How To Create The Perfect Drainage for a Fiddle Leaf Fig
Fiddle Leaf Figs can be unforgiving plants if their requirements are not fully met. Beyond the very basic need—plenty of bright, indirect light—making sure your Fiddle Leaf Fig has proper drainage is probably the most important piece in ensuring a healthy and beautiful plant. And while this is the case for all indoor plants, none will let you know as quickly as a Fiddle Leaf Fig! So what type of drainage does this plant need, and how can you be sure your plant is getting proper drainage?
What Type of Drainage Do Fiddle Leaf Figs Need?
First of all, Fiddle Leaf Figs like to dry out between waterings, plain and simple. That means they don’t want to be watered too frequently, and they prefer a fast-draining soil. In the wild, this plant is never sitting in water or completely drenched: its roots are constantly draining. This is what we want to mimic indoors.
What happens if the soil cannot properly drain? The plant will accumulate moisture, and the roots may eventually develop root rot. As such, making sure your Fiddle Leaf Fig (and really any indoor plant!) has proper drainage is key to keeping it healthy and vibrant.
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Creating Perfect Drainage for Your Fiddle Leaf Fig
There are a few different ways to pot plants for optimal drainage, but no matter what the case, your pot must have drainage holes, one way or another. We do not recommend potting this plant, which is known to be particularly finicky, in a pot without drainage holes. Never attempt to grow a fiddle leaf fig in a container without drainage holes. Here are a few different ways you can create drainage for your Fiddle Leaf Fig:
Use a pot with one large drainage hole at the bottom, usually the case with terracotta pots
Use a pot with several drainage holes, like some plastic pots, and then simply place your plant in the decorative container.
Add a layer of gravel or drainage rocks to the bottom of any pot, though we still recommend using a pot with drainage holes.
Do you have a decorative pot with no drainage holes? While some people like to DIY it by drilling a hole on the bottom, this can be cumbersome and also risks breaking the pot! In this case, we recommend “staging” your plant, which means leaving it in its plastic nursery pot and simply placing it inside the decorative container.
In fact, we do this for all of our plants, as it not only ensures optimal drainage but also allows our customers to use stylish mid-century plant stands!
This post was adapted from the Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource by expert Claire Akin. Head to their website to learn more about caring for the Fiddle Leaf Fig.
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