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TomatoNut95
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What is this on Fiddle Leaf Fig?

Is a disease on this Fiddle Leaf Fig plant? It's on two young leaves.
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imafan26
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It is not happy.
Most likely the root cause is improper watering. It weakens the plant and it can be attacked by everything from pests to fungi.
Ficus species are sensitive to light changes especially going from bright to dark. However, once a ficus is outside and acclimated, it is pretty bullet proof. It needs good drainage, but can survive drought pretty well. I have only had red leaves when the plant was starved. The water was turned off in the garden. I fed it and watered but it did continued to drop leaves and the leaves were small. It did not get better until I gave mine more leaf mold. P.S. I have a brown turkey fig, not a fiddle leaf fig, but it did have red spots on the undersides of the leaves. I thought were fungal spots on the leaves (fig rust). Mine is in a raised planter and it is planted in leaf mold only, however, the roots are now in the soil below the planter. The leaf mold had shrunk and the roots were exposed. It got better in a short time after the leaf mold was added. The leaf size improved. The fruit is no longer dry and inedible and it is sweet again. The spots went away. P.S. I regularly have to cut the escaping roots that exit from the planter. Fig roots like to travel more lateral than deep.

I don't know if this helps solve your problem, but I suggest you might try to repot and find a better media. If you can get leaf mold it is worth a try to add about 20% leaf mold to the media, but I would start with a well drained media. Pure compost in small pots always causes issues.

https://savvygardening.com/diy-potting-soil/

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden ... ompost.htm.

https://fiddleleaffigplant.com/little-r ... 0waterings.

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TomatoNut95
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Thanks for the reply, @Imafan! This is my mother's plant, so I don't know much about it. She was showing it to me and asked if I would post it on here for her. I know she recently repotted it, and it's in Miracle Gro potting mix. The plant never goes outside. It stays in a well lit room on a shelf in front of a window. I'll tell her what you said about the leaf compost. I have a family member who stores raked up leaves behind her house. If she were to put a little of that in the pot, would that be the same?

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TomatoNut95
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Oh great. She told me she cut the infected leaves off. Was that good or bad? Say, would you mind sharing a picture of your ficus? :)

imafan26
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My ficus is better now and all of the red leaves are gone. I don't have picture of the leaves when it was red.

Miracle grow will be too wet for an indoor fig especially if you add compost to the pot.

Leaf mold is composted leaves. It does not work with fresh or dried undecomposed leaves. It takes about 6 months of decomposing to make leaf compost. If you put dried leaves in a pot it will only act like mulch. If you mix it in the soil. It will rob the soil of nitrogen.

Figs need well drained soil. They will tolerate drought, although there will be signs of stress, but will die with wet feet.

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TomatoNut95
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Supposing if she put sand in the pot, like a little cactus mix?



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