Fiddle Leaf Tree Trimming

Look at how tall my fiddle leaf tree was getting! This picture was taken almost two months ago, at the start of summer. I knew it was going to grow like crazy in this bright spot where she loves to be.

My goal was to cut it down and make it branch out into multiple offshoots.

I was a bit scared to trim it because I had never done this and I didn't want to ruin my beautiful fiddle leaf. But hey, nothing to worry about, it's super simple.

If you have a tall, beanstalk-y fiddle leaf plant that you want to trim and turn into a bushy little tree, then this is the post for you!

On June sixteenth, I brought my beautiful fiddle leaf out to the garage to trim it. Up close you can see its size. Ginormous!

You can see the other reason why I brought it here to the garage. This huge plant had outgrown that tiny container where she was planted. Look at the roots popping out. 😞

NOTE: Fiddle Leafs don't like change. Trimming is already a big issue. Of course, trimming it and repotting it can cause lots of trauma to your plant.

I went ahead with both, the trimming and the repotting because the timing was perfect (you can read more about that below) and also because the plant was already too big to be in that tiny container.

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a tall fiddle leaf ready to be trimmed and repotted

I got a bigger plastic container to give her more room. Here's a list of other tools/materials you will need for the job:

Don't have a Fiddle Leaf Fig? you can get yours right here.

REPOT YOUR FIDDLE LEAF TREE

Spring and summer is the best time to repot your fiddle leaf tree. Given that it's the growing season, the plant would take less time to recover than if you do it during the dormant months (fall-winter).

I used a planter that is a couple inches wider all around, compared to the previous one.

Miracle Grow Potting Mix was first added to the planter. Then, I got the fiddle leaf out of the small pot and proceeded to break away the old soil and loosen up the root system, without breaking those roots too much.

This takes time. Once done I mixed both soils together, the new potting mix soil and the little amount of soil that was loosened from the roots.

More potting soil was added to the planter to cover all the roots and the soil was patted firmly.

HOW TO CUT YOUR FIDDLE LEAF FIG

The next step was to trim the plant. The red arrows in the picture below are pointing to the spots where I was planning on trimming it.

All you need is a sharp, sterile pair of pruning shears. I sanitized the pruning shears with rubbing alcohol, this is to prevent the disease from being passed from plant to plant since I keep on using this pair of pruning shears to cut all types of plants. I also gave them a good sharpening with this tool.

| Pruning Shears | Pruning Shears Sharpener |

The main question: Where to cut?!

The experts say to watch for "nodes" or little white dots on the stem of the branch. Those nodes are supposed to be left on the part of the branch that is cut off. It is from those nodes that the cut-off branch will begin growing roots if you want to propagate the plant.

To tell you the truth, I couldn't find any nodes of little white dots on the stems of my plant. I went ahead and did a diagonal cut where it felt good to me. Right above a leaf.

Using pruning shears to trim a fiddle leaf

Since my fiddle leaf has two stems I cut both of them at a similar height.

I brought the now short plant out to the garden and gave it a good amount of water and cleaned the leaves.

PROPAGATING A FIDDLE LEAF FIG

The cuttings were immediately placed in water, hoping that they begin growing roots so I can eventually get two more fiddle leaf figs.

According to what I've read, this process takes time. As of today, August 5th, not even one root has sprouted. I will keep you posted on this process.

This is how the cuttings look there in the basement close the window.