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Pruning a Fiddle-Leaf Fig #776327

Asked October 25, 2021, 11:21 AM EDT

This is our Fiddle-Leaf Fig. It really took off on the porch this summer. We don't need it to be this tall (8 feet) in the house. Can we prune it? Would like to take down the tallest middle "trunk." Is that drastic? How would we get the remaining "limbs" to grow up more tree-like with extended sideways branches instead of straight up?

Baltimore County Maryland

Expert Response

Yes, you can prune it, though it will permanently change the tree's shape into more of a shrub than a single-stemmed tree (with low branching). This is not a health concern for the tree, just an aesthetic alteration to be aware of.

Plants will branch where pruned, so trim the tallest stem down to the level you would like branches to emerge. (Keep in mind these new branches will also grow taller over time, so account for this in how low you want the branch itself to connect to the trunk.) Trim just above a node (the joint on the stem where leaves attach) as this is where the new branch will eventually grow from.

Houseplants tend not to produce much in the way of new growth during autumn and winter due to lower levels of daylight. Due to this, it might be best to wait to trim until spring, when new growth would more quickly resume and the plant would soon be going back outside. Otherwise, you can trim now, but expect that it probably won't grow much in response over the next several months. Staking up the side limbs that are arching may help, though as their wood thickens with age, they should become more self-supporting. The other alternative is to trim them back as well, shortening them so less weight causes them to droop; they too will branch and become bushier over time after trimming.

Miri

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