Hi everyone,
I have a fiddle leaf fig that I’ve been meaning to prune for the past few years, but every spring I end up chickening out and leaving it alone. This year I think I’m finally going to do it.
Before I make the cut, I’d love to hear people’s experiences on how much you would prune or cut back.
A couple things that might be helpful:
• We moved houses in October 2025, so the plant was recently relocated.
• Since the move it has dropped about 4–5 leaves, which I know is pretty common with FLFs after being moved.
• The main issue is that the stem is very slender. It would not stand upright without bamboo supports.
My understanding is that pruning can help encourage branching and a thicker, stronger trunk, which is really what I’m hoping for.
So my main question is: how much would you cut back in this situation? A small trim, or something more aggressive?
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.
by moonman1185
1 Comment
You should really try to give the plant more light. Do you have a bright south facing window that you could place it right in front of?
When a fiddle doesn’t receive enough light, it’s VERY common for the plant to put as much energy as possible into growing upwards as fast as it possibly can. It does that to try to out compete the other plants for sunlight and reach the top of the canopy as fast as possible.
So if you give it more light, it will slow down slightly and start putting more energy into growing a stronger trunk.
Pruning is really the only way to get the tree to be able to support itself at this point. The stakes will just make the issue worse as they are acting like neighboring trees in nature and helping to support it means it won’t feel the need to thicken up!
Luckily fiddles respond really well to pruning and your plant is nice and healthy. After you prune it, by the time it regrows to a similar height, its trunk should have had enough time to catch up that it shouldn’t have trouble supporting itself.
If this were my tree, I’d set it right in front of your very brightest window. Then I’d prune it just a little bit taller than your window sill. That will insure the new growth will get as much light, for as long as possible!