Hey, just purchased my first big fiddle leaf from Costco. It was HUGE upon purchasing but has lost half of its leaves since bringing it home, and there is a light blue powdery substance on a lot of the leaves and branches (especially where the leaves have fallen off). Took a few pictures for reference of the current state of the plant, the blue mold/dust/fungus and the pot/roots for reference.
by psolomon12
12 Comments
Perhaps clean the leaves with neem oil. The soil looks extremely dry. How often are you watering?
Not enough light. Needs to be next to a window. Cover exposed roots with soil. Water fully so water is coming out the bottom.
The blue powder might be an insecticide. I also have a Costco fiddle leaf and it has a thin coating on the leaves, and my friend who works in a nursery told me what it was.
It needs a repot with fresh soil. See how the dirt is pulled away from the edge of the pot? It means it is fully rootbound. In that state there is likely very little actual soil left in the pot to retain water and it would just run right through. It can only get water in that moment not over time.
Pick a pot 2” larger than the pot you have with drainage holes like a plain terracotta. A potting mix for succulents or a regular mix with added perlite will be fine, it doesn’t need to be fancy. Don’t fuss with or loosen the roots when you repot, just stick it in the new pot and fill the new soil in around it. The roots will expand out on their own.
When you repot you will lose a few leaves at the bottom, it is normal because they don’t like being jostled.
When you water make sure you are pouring enough on it that you drench it and water runs out the bottom. If you haven’t been watering this way already do it now because its super dry. You can tell by how the veins are so prominent and leaves are kinda sucked in looking like when a person gets dehydrated.
Also if it is indoors give it as much light as possible, directly in front of a window if you can.
Same exact thing happened to mine ): never buying one at Costco again.
The soil looks very compact. Sometimes I poke down into the pot with a kebob skewer to create paths for the water to go down.
First they need a bigger pot..and add more soil to cover the roots..l suggest watering it thoroughly each time(water them once every 7-10days)..so put a saucer beneath the pot..and don’t keep excess water in saucer after watering
These tropical plants need sunlight so much..it’s better to place them by brighter window/spot
i would repot it for sure also fiddle hates being moved the old warehouse probably had huge grow lights thats why you see it grows like that so either more natural light or just purchase one from home depot or amazon
Ok OP… let’s give her some TLC ASAP.
1. Repot her. Get well draining (multi holes in bottom) plastic pot (like an insert). Get chunky soil mix… 50% potting soil, 25% perlite, 25% bark (orchid or pine). She seems root bound now… so carefully remove all soil from roots and inspect them for any signs of rot. Gotta do it now and not wait until spring. Remove any sick leaves.
2. After repot give her a good soaking. I usually take mine to the kitchen sink and spray her down until she’s dripping from the bottom. Or take her outside and give her a good house spray. Once per month, feed her. Maybe best to do so in the first watering. Purived (get on Amazon) is really good and the bottle lasts me 6 months… and I have over 20 plants. After this initial repot and watering… Do NOT overwater her. Use your finger… if top few inches are cool and damp, don’t water. If top few inches are dry and no change in temp, give her a deep soaking.
3. Wipe her leaves down with sexy plant juice about 1-2x month. (2 cups water, 2 tablespoons peppermint castille soap, 2-3 tablespoons neem oil, and a few drops of rubbing alcohol. Shake well. Spray and wipe.) While may be expensive up front, the supplies will last several years. Plus helps keep all bugs off it! And helps with photosynthesis.
4. Don’t forget… she’s a diva. She’ll drop leaves just cause she wants your attention 😂😂😂
Enjoy your FLF! 🌱
Pot is much too small for three trees.
Mine was like this…got it from a nursery. At the beginning of spring it was looking dead, all brown leaves. Trimmed it, took it outside and began watering it every other day and put it in west facing balcony. It’s thriving and has a ton of new leaves each day.
Time for a repot 🪴