How to Repot a Fiddle Leaf Fig?

You’re not sure how to repot a Fiddle Leaf Fig, but your plant needs transplanting badly? Perhaps you’re not sure if it needs repotting at all. Or you want to learn the most important tips related to repotting? You’ve come to the right place! This guide will teach you everything you need to know.

Yes, you need to repot it once a year. Using fresh potting mix for your indoor plants annually will provide enough nutrients necessary for health and growth. You should remove old compacted soil that lacks oxygen. It will also provide more space the plant needs when it outgrows its current pot. Another benefit of repotting your plants every year is that, in most cases, you won’t have to use liquid house plant fertilizer.

You can repot your plant any time of year. In case your fiddle plant gets enough light, you can repot it during any season.

There are several signs that a Fiddle Leaf Fig needs repotting. Here are a few simple ways to determine whether it’s time for a slightly larger pot. If any of these symptoms are present, it’s time to repot:

• Roots are coming out of the bottom of the pot
• There are lots of roots on top of the soil
• When you gently pull the entire plant out of the pot you see mostly a root ball and not a lot of soil
• Soil dries out much faster than it used to.

You should repot a Fiddle Leaf Fig once a year. By repotting once a year, you are providing fresh, non-compacted soil, full of oxygen for the roots.  You are also providing soil full of nutrients, as the old soil might be depleted of them.

If you keep the plant outside in your garden, you might need to repot it more frequently. Plants kept outdoors receive much more light than plants kept inside a home. As a result, outdoor plants grow much faster.

If you have just purchased your plant from a nursery or a plant shop, it might need to be repotted immediately. Plants are usually sold in pots that they have already overgrown.

Here are the repotting steps for a Ficus Lyrata:

• Remove the plant from the pot
• Loosen up the rootball
• Inspect the roots. If some of the roots are soft, mushy or smelly, cut them off
• Take a new pot that’s 1-2 inches larger in size.  If over 8 inches in diamater, go for a pot 2-3 inches larger in size. Use a pot with drainage holes. Even though it’s possible to grow a Ficus Lyrata in a pot without a single drainage hole, it’s easier with drainage holes
• Fill one third of the new pot for Fiddle Leaf with soil. Use 2 parts any potting mix, 1 part perlite
• Place the plant in the new pot
• Fill up the new pot with soil. Just make sure to leave 1 inch of empty space from the top, so you can properly water the plant
• In a few days, once the soil has fully dried out, water the plant

This type of repotting is called potting up. Potting up means that you leave the plant’s root mass and soil moistly intact while moving it to a new pot. You then use additional soil to fill in the remaining space inside the new pot. This repotting method will temporarily give space for fine roots to grow. Potting up is recommended if you don’t have a lot of indoor plant experience.

There are pros and cons to potting up. Pros of potting up are:

• it’s easier for beginners
• it’s less risky for beginners and less likely to affect the plant’s health

Cons of potting up are:

• Roots in the rootball will continue to grow, and at some point will start constricting each other. They will restrict the flow of water and nutrients.
• the soil inside the rootball will stay compact, without oxygen
• the soil in the rootball keeps excess salts that could damage the roots

If you have more experience with indoor plants, you can do a full repot. Full repotting is the best way to repot. Full repotting means once you take a plant from its existing pot, you will remove all the soil from the roots. Pros of full repotting are:

• you remove old compacted soil without oxygen for the roots
• you remove excess salts trapped in the rootball
• it provides more space for the root system to grow
• it allows your Fig tree to get all the oxygen and nutrients from the soil

Cons of full repotting:

• it stresses the plant
• it can take a few weeks for the plant to recover from repotting and to continue growing
• if you don’t provide proper after-repotting care to Fiddle Leaf Fig tree, you could easily kill it

If you’re not quite sure you can perform a full repot, use the potting up method.

In the video below, you can see how I repot a Fiddle Leaf Fig step by step:

The best tips for repotting a fiddle leaf are simple yet effective ways to provide the best environment for your plant to stay healthy. These are the top tips to follow when moving your fig tree into a new pot:

• Do a full repot if you are experienced with plants and repotting. This is one of the most efficient ways to provide the plant with nutrients from the soil.
• Pot up if this is your first Fiddle Leaf Fig or you don’t have a lot of experience with plants. While not as efficient as full repot, pot up is still beneficial to your plant and safer than a full repot.
• Ensure the pot has holes for excess water to exit. Ficus Lyrata highly dislikes staying in moist soil so you must make sure that it has proper drainage system.
• Keep the plant in bright light after repotting. If you can, place the plant in direct sun. Bright light will help the plant photosynthesize more, and provide it with the energy needed for the roots to establish well in the new soil.
• Select the right pot. You may want to go for a decorative pot that looks nice but make sure it’s functional as well. Terracotta pot is the best option for FLF plant, because it will absorb excess water from the soil, unlike plastic pot that doesn’t absorb any water. Of course, any pot you choose should have a large drainage hole. You may also need to choose a container that’s larger than the old pot.
• Choose the right potting soil. A well-draining potting soil mix is a must for a healthy Ficus. Feel free to use any commercial mix but make sure you amend it with perlite, pumice, bark, or another amendment.

Best potting mixes for a Fiddle Leaf Fig have one quality in common – they’re well-draining. You can simply make your own Fiddle Leaf Fig soil mix. Start by choosing any commercial mix. You’ll want to use 2 parts of regular potting and mix it with 1 part of perlite, bark, pumice, or another amendment.

This is how I make my own soil mix:

Yes, you can repot your plant in winter. No reason to wait until spring if it’s time to repot. Plants “know” what season they’re in based on temperature, and most houseplants don’t experience extreme changes in temperature since they live indoors. So, unless your home gets extremely cold in winter, any season is good season for repotting. If you’re wondering about repotting in fall or in spring, the process is the same. Keep reading to find detailed instructions.

The best pot size when repotting Fiddle Leaf Figs is 1 to 2 inches larger than the current size of the pot. For pots over 8 inches in diameter, the best pot size is 2 to 3 inches larger. Don’t let your plant stay in the same pot if it has outgrown it. If you skip the repotting process, roots won’t have enough space and this may lead to different issues including soil compaction.

Soil compaction is explained in detail in the following Instagram post:

No, Fiddle Leaf Figs don’t like being root bound. They are comfortable being reasonably snug in their pots but may experience all sorts of issues when root-bound. Why is this the case? The reason is that roots need space to develop and absorb water and nutrients from the soil. But this becomes harder when roots are wrapped too tightly. Cramped roots may lead to various problems so avoid letting your fig become root bound. The easy solution to prevent this is to repot your plant.

You can tell if a Fiddle Leaf Fig is root bound by doing one of the following things:

• Gently pull the plant and check the root ball out then it s root bound,
• Check the bottom of the pot. If you notice roots growing out of the bottom of the pot, then they’re most certainly cramped.
• Take a look at the top of the soil. In case you see roots circling on top of the soil, that’s an indicator that Fig is root-bound.
• Compare how fast the soil dries out. If it takes much shorter for the soil to dry out than it did before, this may be a sign that Fiddle plant is root-bound.

Yes, a Fiddle Leaf Fig can recover from root rot if the issue is not left untreated for too long. The best way to revive the plants is to recognize signs of root rot quickly and act fast.

In most cases, root rot will not go away on its own. You will need to revive your plant quickly before it’s damaged beyond repair if you want to save it. Brown spots and dropping leaves are a few red flags to pay attention to.

To repot a Fiddle Leaf Fig with root rot you’ll want to first rinse the root ball and remove any rotten roots. Any brown or mushy roots must go! Use sharp and disinfected pair of pruning shears to remove roots safely. Next, find a new container with drainage holes, preferably a terracotta pot. Repot your fig plant free of any rotten roots using a fresh well-draining potting soil mix. Make sure the plant is getting enough direct sunlight or indirect light. Insufficient light can seriously harm a plant, even if your fig has proper drainage. So, sufficient light is a must when you want to prevent root rot. Once you repot, water thoroughly and then wait for the soil to completely dry out before you water again.

To repot a dying Ficus Lyrata, you must first figure out what’s the reason behind its poor condition. Start by inspecting the root ball. If you’re dealing with root rot, the previous paragraph will teach you how to save your plant. But there may be another reason why your fig is dying. Is the root ball too wet, or too dry? Is there too much soil or perhaps the root ball has barely any soil? Before you move on to repotting, make sure you identify and fix any issues you observe. You should also check if the plant has enough light exposure since light is the most limiting factor when it comes to houseplant growth. So how to repot a Fiddle Leaf Fig that’s dying? Once you identify and eliminate the reason for plant’s poor health, follow the same repotting process as you would for a healthy plant.

Repot your Fiddle Leaf Fig in a few easy yet effective steps. Follow these step-by-step instructions on how to repot Fiddle Leaf Fig plants with ease:

• Fill the new container with soil. About a third of a new pot should be filled with the well-draining potting mix you previously made. This is a base for your plant’s roots to rest. Make sure you don’t put too much soil at this point, a few inches is usually enough.
• Remove the plant from its old container. Turn the container sideways and hold the plant gently. You can tap the bottom of the pot until the plant slides out. In case your Fiddle Fig is stuck, don’t force it – use scissors to cut the pot instead. You want to make sure that roots remain intact and forcing the plant out of the pot may harm the roots.
• Place the plant upright and add more soil. The additional potting soil mix should be added once the plant is in the new container. Fill in all the sides around the roots until the container is full.
• The next step is to gently press the soil. Fiddle Leaf Figs need their roots to grow and this is not possible if the soil is compacted. Add more soil if needed.
• Water generously. Once your plant is repotted, give it a thorough watering. Remove any excess water from the plant saucer. Make sure the soil is completely dry before the next watering.

You repot a large Fiddle Leaf Fig by following the same step-by-step potting process you’ve just read about for repotting small Fiddle Figs. The only difference between repotting a small and large Fiddle plant is that you need to adjust the amount of soil and the size of a pot.

Yes, you should remove old soil when repotting a Fiddle Leaf Fig. This is beneficial because you’ll avoid build up of mineral salts, give fresh soil full of nutrients to your plant and you’ll avoid soil compaction. In case you don’t have much experience with repotting, you can pot up instead of doing a full repot.

Yes, you should water your Fiddle Leaf Fig after repotting. After watering, check if the middle of the soil is higher than the edges. If this is the case, you’ll want to add more soil to even the top out. Once the top soil level is even after watering, you’re all done.

You will split and repot a Fiddle Leaf Fig by pruning its roots first. Cut a trench in the middle of the root ball, right between two plants. This should be done 6-8 weeks before separating plants. You’ll need a sharp and clean spade for this. Once this is done, fill the trench with some fresh potting soil mix. Water thoroughly and wait for several weeks. This will allow for new roots to develop and you will be ready to split your Fig plant. After you pull those trunks apart, you can go ahead and repot each plant individually. Be patient after splitting – slow growth is expected after such an event. It can take a few months for your plants to start growing new leaves.

Yes, you can plant 2 Fiddle Leaf Figs together. Just make sure there is enough space in the pot for the roots to grow

The most common problems after repotting a Fiddle Leaf Fig plant are easy to notice – they usually involve changes in color or shape of the leaves. There may also be problems with plant’s roots. These are the most common problems to look out for:

1. Brown spots
2. Brown edges
3. Yellow leaves
4. Black leaves
5. Dropping leaves
6. Droppy leaves
7. Rotten roots
8. Anything else that makes your plant not look healthy or happy.

No need to panic – most of these issues can be fixed. Common problems are usually related to the amount of light, the amount of water, the quality of water, and potting soil mix type. Learn all about problems after repotting a Fiddle Leaf Fig.