Fought with a stubborn fiddle leaf fig for 6 months before I figured out the real issue

Everyone told me fiddle leaf figs are finicky about water and light, but I was doing everything right on those fronts. My problem was that I never checked the soil pH. After it dropped half its leaves and refused to grow for half a year, I finally tested the soil and found it was way too alkaline at a pH of 7.8. Once I added some sulfur to bring it down to around 6.0, the thing put out three new leaves in two weeks. Has anyone else hit a wall with a "basic" care issue that took way too long to solve?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_gray2d ago

How did you even think to test the pH in the first place? Most people would just blame themselves for over or under watering and give up on the plant entirely. I'm asking because I've got a peace lily that's been looking rough for months now, and I've never once considered checking the soil chemistry. Sounds like you stumbled onto something that most folks don't even know to look for.

charlie_stone722d ago

Peace lilies are actually pretty pH sensitive. Check is it below 6.