Do you have dreams of super-sizing your fiddle leaf fig from small-scale to jumbo? Fiddle leaf figs are content to stay pot-bound in a smaller pot, but if you want them to grow to max capacity, they will need to be transplanted into a larger planter to spread out and fill out.
This is what happened with my fiddle leaf, and I’ve outlined every step you need to take along with the “why” behind each step. Do the same, and eventually you’ll see results with your own fiddle leaf through new growth and beautiful glossy green foliage.
Before we get going, if you happen to be in need of your first fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata), or you want to create a grouping of FLFs in a large planter – (I love them potted in groups of three) – here are a few reasonably priced options:
SHOP THE LOOK Thorsens Greenhouse Fiddle Leaf Fig, Amazon Costa Farms Fiddle Leaf Fig, Amazon Fiddle Leaf Fig, Amazon
The fiddle leaf fig, with its large, violin-shaped leaves, has become one of the most popular houseplants in recent years. Given proper care, these statement plants can grow over 10 feet tall indoors. However, picking the right pot is crucial to keeping your fiddle leaf fig healthy and helping it reach its full potential. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about choosing the ideal pot for your fiddle leaf fig tree.
Why the Pot Matters
The pot you choose for your fiddle leaf fig has a major impact on its growth and health Here are some key reasons why it’s so important
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Root room – Fiddle leaf figs need a pot that provides enough space for their root systems to expand A too-small pot will restrict growth
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Drainage – Excellent drainage is essential to prevent wet roots and root rot. The pot must have holes to allow excess water to flow out.
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Breathability – Porous pots like terracotta allow air flow to the roots and help soil dry out. Non-breathable materials like plastic retain too much moisture.
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Size balance – Visually, the pot should be proportional to the plant, about 1/3 the height of the foliage. Too large of a pot looks off balance.
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Stability – As fiddle leaf figs grow tall, larger pots with wider bases prevent tipping. Top-heavy plants in small pots are prone to falling over.
Pot Size Guidelines
When repotting into a larger container, follow these size guidelines:
- Increase pot diameter by 2-4 inches
- Pick a pot 2-4 inches taller than the previous one
- The new pot should be no more than 6 inches wider than the old pot
- Choose a size that is visually proportional to the plant – about 1/3 as tall as the foliage height
These rules ensure adequate root room without going overboard. Never jump more than 2 pot sizes up at one time. Repotting into a pot that’s excessively large risks soil staying wet too long.
Best Materials for Fiddle Leaf Fig Pots
Terracotta – The most recommended pot material. Terracotta breathes well, regulating soil moisture. Provides great aeration to fiddle leaf fig roots. Durable and decorative.
Concrete – Concrete pots are also porous, promoting airflow. Their weight gives stability to tall plants. Neutral colors look great.
Ceramic – Glazed ceramic pots come in many colors. While not breathable, quality ceramic has good drainage when holes are added.
Wood/Wicker – Extremely breathable, but implant a plastic liner to retain moisture. Ensure wooden pots have drainage holes.
Plastic – Avoid plastic pots, as they do not allow airflow and keep roots too wet. However, high quality plastic may work if it has ventilation slots.
Other Features to Look For
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Drainage holes – Multiple holes in the bottom are an absolute must. Drill extra holes if needed.
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Drainage tray – Use a tray to protect floors from overflow water. Place pebbles between pot and tray to prevent sitting in water.
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Saucer – A wide, shallow saucer or plant stand elevates the pot above excess drainage water.
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Tapered shape – A pot that narrows towards the base provides stability and looks pleasing with the fiddle leaf fig’s form.
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Neutral colors – For best visual impact, avoid brightly colored pots that distract from the gorgeous foliage.
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High quality – Invest in a durable, sturdy pot that will last for years as your plant grows.
Potting Tips
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Before repotting, prune roots that are circling or tangled.
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Loosen the old rootball and loosen bound roots, but don’t damage them.
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Place some fresh, enriched potting mix in the bottom of the new pot before moving the plant over.
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Position the rootball so the original soil line matches the new pot.
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Fill gaps around the rootball with new potting soil, gently tamping as you go.
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After repotting, give the plant a thorough watering to settle the soil.
Choosing the right pot is one of the most important things you can do to keep your fiddle leaf fig thriving. Look for a container that provides ample room for root growth, excellent drainage, and breathability. Be sure to use potting soil specific for ficus plants. With a proper home, your fiddle leaf fig will reward you with huge, vibrant leaves for years to come!
Use a well-draining potting soil
Once you’ve settled on a container for your fiddle leaf’s new home, it’s time for soil.
Fiddle leaf figs need well draining potting media that’s high in organic matter. A peat-based soil with some perlite works great. This is standard fare for most indoor potting mixes with good reason.
A basic recipe would be about 2/3 peat to 1/3 perlite. There are many other more elaborate recipes though that would work well. I just want to give you a general guideline for sufficient drainage here.
1/3 perlite soil amendment
For reference, the 15 gallon container for repotting my FLF took an entire 1.5 cubic-feet bag of soil to fill.
Can we discuss drainage for a minute? I don’t mean your soil’s drainage, but the drainage in the pot itself.
I want to discuss drainage because I need to dispel some bad information I keep seeing. Specifically, the idea of placing gravel or rocks in the bottom of the pot to “increase drainage.”
Let me be crystal clear: this is INCORRECT INFORMATION. Placing gravel or rocks in the bottom of your pot only RAISES the level of water saturation (a.k.a. perched water table).
The thought process behind this is reasonable enough. It’s true that water easily runs through large aggregates like gravel or rocks. Here’s the issue though:
- For a given potting mix, the saturated zone will be the same height (3 inches for example) regardless of the container size or volume. So no matter where that soil appears in a pot, it’s going to be saturated for 3 inches. (A hypothetical height – the actual perched water table height depends on the soil mix.)
- Soil sitting above any gravel is finer than the gravel. Therefore the soil has a stronger hold on the water than the gravel’s ability to pull water out of the soil. (There’s more physics and soil chemistry involved here, but we’ll leave it at that.)
As a result, the perched water table stays where it is rather than running down through the gravel. And since the soil is above the gravel, the saturation zone is higher in the pot than it would be without the gravel, where more roots are likely to reside.
So please DON’T ADD GRAVEL or rocks to the bottom of your pots. Your fiddle leaf (and any other plant you repot) will thank you for it.
A common myth is that adding gravel to the bottom of a container promotes drainage when it actually does the opposite. The finer soil above the gravel holds the water more strongly than the gravel ‘s ability to pull the water out of that soil to drain it. Graphic | Greenhouse Studio, adapted from ENH 120, UC Davis Dept. of Environmental Horticulture
Check out container soils and how to pick pots for a deeper dive into all of this. It’s not an easy read, but if you can slog through it, you’ll learn a lot. (Pretty sure this post is the reason I have so many education-site referral links!)
Do add a broken piece of a pot or a piece of screen over the bottom of the pot’s drainage hole if you want. This can help prevent roots from growing into the hole and possibly blocking it. (My regular fruiting fig did that and it was as good as a plug!)
Yes your pot MUST have drainage for optimal growing. For more on this, check out my post on selecting pots based on how you like to water.
STEP 2 – Add enough soil to the bottom of your container so that the crown of the plant (where the roots and stem meet) is a couple inches below the lip of the container, so you have enough room for watering.
Mound the soil a bit higher in the middle so the roots are encouraged to fan out.
Mound the soil up in the center to help fan out the roots. Also, this media has more perlite than I’d use for transplanting – it’s more of a propagation mix, but I thought it would be easier to see.
STEP 3 – Pull your fiddle leaf out of it’s pot. It’s easiest to do if the soil is dry. If it won’t pop out, try massaging the base of the pot if it’s plastic or tapping it. You can also insert a knife down the sides to loosen the roots.
Once it’s out, use your fingers to “rough up” the roots. If some of the roots are circling, take pruners and cut straight up the sides in 3 equidistant spots. Watch the video below for a demonstration.
The goal here is to encourage your fiddle leaf to break out of it’s “little pot” growth habit and fill out the new, larger pot. If you don’t cut and fan out the roots, a plant will often continue to grow in the same tight direction it did in the original planter.
My fiddle leaf was trying to tell me that the 8” pot wasn’t cutting it. Note the circling roots are so bad it’s happening outside the pot, never mind the inside. Circling roots are what underpotted plants do when they have no where to go. When transplanting, they must be cut and encouraged to fan out so they don’t keep growing in a circle, even in a bigger pot. (See video below for a demo.)
STEP 4 – Place your fiddle leaf into the container centered on top of the soil mound. Fan the roots out to the sides. Then scoop additional soil around the sides and on top until it’s full.
Gently but firmly press down on the soil around the edges to compact it; it helps stabilize your fiddle leaf fig. Add more soil to fill in the gaps. Then water it. Watering it collapses the air gaps so you’ll need to add more soil again. Repeat until your soil level is stable and uniform.
Compact the soil around the edges of the container with your fingers. It will help stabilize your fiddle leaf fig. Add more soil, then add water, then repeat until the soil level is stabilized.
Pro-tip – Make sure the crown of your fiddle leaf, which is where the stem and roots intersect and it starts to fan out, is sitting slightly higher than the soil level. It will help prevent crown-rot.
The crown of your fiddle leaf (where the roots and stem intersect) should be slightly higher than the soil level to help prevent crown rot.
Watch the Repotting Fiddle Leaf Figs video:
Plant to pot ratio – a visual guide
Part of the equation of what size pot to transplant your fiddle leaf into is the ratio of the plant size to the pot.
Visually, a rule of thumb is for the pot to be 1/3 the size of the plant. (Or conversely, the container should be 2/3 of the size of the plant for a lower spreading or trailing type plant.)
So a 6” pot would look good with a plant that’s 12” tall (shoots only, not the soil and roots) for a total of 18” from bottom of pot to top of plant.
This is a general guideline, and it will likely not hold up for a tall tree-like plant, nor for a new transplant where you’re hoping to encourage future growth. But I do think it’s valuable for the following:
a) It indicates for when it’s time to transplant into a bigger pot
b) It provides a visual cue to when a pot is too big for a plant, which could lead to your plant staying too wet for too long.
One guideline for choosing a planter size is to use the design rule of thirds. Your plant and pot will look visually balanced if the plant is either 2/3 the size of the pot or 1/3 the size of the pot. Graphic | Greenhouse Studio
STEP 1 – Use a planter that is large enough so your fiddle leaf has grow-room and is visually balanced (or will be after it grows a bit.)
SHOP THE LOOK World Market Natural Hyacinth Noelle Tote Basket Fox & Fern Large Ceramic Planter, Amazon Teraplast Avila Planter, eplanters.com Prospect Floor Planter, The Sill
Choose a planter that visually balances the size of the plant while providing some room to grow. I sized up my Fiddle Leaf Fig from an 8” pot to a 15 gallon container. As you can see, it could have gone even bigger.
Best Pot For Fiddle Leaf Fig: Top 6 Reviews in 2023
FAQ
What is the best type of pot for a fiddle leaf fig?
Choose a pot that has drainage holes. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter too much if its plastic, ceramic or terracotta as long as it has holes!
What kind of pot is best for a fig tree?
Fabric aeration pots are the ideal containers for growing fig trees. Not only does the permeable fabric keep the soil well-aerated, it also encourages good root structure. Plus, the portability of lightweight fabric containers makes moving fig trees indoors for the winter a whole lot easier.
What is the best potting medium for a fiddle leaf fig?
Use a well-draining potting soil
Once you’ve settled on a container for your fiddle leaf’s new home, it’s time for soil. Fiddle leaf figs need well draining potting media that’s high in organic matter. A peat-based soil with some perlite works great.
What is the best stake for a fiddle leaf fig?
As fiddles grow tall and branch, they often need to be staked. Especially if they have thin wobbly trunks. If your tree is under 7 ft, I recommend using a bamboo pole. They are usually available at your local small plant shop and work great to support them.