Repotting My Giant Fiddle Leaf Fig Into the Biggest Pot
Repotting my Fiddle Leaf Fig has never been an issue. Until it started to grow really big.
I’ve had my Ficus Lyrata since 2007, which means that as of today, it has been in our home for 17 years! (Obviously, the plant is older than that, since it was already in tree shape when I bought it.) My husband and I gift it to ourselves as our first-year wedding anniversary present, so it is quite meaningful to me.
This Fiddle Leaf Fig has had some up and downs because I didn’t place it in the right spot when I brought it home for the first time.
It is a finicky plant, and it has some very specific needs, but once you figure those out, it is a breeze to maintain. If you want to know how to properly care for a Fiddle Leaf Fig, read this blog on the Fiddle Leaf Fig | 5 Essential Tips to Care For Your Ficus Lyrata, as you won’t find it here.
This Blog is specific to repotting a Fiddle Leaf Fig.
when and why repotting a fiddle leaf fig
I’ve repotted my Fiddle Leaf Fig a few times throughout the years, until it got so big I couldn’t find a terracotta pot big enough for its roots.
It is important to do all your invasive plant maintenance practices in Spring, or even Summer. Such practices may include repotting, pruning or root pruning.
There are very few reasons why you’d want to repot or prune your plants in Fall and Winter. One of the main reasons is to remove pests or mitigate a disease, or root rot.
Read these blogs for more details and step-by-step instructions on repotting and pruning indoor plants.
You can see how big my Fiddle Leaf Fig is compared to its pot. If you look into the pot, you can see how the roots are growing out of it.
The last time I repotted my Fiddle Leaf Fig into a bigger pot, I moved it into a 16″ terracotta pot.
Even though my plant kept growing both in leaf and roots mass, I couldn’t move it into a bigger pot because I hadn’t been able to find a terracotta pot bigger than 16″.
Since I refuse to plant my Fiddle Leaf Fig into anything other than draining terracotta pots, I had no choice but to halt the plant’s growth by root pruning it.
Terracotta pots are ideal for indoor plants as they are porous. They allow the soil to slowly dry out and breathe, preventing water stagnation like other non-porous pot material would. (i.e., plastic and glazed ceramic pots).
Root pruning my Fiddle Leaf Fig was a major emotional event that became the subject of one of my therapy sessions, believe it or not. This plant is so meaningful to me that I would be absolutely crushed if I killed it.
Thankfully, my therapist helped me gain perspective; It’s not that I would intentionally kill it…I am trying my best to care for it, with the best of my knowledge. If it dies, it dies. 😱
But it didn’t! Root pruning was actually really successful and has encouraged my Fiddle Leaf Fig to produce more leaves, rather than growing its branches. So now it looks much fuller.
(Root pruning is generally done to prevent plants’ growth when space becomes an issue.)
Some images from the Fiddle Leaf Fig root pruning process.
Why do I want to repot it into a bigger pot, then?
You see, my Fiddle Leaf Fig is quite discreet. It doesn’t show off like other plants do. Besides, it’s paired up with a pretty big Bird of Paradise Plant, and it is quite hard to appreciate the Ficus in its wholeness.
But when I sit at my desk, I can clearly see its pot.
Despite the root pruning process three years ago, as time went by, the plant started growing roots out of the pot, which ended up looping back into the dirt. I guess it was a strategy to save space, but it’s also a desperate call for a new pot.
You can barely see the Fiddle Leaf Fig in this picture, as it is camouflaged by the tall and showy Birds of Paradise. It is easy to dismiss its needs unless you pay close attention to it…
As you can see, this Fiddle Leaf Fig is in desperate need of a bigger pot. It has employed strategies to keep as much of its roots out of the dirt. (Plants are smart and resourceful).
This is why I almost did a victory dance when I turned the corner of the garden section aisle at Costco and saw a pallet loaded with the biggest pile of giant terracotta pots!
I couldn’t believe my eyes. For the last three years, I’ve been searching every single greenhouse in the city where I live and its vicinity, and I could not find a single 18″ terracotta pot! And now, out of the blue, here they are in front of me! A pile of 20″ terracotta pots!
Costco saved the day (once again!).
It’s a good thing this pot is so darn heavy; otherwise, I would have loaded the cart with them!
I just carefully put one of these glorious pots into the cart without breaking my back and raced home to start the repotting process!
Inside of me, I knew I would have regretted not buying more of these pots…As soon as I finished repotting my Fiddle Leaf Fig, I raced back to Costco, (on a Saturday afternoon – that is desperation!!) to buy another for my Birds of Paradise Plant!).
At the time of writing, these 20″ draining terracotta pots are sold in Costco warehouses in Canada. I wasn’t able to find it online at Costco.ca or Costco.com.
I checked the manufacturer’s website and found the specifications at artevasi.com.
It’s the Amalia Wide Pot, 50cm diameter
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repotting fiddle leaf fig - step by step
Before repotting your Fiddle Leaf Fig, you need to make sure you have all the right tools and supplies ready and handy.
You would hate to be in the middle of lifting a big and heavy Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree into a new pot and realize that you haven’t mixed the soil yet!
This is exactly why I wrote this step-by-step guide for you.
I’ve learned from one too many mistakes to let that happen to you!
PREPARE YOUR POT
Preparing your pot doesn’t only mean getting it ready next to the plant; it also means having your soil already mixed at the bottom.
What is the proper mix for a Fiddle Leaf Fig?
I like to mix a generic houseplant potting soil, with some perlite to add drainage to the mixed soil.
There are some optimized soil mixes specific for Fiddle Leaf Figs you can buy as well, if you want the best of the best.
You’ll have to do some estimating to figure out how much soil you need at the bottom of the pot so that it is enough to prop the plant at the right height, but not too much that won’t allow the plant to properly fit in.
You can definitely see how this Fiddle Leaf Fig can benefit from a bigger pot!
My home-made soil mix; 4 parts generic potting mix to 1 part perlite.
REMOVE THE FIDDLE LEAF FIG FROM ITS POT
Removing the Fiddle Leaf Fig from its pot may prove to be a difficult task.
Possibly because its roots have outgrown the pot without you even realizing it. So, before attempting to remove it from the pot, check the bottom of its pot.
If you find roots growing outside the draining hole, cut them. This way, removing the plant from the pot will be easier.
You might also need to use a knife to loosen the soil all around the pot, especially if your Ficus is planted in a terracotta pot.
It might take two people to remove the Fiddle Leaf Fig from its pot, so make sure you have a strong and willing helper near by. (I recruited my husband and gave him a few-hours notice).
One of you holds the pot down, the other pulls the plant up. This may sound forceful, so make sure you don’t break any vital roots in the process. I recommend wiggling the pot while you pull down.
This is the roots mat I found growing out of the drainage hole at the bottom of my plant’s pot. I needed to cut it off in order to remove the plant from its pot.
My husband pulls the Fiddle Leaf Fig up, I keep the pot down.
What can’t you see from this picture, is that I am wiggling the pot at the same time to help loosening the soil.
I am sure it was a comical sight for my son taking the picture.
PLACE FIDDLE LEAF FIG INTO THE NEW POT
This step is quite easy if you have prepared your pot in advance.
In my case, I had to pull on that roller coaster-looking root growing out the pot in order to push it back into the new pot with fresh soil.
Make sure your plant is placed properly into the pot before you move to the next step.
This means verifying that the plant is centered in the pot and that it is standing in a straight line.
My husband moved the plant.
I verified that it was centered in the pot and that it was standing straight, before adding soil all around the rootball.
(Just to be clear; I am not the helper. I am director of operations here!)
ADD SOIL TO FILL THE POT
While you are still holding your plant, you can start filling the voids with fresh soil.
It is important that you hold your plant in place when you fill the first portion of the pot, until the plant is secured in place. You wouldn’t want to loose the perfect alignment, nor see the plant topple.
Once the plant is capable of standing in place on its own, you can start securing the soil properly. Don’t press it too hard or you will suffocate the soil. Don’t leave it too loose or your plant will loose hold.
Add enough soil to allow for compacting after watering.
Once you water your plant, the soil level will go down as it will compact itself.
Perfectionists at work on their precious ‘baby’.
VOILA’ – YOUR FIDDLE LEAF FIG REPOTTING IS COMPLETE!
Water your Fiddle Leaf Fig abundantly, and you are done!
You can now ask someone to take a picture of you standing next to your newly repotted plant!
The most important thing is that you put your Fiddle Leaf Fig back where it came from!
If you read my Blog on the 5 Essential Things to Care for Your Ficus Lyrata, you know that these plants dislike to be moved, especially when they are doing well where they are!!
Well deserved portrait of myself after repotting my giant Fiddle Leaf Fig.
MAINTAINING YouR FIDDLE LEAF FIG AFTER REPOTTING
Your maintenance routine does not change after repotting your Fiddle Leaf Fig.
Depending on how much bigger your pot is, you may need to change the quantity of water you provide to your plant.
Change the quantity, not the frequency of watering. Big difference!
In my case, I doubled the amount of water because the pot is almost double and because when I repotted the plant, I noticed the rootball was quite dry.
To give you a reference;
My Fiddle Leaf Fig sits by a South facing window.
I water it once a week. It used to be 2 litres per week, (2 quarts or 64OZ)
Now, in its new pot, I give it 4 litres of water, (4 quarts).
As mentioned in the previous section, if your Fiddle Leaf Fig was happy before repotting it, don’t change its location.
If you repotted your Fiddle Leaf Fig because it wasn’t happy and healthy, you should go read my other Blog.
I hope you found this Blog helpful and useful.
Needless to say, it was very therapeutic for me, (and for my plant, of course!).
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Hey Midlife Mom!
Reclaim 10 Hours in Your Day With My 5 Day E-Mail Guide Without Sacrificing Family Time, Even If You Are Already Multitasking From 5 am Till Midnight