My Precious
Every once in a while, the Mister and I would round up our kid (ours has 4 legs) and walk to our neighborhood nursery. One this one particular visit, I was looking for an indoor house plant, something skinny and tall to stand next to our window (aren’t we all) and maybe help oxide the air since I’m severely allergic to our cat. (I’ll introduce him later). After many many distractions, we came across this beautiful fiddle leaf fig. The care keeper warned us that this tree requires a lot of attention, but I didn’t listen to what he said, all I knew was that I wanted this tree in my house, next to that window.
Oh boy was he right about this tree needing a lot of TLC. So much so that I nicknamed him Precious. Precious likes indirect sunlight, no cold drafts, and does not like to be moved around (apparently that stresses him out). I was told not to over water him since he likes to be nice and dry. I was to only water him when the top soil is dry. I gave him a lot of attention. I even massaged his leaves in coconut oil, but he was slowly dying. I was starting to think he didn’t like it in his new home.
After many online researches, I found out the problem. I wasn’t watering Precious incorrectly. I was supposed to drench him in lukewarm water and wait for the water to come out of the drain. Repeat when his top soil is dry. Poor guy, he was just thirsty. I’m happy to report his is standing a little bit taller and is greener than ever. I'm even thinking about propagating him.
I highly recommend getting a fiddle leaf fig for your house. They are a beautiful addition to any home and they’re not as hard to take care of. Don’t let the other reviews scare you off. You just have to remember two things, they do like indirect sunlight and remember to rotate them every so often so they grow straight and not lean to one side. And when you water them, make sure you completely drench the pot. Oh and make sure there are good drainage in your pot. You do not want their roots to rot because they are sitting in too much water.
I hope this post act as a guide and does not discourage you from getting a fiddle leaf tree. All images were taken from Google. I'll take pictuers of Mr. Precious soon. I'm not going to lie, my house is a completely mess at the moment.
