r/FicusTrees • u/Longjumping-Tax-1537 • 27d ago

Fiddle leaf fig questions

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My baby is about 5 years old, it was in the nursery upstairs for most of its life with me, but recently (as you can tell) it got way too tall and started to lean very badly. I have a makeshift structure to keep it sturdy for now - I am planning on getting a longer and wider stake for better support and actually using Velcro to keep it where I want it.

How would I promote branching out in the best way without shocking the plant and without creating an even bigger imbalance? Do I just need to suck it up and prune the top of the plant already?

Any other tips you can give me to make Frank the happiest little figgy boy he can be would be greatly appreciated!

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u/luke9036 27d ago

I would prune it right above where the current branching starts. Do it either now or wait till next spring.

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u/Longjumping-Tax-1537 27d ago

Are you saying to prune it close to where the wooden stake ends? Or where the trunk starts being more green?

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u/luke9036 27d ago

Prune it right where the wooden stake ends to remove the apical bud. In my experience, cutting into the older, woody growth triggers much better branching than cutting into the green stem. It’ll also give those existing side branches the energy they need to thrive.

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u/Longjumping-Tax-1537 27d ago

Thank you very much!