The Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) is recognized for its impressive height and enormous, violin-shaped leaves. While its dramatic presence is appealing, its growth habit often leads to a single, tall stem with foliage only at the top, a condition known as “legginess.” Pruning is a necessary practice for both maintaining a desirable shape and ensuring the long-term health of the plant. Strategic cutting allows you to manage its size and encourage a fuller, more robust structure.
Why You Should Prune Your Fiddle Leaf Fig
Pruning allows you to manage the plant’s size and shape, which is a major concern as Ficus lyrata can grow up to ten feet tall indoors. By cutting back the main trunk or branches, you prevent the plant from becoming too tall for your space, a process known as height control. This intervention also helps to sculpt the plant into a more aesthetically pleasing form.
This procedure encourages a bushier appearance by manipulating the plant’s natural growth hormones. When the terminal bud is removed, it disrupts the flow of the growth-suppressing hormone auxin, allowing dormant buds lower down the stem to activate. The resulting new shoots create a fuller, more balanced canopy. Furthermore, pruning removes any dead, damaged, or diseased leaves and branches.
Removing compromised material improves the plant’s overall health because it redirects energy away from struggling parts toward healthy growth. Thinning out crowded areas increases air circulation around the foliage, which helps mitigate the risk of fungal issues and pest infestations. Regular, selective cuts keep the plant vigorous and focused on producing healthy new leaves.
When to Prune for Optimal Growth
The most opportune time to perform major pruning is during the active growing season, which spans from late spring through early summer. During this period, the plant has the greatest reserves of stored energy and is actively producing new shoots. This high-activity state ensures the plant can recover quickly from the stress of pruning and rapidly push out new growth.
Attempting extensive pruning during the plant’s dormant period in fall or winter is not recommended. Growth naturally slows down significantly due to less sunlight, meaning the plant will take much longer to heal the pruning wounds. Slow recovery leaves the plant vulnerable to potential infection or prolonged shock. Minor cuts, such as removing a single damaged leaf or dead branch, can be done at any time of the year.
Tools and Techniques for a Healthy Cut
Before making any cuts, gather the right equipment and ensure proper sanitation to protect the plant from disease. Always use pruning shears or a sharp, sterilized knife to make clean cuts, as dull tools can crush the plant tissue and lead to infection. Sterilizing the blade with rubbing alcohol prevents the transmission of pathogens.
When you cut a Ficus lyrata, a milky white latex sap will ooze from the wound. This sap is mildly toxic and can cause skin irritation, so wearing gloves is advisable. Immediately wipe the sap away from the cut area with a clean cloth or paper towel. The cut should always be made just above a leaf node, which appears as a small bump or ring on the stem.
The two primary techniques for shaping the plant are heading cuts and notching. A heading cut involves removing the entire tip of a branch or the main trunk, which is the most effective method for reducing overall height and forcing multiple branches to emerge below the cut. Notching is a more targeted technique used to encourage a single branch to grow without reducing the plant’s height. This involves making a shallow, horizontal cut about one-third of the way into the stem, just above a dormant node. Notching works by disrupting the downward flow of auxin, allowing the bud below it to develop into a new branch.
Encouraging New Growth and Propagating Cuttings
After pruning, the plant requires specific care to support its recovery and new growth. Ensure the plant is placed in a location receiving ample bright, indirect light, which provides the necessary energy for wound healing and shoot development. Water the plant thoroughly following the cut, but avoid overwatering the temporarily reduced foliage. Providing a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer during the active growing season will supply the nutrients needed. Expect to see signs of new buds or shoots emerging from the nodes beneath the cut within a few weeks.
The removed stem sections can be utilized to grow entirely new plants. Stem cuttings containing at least two or three leaf nodes can be propagated using either water or soil. To propagate in water, place the cut end into a container of clean water, ensuring the nodes are submerged. Roots will typically begin to form within several weeks, after which the cutting can be transferred to a well-draining soil mix. Alternatively, cuttings can be placed directly into moist soil, often with the aid of rooting hormone powder.