Update: How I Fixed my Fiddle Leaf Fig

So beautiful, yet so challenging... After months of nail-biting trial-and-error, I think I've cracked the code with finding out what makes my Fiddle Leaf Fig tree tick.

To refresh your memory, here are some photos of our tree, from bringing our baby home from the nursery, to last August, when things were at their worst:

Baby Fiddle Leaf Fig

My Unhappy Fiddle Leaf Fig

More Sadness from My Fiddle Leaf Fig

I'm happy to report this tree is on the mend. Here's my beauty today:

Growing, Growing, Growing

Maybe not as thick as it used to be, but it's growing, and seemingly happy and healthy. Here's how I did it:

• Watering every two weeks, with 3/4 or so of a gallon of water. (If the Santa Ana's are blowing and making everything dry, I water a few days sooner.) I water it outside on the patio, and keep it there a few hours to let everything thoroughly drain.
• Fertilizing every month with MiracleGro Singles, one packet per gallon of water. It's a 24-8-16 ratio, which apparently is great for this plant.
  
• Rotating it, to encourage balanced growth.
• Dusting it, once a week, for optimal light absorption in my could-be-brighter spot.

Baby leaves started popping up a few weeks ago, and grew like gang-busters (see the outer-edges of the plant in the photo above). There's a snag, though. Of course! Do you see it?

Baby Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaves with Red Spots

Little red spots dotting the new leaves. The consensus on GardenWeb is that these spots were caused when the leaves were forming; damage had occurred to the cells due do severe moisture stress (oops). Thankfully, as the leaves grow, the spots are seeming to fade, almost disappearing.

So that's that. Apparently these trendy, prehistoric-like statement plants can be managed. Fingers-crossed things continue! How are your Fiddle Leaf Figs fairing?

My Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata) & Our Love-Hate Relationship

Fiddle Leaf Figs (Ficus Lyrata) seem to be the "it" plant right now. They're splashed all over the pages of Pinterest, Houzz, Apartment Therapy, designers' websites, home catalogs and magazines. There's no denying why: Fiddle Leaf Figs are gorgeous! They add plenty of color and interest to a room's décor. Now keeping them gorgeous... that's a whole other ballgame.

I picked up my Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree from a local nursery in South Orange County (one recently visited by Bravo TV's Jeff Lewis). It's planted in a 14 1/2-inch pot, and cost a pretty penny. Here's a photo of when we first brought our baby home:

See the beautiful, big shiny leaves? Not a speck of brown. Anywhere.

Fast-forward three months. Here's our Fiddle Leaf Fig today:

Looks good from a distance, doesn't it? Look more closely:

Unsightly brown spots all over the bottom portion of my tree's leaves. Eek!

They say Fiddle Leaf Figs are hardy and difficult to kill. Whomever said that must have ingested the toxins from this plant (yes, they're moderately toxic, although there's no definitive answer on the toxicity level of these plants). Just give them plenty of light, monthly fertilizing and let them dry out between waterings. Check, check and check.

I've researched this brown-spotting phenomenon online (GardenWeb, Google searches) and have spoken with nurseries. It could be the following:

• Overwatering (it gets an abundant 3 1/2 cups of tap water weekly, given after the first few inches of soil are dry);
• Under-watering (it only gets 3 1/2 cups of tap water weekly);
• Too-little light (doubtful);
• Over-chlorinated tap water (we have over 500 ppm - seriously gross Southern California water); or
• You're just out of luck (thanks, Lowe's).

For now, my plan of attack is lengthening the time between waterings, waiting for the top leaves to begin wilting before watering.

I've invested too much time and money in this relationship to let it go. Just as Shania Twain sang, you're still the one, my Fiddle Leaf Fig...

Any ideas what's afflicting my tree? Perhaps some other sob stories?