I finally saw what 5 years of consistent care does to a fiddle leaf fig

My neighbor down the street has this fiddle leaf fig in her front window that I've been watching since she got it in 2019. It was just a sad little stick with 4 leaves back then, barely 2 feet tall. She told me she just waters it once a week and wipes the dust off the leaves with a damp cloth. I walked past yesterday and that thing is nearly touching her 9 foot ceiling with leaves the size of dinner plates. The before and after is honestly wild when you actually stop and look. I think the real difference was she never moved it around or repotted it too much, just let it settle in one spot with good light. Has anyone else had a plant that took a few years to really take off like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo_ellis4d ago

Patience pays off big with plants. That one spot rule is key.

nelson.finley3d ago

The one spot rule works great for most plants, but it's not perfect for everything. I mean, succulents and cacti actually do better if you move them around a bit to follow the sun during different seasons. They need that direct light to stay compact and colorful, not stretched out. And some houseplants like ferns or calatheas will actually drop leaves if you keep them in the same spot too long without rotating. Idk, maybe I'm overthinking it, but I've lost a few plants by sticking too hard to that rule. It's more like a good starting point than a hard rule.

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