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Where To Place Fiddle Leaf Fig

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Fiddle leaf fig trees are known to be hardy and resilient plants – this fact has left many to believe that they can be placed anywhere in the house. Homeowners may choose the location based on their home’s layout or where there is an empty spot.

One of the principle facets of growing and maintaining a healthy fiddle leaf fig tree is its location in your home. Ideally, you want to place your fiddle leaf fig tree in a spot that will receive sunlight for half the day. You risk growing a diseased plant if it doesn’t receive enough sun.

Where To Place Fiddle Leaf Fig

But you will only get a diseased plant if you neglect its placement. To avoid this, let’s look at the factors that affect fiddle leaf fig placement and where the best and worse places are to put it.

Factors That Affect Fiddle Leaf Fig Placement

Fiddle leaf fig trees are super simple plants to care for and grow. They generally adapt well to their location – granted, it receives enough light and water and is placed in areas with optimal temperatures.

Light

Fiddle leaf fig trees should receive direct morning or evening sunlight. You ideally want a window that receives unobstructed light caused by a tree or building.

If you only have a super sunny window available, you will want to help the fiddle leaf fig to acclimate to its environment. Too much sunlight too quickly can cause the leaves to scorch.

You want to slowly increase the amount of sun it receives by moving the plant into the south-facing window for 1-3 hours and then moving it back into a spot that gets a lot of bright light.

Place Fiddle Leaf Fig

While this seems like a painstaking process, you only have to do it for 1-2 weeks. Start by leaving it in the sun for an hour, and build up to total exposure.

You will also need to place your fiddle leaf fig in an environment that will receive enough light based on its size. Large fiddle leaf fig trees will require a larger window than a small one.

Additionally, the larger and more leaves your fiddle leaf fig tree boasts, the more light it will require to continue growing new leaves.

Remember, these trees are known to grow up to 12-15 meters – a size most indoor spaces won’t easily accommodate.

If your own fiddle leaf fig tree is getting too large, you can always prune and shape it (and even attempt to grow more fiddle leaf figs from the cuttings).

During dark and cool winter months, you want to make sure to keep your fiddle leaf fig tree as close to a window as possible.

You also want to avoid placing it near a window with a cool draft – this can also result in scorched leaves.

Temperature

Many plants are dormant during the wintertime, including fiddle leaf fig trees. Their dormancy does not mean that they don’t still require loads of light and proper watering.

How Do I Get Rid Of Bugs On My Fiddle Leaf Fig scaled

We’ve discussed the cool drafts that can cause scorched leaves, but there are a few more key components to be aware of when it comes to the right temperature for your fiddle leaf fig tree.

One of the most common reasons fiddle leaf figs die off in the wintertime is due to heating vents – who really thinks of them when they are off for 6 months of the year?

To avoid any plant loss, not just fiddle leaf fig trees, moving them to a new spot, away from the heat source is best.

Humidity And Water

Fiddle leaf fig trees are tropical plants – this means they love loads of light, water, and humidity.

You want to make sure to water your fiddle leaf fig tree at least once a week – you will have to adjust your watering schedule based on the size of the plant and the amount of sunlight it receives.

You ideally want to water your fiddle leaf fig when the top layer of the soil is dry to the touch.

If you are uncertain of when you should water your fiddle leaf fig tree, you can also buy a soil moisture meter to determine when you need to water.

When watering your fiddle leaf fig, or any plant for that matter, make sure to use room temperature water (20–22 °C or 68–72 °F). Extremely cold or hot water can cause damage to your fiddle leaf fig tree’s roots.

If you live in a dry environment, you want to ensure that your fiddle leaf fig is placed in a location where it will receive between 30%-60% humidity.

You can do this by buying a humidifier (your other houseplants will love it too!), placing your fiddle leaf fig tree in close proximity to other plants, or placing it on a tray filled with pebbles and water.

Where To Place Your Indoor Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

There are a few spots around your house where you can place your fiddle leaf fig tree to show off its natural beauty.

There are a few things you want to consider when choosing a spot to place your fiddle leaf fig tree:

Place Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Near A Window

The first choice would be to place it near a window that receives a lot of bright (sometimes direct) sunlight.

As mentioned before, the larger your fiddle leaf fig tree, the larger your window should be.

With an adequate amount of light and water, your fiddle leaf fig will grow strong and healthy, leaving anyone who visits your home in awe of it.

RepottingaFiddleLeafFig

Keep Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Away From Children

You definitely do not want to place your fiddle leaf fig tree somewhere where a child or baby may get hold of it.

Fiddle leaf fig trees are mildly toxic to adults, so the plant can have more adverse effects on children than on adults.

The fiddle leaf fig produces a milky white sap that contains calcium oxalate crystals.

These crystals can be toxic to children, resulting in not only skin irritation but diarrhea and vomiting when ingested.

If you have children, it is best to place your fiddle leaf fig away from areas they tend to roam around, and if you have kids visiting you, you may want to move it somewhere they can’t reach – if only for a temporary while.

You also want to ensure that you use gloves when repotting or pruning back your fiddle leaf fig to avoid skin irritation.

Keep Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Away From Pets

Much like children, pets are also susceptible to fiddle leaf fig trees.

Your pet may show signs of oral irritation or discomfort if they have come into contact with the sap or chewed the leaves.

Some of the most common symptoms you will notice in your pet is:

  • Loose stool
  • Excessive drooling
  • Swelling around their mouth and tongue
  • Vomiting

Fortunately, none of these symptoms will last too long and surely won’t kill your beloved pet.

It is definitely not a fun time to clean up, and you probably don’t want to have them repeat the action too many times… Just to be safe.

Which Window Face Is Best For A Fiddle Leaf Fig?

Below are the four window options you’ll likely have in your home (if you live in North America, sorry, rest of the world!). Let’s see which window direction is best suited to your fiddle leaf fig:

North-Facing Windows

If you can help it, you do not want to place your fiddle leaf fig in front of a north-facing window.

These windows receive the least amount of sunlight – but if it’s your only option, move your fiddle leaf fig as close to the window as possible.

If you reside in the Southern hemisphere, your north-facing window will probably receive enough light to sustain a happy fiddle leaf fig tree.

East-Facing Windows

The morning sunspot.

East-facing windows will catch most of the morning rays while avoiding most of the afternoon sun.

If possible, you want to observe if your east-facing window receives good light into the afternoon.

An east-facing window will be an optimal spot to place your fiddle leaf fig as it will receive a good amount of soft sunlight and avoid the harshest rays.

West-Facing Windows

Ideal for mid-day light, west-facing windows will provide the most intense sunlight.

If you’re going to place your fiddle leaf fig tree in front of one of these windows, you’ll slowly want to acclimate it to receiving that much harsh sunlight.

Keep a careful eye out on your fiddle leaf fig’s leaves edges – west-facing windows may cause leaf scorch.

You can always place your fiddle leaf fig a few feet away from the window to reduce the harshest of rays or filter it out using a sheer curtain.

South-Facing Windows

One of the most ideal spots to place your fiddle leaf fig tree is in a south-facing window.

These windows receive the brightest sunlight throughout the day.

You still want to be cautious of placing the fiddle leaf fig tree too close to the window as it still runs the risk of leaf scorch.

What To Do If Your Home Doesn’t Receive Enough Light

Fortunately, you have another option when your windows don’t provide enough lighting as is.

Grow lights (or bulbs) are made to give your indoor plants, including your fiddle leaf fig, the lighting requirements it would get if it lived outside in the sun.

While fluorescent grow-lights are available, LED grow lights are more energy-efficient and will save you money in the long run.

You may face the problem that your fiddle leaf fig does not fit underneath most standard grow lights, in which case, you probably want to invest in a bulb that you can screw into a floor lamp close to your fiddle leaf fig.

This post is a great guide to using grow lights and shows some pretty inspirational photos.

Where Not To Place Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

While the fiddle leaf fig tree generally adapts well to its environment, there are a few places you definitely want to avoid placing your fiddle leaf fig tree.

Avoid Placing It Near A Fireplace And Central Heaters

This tropical tree enjoys a warm and humid environment, something that fireplaces and heaters do not provide.

Some people place their plants closer to heat sources in the wintertime, thinking that it will be warm and happy – unfortunately, that is not the case.

Fireplaces create an oxygen-deprived environment, as well as dry the air out.

You also risk scorching your fiddle leaf fig’s leaves or drying it out — the same counts for heaters in terms of creating an arid environment.

Avoid Placing It Somewhere You’ll Have To Move It A Lot

You want to avoid moving your fiddle leaf fig around your house too much.

These guys are homebodies and like to stay in one place that covers all their needs.

While it’s okay to take them outside every now and then, it’s best to keep them in their indoor spot (especially if they’re adapted to indoor conditions).

You want to rotate the pot every so often to avoid growing a slanted fiddle leaf fig tree.

Avoid Placing It In A Really Dark Corner Of Your Home

As you can probably tell by now, fiddle leaf figs really enjoy bright light and soft sunlight.

To avoid growing an ill-looking fiddle leaf fig tree, you want to place it somewhere where its lighting requirements are met.

If you place your fiddle leaf fig tree in a corner that receives little to no light, you run the risk of overwatering, yellow leaves, and pests – definitely a big no-no for any plant.

The only time you can really place it in a darker area of your home is if you invest in grow lights.

If you want some inspiration as to where to place your fiddle leaf fig, this post details a few interior design tips to style your favorite fiddle leaf.

Conclusion

Placing a fiddle leaf fig tree in your home is a super simple task – if you have the right lighting conditions.

While these trees can quickly adapt to most lighting conditions, they grow best when exposed to morning or evening sunlight.

You want to make sure to place your fiddle leaf fig in a spot where it is far away from any child or pet but where you can still appreciate it for all its tropical beauty.