How Can You Tell the Difference Between a Dry and Over-Watered Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant?

Dry and Over-watered fiddle leaf fig plant care tips:

The two most common problems for fiddle leaf fig plants are ironically the opposite of each other: too much water and too little water. But what’s worse is that it’s actually tough to tell which is which.

Over-watering leads to root rot, a fungal condition that kills the plant’s roots and leaves. Under-watering leads to a dry plant with leaf damage.

First, one clarification. Over-watering and lack of sunlight work together to produce root rot, so if your fiddle leaf fig doesn’t get enough sun (and they like lots of light), the symptoms may mimic those of too much water. Under-watering and too much sun work together to dry out and burn your plant, so you’ll want to treat those issues together.

But how do you know for sure if your plant is too wet or too dry? First look; brown spots, dropping leaves, and curled edges can be a symptom of both conditions. Here are the subtle differences between an over-watered and under-watered fiddle leaf fig plant.

Symptoms of a Dry Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant

There are a few ways you can discern a dry plant from an over-watered plant. First, chronically dry plants will always have brown spots and curled leaves. You can see this extreme example of leaf curling for a plant that was completely dried beyond repair.

But what’s different about the brown spots of a dry plant is that they’ll typically start at the edge of the leaf, not in the middle. They’ll also affect leaves all over the plant, from top to bottom, where root rot will usually affect the lower leaves more than the top leaves.

Finally, the leaves of your dry fiddle leaf fig may look otherwise healthy, whereas the leaves of a plant with root rot will begin to look sickly, yellow, or have tiny brown spots. Both cases will drop leaves, but dry plants will drop leaves throughout the plant, not just the bottom leaves.

How to Treat a Dry Fiddle Leaf Fig

If your plant is showing signs of being underwater, it is crucial to figure out a consistent watering schedule.

Signs your fiddle leaf fig is ready for a drink includes:

1. Slightly droopy leaves
2. Some wrinkling in younger leaves
3. Dry soil 2 to 4 inches below the surface (Use a moisture meter like this one for more accuracy!)

If you are consistently giving your fiddle leaf fig water, but still experiencing signs of dryness, be sure to read 4 Sneaky Reasons Why Your Fiddle Leaf Fig is Drying Out.

Symptoms of Root Rot in a Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant

The telltale sign of too much water and not enough sunlight is that your plant will start to get brown spots in the middle of the leaf as well as at the edges. You may also see a yellowing of the leaves before they fall off. Yellow almost always means too much water and not enough sun or fertilizer.

Over-watered plants will get tiny brown spots or brown shaded areas on their leaves before they turn to brown spots, like you can see in this example.

You will also notice that with root rot, the plant will drop its lowest leaves first.

A plant’s instinct is to protect the newest growth (which has more access to sunlight in the wild) and drop the older leaves that it doesn’t need as much. In this image, you see a plant with root rot that has lost many of its lower leaves.

At first glance, it may be tough to determine whether you are giving your plant too much or too little water. Remember to look out for the following things when diagnosing root rot:

• Yellowing leaves
• Brown spots in the middle of the leaf
• Dropping the lowest leaves

How to Treat and Prevent Root Rot

For more information, read Diagnosing and Treating Root Rot in Fiddle Leaf Fig Plants.

Our root rot supplement is the best resource to help treat and prevent root rot in fiddle leaf figs.

Our Root Supplement:

• Stops fungal and bacterial root pathogens and protects your plants’ immune systems to help ward off Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora, Fusarium, Thielaviopsis and Cylindrocadium so your plant can grow strong and healthy.
• Starts working in 24 hours with beneficial phosphite to stop leaf drop, yellowing, and brown spots.
• Gentle and safe for all your indoor potted plants to include fiddle leaf fig tree, philodendron, anthurium, peace lily, pothos and money plant. Each treatment protects a plant for up to 2 months.

Once Cup Watering Method

Could it Be Erratic Watering?

Does your plant have symptoms of being both dry and over-watered fiddle leaf fig? There’s a chance it could be both, or a condition called erratic watering.

The trick to solving this problem is to remove all of the leaves damaged by root rot (you can leave mildly damaged dry leaves), then setting a schedule and watering your plant only once a week.

Water until 10% to 15% of the water comes out of your pot’s drainage holes. Wait a full week and check to make sure the top inch of soil is dry before you water again.

Dry and Over-Watered Fiddle Leaf Fig Tips Next Steps:

• For more information on how to water your fiddle leaf fig, read The Ultimate Watering Guide for fiddle leaf figs here.
• If you want to find out when to water your fiddle leaf fig, read How Dry Is Too Dry? When to Water Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree.
• Sign up for our free Fiddle Leaf Fig Care 101 Webinar or our free Fiddle Leaf Fig Course for advanced fiddle leaf fig care, and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
• Order your Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Food, your Premium Fiddle Leaf Fig Potting Soil, and your Root Rot Treatment here.
• Order Houseplant Leaf Armor, designed to protect houseplants from insects, bacteria, and fungus. (As an added bonus, the Houseplant Leaf Armor also cleans and adds shine to your houseplant’s leaves!)
• Purchase The Fiddle Leaf Fig Expert, your complete guide to growing healthy fiddle leaf fig plants. The book is available in full-color paperback or Kindle edition on Amazon now.
• Click to join our community on Facebook: Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource Group.