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Are you looking for the best soil for fiddle leaf fig plants? You’ve come to the right place. Ficus lyrata, commonly known as the fiddle leaf fig tree, loves a potting mix that has enough water retention, yet has good drainage. Keep reading to learn about 3 different amazing mixes you can use.
The type of soil you use matters, but just because you have a good potting mix doesn’t automatically mean that your plant will thrive.
Proper growing conditions are equally important, so I’ll also give some growing tips for your plant near the end of this post.
Table of Contents
BEST SOIL FOR FIDDLE LEAF FIG PLANT
Here are 3 amazing soil mixes for your plant. You can use the first two mixes as-is, straight out of the bag. The third mix is a simple DIY blend that you can make yourself.
Did you know that you can vary your potting mix depending on how much light you’re giving your plants? You don’t have to overthink this, but keep reading and I’ll explain everything you need to know.
1. RAINFOREST SOIL BLEND
If you have been frustrated with potting mixes and are looking for a new potting soil to try, look no further than Oh Happy Plants.
In my experience, Oh Happy Plants makes the best potting mix blends that you can use straight out of the bag. They’ve put in a lot of thought into crafting custom potting mixes that are based on individual plant needs.
They also try to mimic a plant’s natural habitat.
The Rainforest Soil Blend from Oh Happy Plants is an excellent choice if you are growing your fiddle leaf fig in a higher light location. If you have a super sunny window that gets several hours of sun, this is a great mix.
If you just have 3-4 hours of sun or less, you may want to consider the second blend in this post.
The Rainforest Soil Blend from Oh Happy Plants is amazing for several reasons:
– For sustainability purposes, all their mixes contain no peat moss and use coco coir and coco chips instead.
– Even the bags and labels that compostable!
– If you don’t like perlite, they don’t use that either. It tends to float to the top of the soil, which can be annoying to some people.
– The mixes are full of nutritious organic matter, including seed meals and rock dust which will slowly release nutrients over time.
– All their soils contain a mycorrhizal inoculant which helps improve plant vigor and also increases disease resistance.
– Mixes also contain charcoal which helps to maintain a healthy environment for your plant’s roots.
And using my Rainforest Soil Blend link will automatically give you 10% of your order when you checkout, along with any products from Oh Happy Plants. Use code OHIOTROPICS if the discount doesn’t apply.
2. TROPICAL CLIMBER SOIL BLEND
The Tropical Climber Soil Blend, also from Oh Happy Plants, holds slightly less water than the Rainforest Soil Blend. If you are growing your fiddle leaf fig in a window that has 2-3 hours of direct sunlight or less, this is a better choice.
Like I mentioned before, don’t overthink the choice too much. Wait until the top 1-2 inches of the soil have dried out and then water.
This is the most important factor. See the last section in this post for very important cultural notes on the proper care of your plant.
A good potting mix won’t do you much good if your growing conditions are poor.
3. DIY MIX
Lastly, if you want to make your own soil mixes, you have options when it comes to ingredients. I never use regular potting soil mixes like Miracle Gro or Espoma without adding some material for soil amendment purposes. On their own, they have poor drainage in my opinion.
(If you want to use mixes straight out of the bag, I highly recommend Oh Happy Plants products).
If you have at least half a day or more of direct sun, you can use 3 parts of your favorite all-purpose indoor potting mix plus 1 part perlite. I really like larger perlite, such as #3 perlite.
Larger perlite will improve drainage better than smaller perlite.
If you only have 2 or 3 hours of direct sun or less (or no direct sun at all) you will be better off with an even chunkier mix so that your soil will dry out more quickly.
You can consider using 2 parts of your favorite all-purpose indoor potting mix, plus 1 part of perlite and 1 part orchid bark.
FIDDLE LEAF FIG REPOTTING AND CARE TIPS
Remember that choosing the correct soil mix for your plant is important, but there are also other very important tips when it comes to repotting and growing your fiddle leaf fig.
POT SIZE IS IMPORTANT
When it comes to repotting your plant, remember to only go up one pot size. Pots typically come in increments of 2 inches in diameter size.
For example, if you have your plant in a 6-inch diameter pot, only go up to an 8-inch diameter pot.
If you choose a much larger pot, the excess volume of soil will take much longer to dry out, and if your growing conditions are poor (namely, if you have your plant growing in low light), you will risk root rot.
For more details, I’ve written a whole blog post on what size pot to plant fiddle leaf fig.
Drainage holes are not optional. They’re too risky not to have, and it is always a good idea to have drainage holes at the bottom of the pot in order for excess water to escape.
The pot type that you use also makes a difference in how quickly your potting medium dries out. Terra cotta pots will dry out much more quickly than other pot types since they are very porous.
BEST TIME TO REPOT
You can really repot anytime your plant is actively growing. My only advice is to avoid repotting when your plant is not growing or has slowed down drastically in growth.
This typically happens in wintertime if you live in an area that has short, dark days.
If you grow your plants under grow lights year round, or if you have long, bright days year round in your windows, you can repot anytime that you need to.
PROPER LIGHT IS CRUCIAL
Too many people fail when it comes to growing these plants because they’re not growing them in enough light. These plants do best when they receive plenty of direct sun.
When enough light is provided, your plant will use up water much more efficiently and will result in a healthier plant.
For more details, be sure to read through my fiddle leaf fig care post.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on best soil for fiddle leaf fig plants. A very good quality, well-draining soil mix is really important for your fiddle-leaf fig trees, but don’t ignore your plant’s needs when it comes to light, proper watering, and more for best plant growth.