Just repotted my fig but it’s really struggling. It’s lost 3 leaves in 2 days and looks like others are about to jump ship. I’ve watered it once since I repotted (repotted a week and a half ago) but it doesn’t seem to be getting better. What should I do?
by McFirewall
7 Comments
How big of an increase in pot size did you go? And does the pot have holes in the bottom? What did the roots look like when you were repotting it?
Most people forget to fertilize potted plants, but any plant in a pot and not in the earth is getting zero nutrients I fertilize all house plants every week during spring and summer once a month in the winter
Not enough water！
You must water it “thoroughly” each time..l suggest watering it once every 10-14days..don’t keep excess water in pot’s bottom part(because this water can cause root rot)..
and it’s better to put it on a plant stand/stool/table..etc.,let it get more sunlight
Ohhh she does look like she is struggling. Maybe wait a bit & then chop/ prop. Then her energy can go to the smaller plant. Get rid of the leaves that won’t recover. I just propped down to a stick & she is doing beautifully ❤️ I would show you but can’t post pics here.
Looks like it needs water.
When repotting, did you loosen the roots? Often what happens in repotting and loosening the roots, the roots lose their grip on the soil and the soil is more aerated. This results in less water retention in the soil immediately around the roots, especially the smaller roots, so the plant doesn’t take up water as efficiently. For this reason I don’t loosen the roots much or at all, maybe just the roots on the outside of the ball that were squished against the inside of the pot and growing upwards.
I think the best course of action is to probably water again even if the soil isn’t dried out. Focus your water in the center of the pot around the trunk, water slowly as to give time for the water to absorb better into the soil, and water very thoroughly. You should have drainage, so it might be an idea to take it outside or into the shower and really flood it. This will help the soil settle in around the roots tightly, and help with future water absorption.
The risk is a bit of root rot because of overwatering, so maybe set up a fan to blow on the pot for the next week to help with drying out the soil. Also put the pot in a warm and bright location, you could even crank the heat up a bit in your house (within reason, don’t want to cook the plant.)
Might be transplant shock. My fiddle leaf fig did this after repotting because I messed with the rootball. When the roots are disturbed and repotted, the plant starts focusing all of its energy toward root growth and temporarily abandons the foliage.
Within a day of repotting, all of the leafs went floppy and drooped. It continued like this for about 11 days in my case, but I’ve heard heard some plants take a few weeks. Mine dropped a good 60% of the leaves, and then finally perked back up and is doing MUCH better. Check for other issues, but if the roots looked good when you repotted, and you watered it thoroughly, it’s probably just in shock. In that case, it is best to continue with the regular regiment (and avoid fertilizer) to provide it some stability while it grows its roots. FLFs are very dramatic plants, so any changes like repotting can have crazy consequences
Do not add fertilizer. There is fertilizer in all potting soils. Being newly potted in new soil it will burn plant by adding fertilizer at this moment in time. ☺️