of Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaves?

The reasons for the yellowing of fiddle leaf fig leaves is because of insufficient sunlight, and a deficiency in the nutrients of the plant. It can also be due to excessive irrigation, a shock after transplanting, and lastly, because of extreme temperature changes.

When fiddle leaf fig leaves turning yellow and dropping, it is usually due to a lacking of sunlight, a nutrient deficiency, an excess of water, or a combination of these causes. In some situations, yellow leaves can also be caused by pest infestations, transplant shock, or excessive temperature variations, because the plant would pass through different kinds of stress.

Yellowing leaves are not only unappealing from an aesthetic standpoint but are also typically highly worrying since it indicates unhealthy fiddle leaf fig. When a leaf begins to lose its color, it attempts to communicate that something is wrong or that a specific need is not being addressed.

– Insufficient Sunlight

Fiddle leaf figs or ficus lyrata require a lot of sunlight to thrive, and they thrive with five to six hours of the morning to midday light per day and up to eight hours if they’re used to living outside. The ability of a fiddle leaf to produce chlorophyll and pigment for its large, dark leaves is greatly influenced by sunlight.

Fiddle leaf figs require light energy and soil nutrients to create chlorophyll. Without this energy, your fiddle leaf fig leaves will begin discoloring around the veins, turning lighter green and eventually yellow. If the fiddle leaf fig bottom leaves turning brown, this is the reason why, so you should make sure to check how much sunlight the plant is receiving; if not, a lack of sunlight could be cause it to have yellow foliage.

– Deficiencies in Nutrients or a Lack of Fertilizer

Because nutrients from the soil and sun energy work together to keep a fiddle leaf bright and green, the symptoms of malnutrition are similar to those of insufficient sunlight. When the fiddle leaf fig leaves turning light green, soon yellowing will occur, so take the necessary steps.

An imbalance in your fiddle leaf’s soil, which needs more organic matter, or an unsettled feeding schedule might cause nutrient shortages. For this matter, you should make sure to ask, if your fiddle leaf is getting frequent nitrogen-rich fertilizer applications during the growing season. If you’re confident that your plant is getting enough light and isn’t overwatering or drying out, a nutrient shortage is usually to blame for yellow leaves on a fiddle leaf fig.

– Overwatering

If you see your fiddle leaf fig leaves getting yellow and see dropping leaves, this may be the cause. Overwatering is a major issue with fiddle leaf figs. The best soil for fiddle leaf figs is well-draining soil, but they also require a regular watering routine, or plants risk getting “wet feet,” which eventually leads to root rot.

Yellow leaves and brown patches on a fiddle leaf fig always suggest fungal or bacterial infection. Rot is a cause of overwatering and poor drainage and should be corrected immediately, as it would also weaken the soil pH. This issue is a common problem with fiddle fig leaf and is easily identified by the tell-tale brown dots accompanying their leaves’ yellow browning.

Yellow leaves on your fiddle leaf fig, typically accompanied by brown spots, may indicate the start of a root bound rot infection. Fortunately, this is a simple diagnosis, so check for sogginess and clumping in the soil surrounding your plant’s roots. You’re overwatering your fiddle leaf fig if it feels dense and damp and oxygen cannot reach its leaves. The soil may also develop an unpleasant odor in the later stages of a root rot infection. Soil acidity also needs to be less.

– Infestations of Insects

Severe insect infestations on a fiddle leaf fig are significantly more uncommon, and can also produce discoloration. To understand if this is the start of your plant’s problems, look for indicators of accompanying symptoms such as holes, webbing, and, of course, visible creepy crawlies. You must know that some of these are causing the leaves to weaken as they would absorb the nutrients of the insects.

– Shock After Transplantation

If you recently repotted fig tree leaves turning yellow and observed their unhealthy look, it could suffer from transplant shock. This implies that its roots still need to be well attached, and it is not absorbing the nutrients required for growth, and as time goes on, the plant is also not establishing well. So, transplant shock typically manifests as drooping and yellowing fiddle leaf fig leaves.

It may suffer from shock if your plant has been relocated or is near air conditioning or a drafty window. In terms of humidity, fiddle leaf figs require a good amount of humidity in their environment to thrive, so if you transplant and changed the location, this can be a concern. Check to see if the conditions in your fiddle leaf’s surroundings are healthy.

– Extreme Temperature Swings

Fiddle leaf figs dislike change, and they are particularly susceptible to it and will show it by drooping leaves, wilting, refusing to grow, or your fiddle leaf fig producing yellow leaves. It’s rare, but if you’ve exhausted all other possibilities, temperature, and humidity may be worth investigating.

Fiddle-leaf figs are heat-loving plants, and so having this in mind, you should know that if your plant’s leaves turn yellow in the summer, it could indicate that your plant is not acclimated to the heat and needs to be. They could also be yellow due to overwatering or the lack of watering.

Due to cooler temperatures and less sunlight, indoor plants and outdoor fiddle leaf figs may discolor and lose foliage in autumn or fall. Because fiddle leaf figs prefer warmer, more humid climates, temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit increase the likelihood of leaf drop.

A few yellow leaves in autumn are not a cause for concern for this plant, especially if you keep your fiddle leaf fig tree outdoors. This is related to the change in temperature and is a normal element of the growing phase of a deciduous plant.

What Are Ways To Stop Yellowing of Leaves on a Fiddle Leaf Fig?

Ways to stop the yellowing of leaves on fiddle leaf fig is to allow the plant to absorb proper sunlight and to make sure that you are water it efficiently. You must also aim to remove the weakened leaves and make sure to check for bugs.

You must first identify the issue to repair yellow leaves on a fiddle leaf fig. It could be due to a lacking of light, insufficient fertilizer, poor drainage and overwatering, an infection, or poor growing circumstances. Based on this, repairing your fiddle leaf fig’s yellow leaves necessitates addressing the source of the problem.

It is immensely easier to assist your fiddle leaf fig recuperation once you understand why it is unhappy. Fortunately, there are only a few causes of yellowing leaves, and determining which one is to blame is simple.

– Allow Your Plant To Be Exposed to Sunshine

Fiddle leaf figs adore sunlight, and it is essential to their health. If your fiddle leaf is yellowing due to a lack of light, transfer it to a location where it can obtain the energy it requires from the sun.

However, you don’t want to startle your plant, so gradually adapt it to its new location, but make sure to locate it in the right place to receive its needed lighting. Move it closer to the sun for fifteen minutes daily, then longer and longer over time. Set it near an East or South-facing window to catch the milder morning sun.

The most difficult fiddle leaf fig problem to diagnose is sheer, unadulterated dissatisfaction with its surroundings. Fiddle leaf figs only sometimes enjoy their surroundings. To avoid this, maintain your fiddle leaf in a location with plenty of sun and humidity and no temperature swings, artificial coldness, or warmth.

– Regular Watering

If you fear your fiddle leaf suffers from rot, ensure you are not overwatering it. Begin by ensuring that all of the holes in your fiddle leaf fig plants pot are clear and clear and that there are plenty of them.

Allow your plant to dry out after that, and this entails allowing the top few inches of soil to dry fully before watering. Maintain a consistent watering schedule once you resume watering your plant. If the illness has progressed significantly, you may need to report and clip your fiddle leaf fig to remove any decaying or moldy roots.

You may also have to check the way that it is growing and give it the right amount of fertilizer, especially after being repotted; certain fiddle leaf figs experience transplant shock. This is the stress generated by the physical shock of a significant shift in its surroundings. Provide your plant with appropriate growing circumstances and give it time to acclimate.

– Remove the Weak Leaves

You may be tempted to remove your fiddle leaf fig’s yellow leaves to preserve it looking its best. However, removing numerous leaves at once can be stressful for your plant, so prune them away gradually, especially after full leaves have turned yellow.

Yellow leaves might make a plant look dull and unpleasant, but remember that these leaves are still alive. Removing more than 10 to 20 percent of the foliage at once will cause irreversible loss and discomfort since a fiddle leaf fig can’t photosynthesize or grow without leaves.

You can remove them because they tend to get green leaves again, and the best you can do is prevent yellowing by identifying the problem’s source and resolving it for future growth. Unfortunately, yellow leaves are not long for this world and will decay whether or not they are tied to your tree.

– Check for Bugs on the Leaves

On a fiddle leaf fig, pests are quite easy to eradicate. Treat your plant with insecticidal soap, and if that does not work, then use neem oil, and thoroughly clean each leaf afterward. Your big-leafed infant should be pest-free in no time.

Conclusion

A fiddle leaf fig looks remarkable inside or outside the home but can get common problems like yellowing, but here is what you can do to avoid this:

• If your fiddle leaf fig is deficient in nutrients due to poor soil quality or sporadic feeding, you can supplement it with a nitrogen-rich, preferably organic fertilizer.
• Nutritional deficiency shows when the fiddle leaf fig leaves fall off. Fiddle leaves require a lot of energy, and fertilizer is necessary for growing them at home.
• If your soil is faulty, examine its pH levels, between 5.5 and 7, and try repotting your fiddle leaf fig during dormancy.
• Have you replanted your Ficus recently? It may take some time to adjust to its new surroundings.
• Yellow leaves are not always fatal to your plant, but they should never be ignored, and you should address your fiddle leaf as soon as possible.

Maintain appropriate drainage and a consistent water schedule for your plant, and soon see the remarkable effects.