Should You Mist Fiddle Leaf Fig? (Possible Problems+How often?)

Fiddle leaf figs are beautiful plants found in many houses, and most houseplant owners adore them. Being originated from a tropical region, these plants love light, water, and humidity.

To keep up with the humidity requirements of the plant, people often consider misting it. But is misting your fiddle leaf fig a good idea? We will know that today.

People often mist their fiddle leaf fig to increase humidity around the plant and clean the dust that gathers on the leaves. However, frequent misting can lead to pest attacks and fungal diseases. Experts recommend using alternatives like a humidifier, a pebble tray, or grouping similar plants.

Let’s find out everything you need to know about the fiddle leaf’s humidity and temperature requirements and whether you should mist your fiddle leaf fig.

Does my fiddle leaf fig need misting?

Fiddle leaf fig gets a lot of humidity in their natural habitat, and it is an essential element for their growth.

The humidity level drops during the winter months, and misting will add humidity back to the fiddle leaf fig.

In the cold regions, the humidity level remains low. If you stay in such an area, you can mist your fiddle leaf fig to increase the humidity level. However, misting might not be sufficient.

The position of the plant will help to determine how much misting the fiddle leaf fig will need.

If you keep the fiddle leaf fig near a south-facing window, where it gets a lot of light throughout the day, you will need to mist it more often.

Whereas, if you keep the plant in the bathroom, kitchen, or basement where the humidity is higher than the other rooms of the house, it doesn’t need any misting.

Also read: Where to keep fiddle leaf fig?

Do fiddle leaf figs need humidity?

In a tropical rainforest, fiddle leaf figs get 75-95% humidity, which is ideal for these plants’ growth.

However, you might not be able to provide as much humidity at your house. Maintaining a humidity level of 40-60% would be perfect for your fiddle leaf fig.

The humidity level tends to go down during the winter season, or if you are living in the colder regions, the humidity level remains low there throughout the year.

The low humidity level can be harmful to the fiddle leaf fig.

If your fiddle leaf fig is getting exposed to cold drafts, consider replacing the plant somewhere else. Don’t let the plant remain near the window during the harsh weather conditions of winter.

It would be best if you did not let your fiddle leaf fig be in front of the AC as the air from the AC will dry out the plant.

Place the fiddle leaf fig in the bathroom, kitchen, or basement where the humidity is likely to be more than the other rooms of your house.

You can mist the fiddle leaf fig if there is no other alternative available, like using a humidifier or placing it on a pebble tray.

Your plant might be getting enough humidity already. So, check the humidity level of your area before you consider misting it.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Misting

Misting the fiddle leaf fig can have both advantages and disadvantages.

Some plant owners say that misting is beneficial, whereas some have reported various problems that the plant has gone through because of misting.

Let’s check out both aspects before you make a decision.

Advantages of Misting

The good thing about misting is that it is an easy method of adding humidity to your plant.

Misting also helps to clean the leaves of the plant.

Fiddle leaf figs have big leaves with a large surface area, and keeping them clean lets the plant photosynthesize efficiently.

Adding neem oil solution while misting the plant helps to keep the pests away. Neem oil solution is organic and natural and works as a pesticide for the plant.

Disadvantages of Misting

The advantages of misting might turn to disadvantages if you don’t understand what can go wrong.

If you are using regular tap water to mist your fiddle leaf fig, the harsh minerals present in the water will accumulate on the leaves and restrict the plant from soaking the moisture.

The other problem that misting can cause is a fungal or bacterial infection on your fiddle leaf fig.

Misting the leaves helps the fungus or the bacteria travel from one leaf to another, thus causing the spread of an existing infection.

Leaves that remain wet for long encourage the growth of fungal or bacterial infections. This can happen if your plant is not getting enough light and is placed in a damp area.

To combat these problems, you need to stop using regular tap water and start using filtered water while misting the plant.

You can also use insecticides to stop or prevent bacterial, fungal infections and keep the insects away.

If you don’t check your area’s humidity level, which is already suitable for the plant, and start misting it, that will damage the plant’s leaves.

If the air is arid, the water droplets will start evaporating fast, and misting will not provide enough humidity to the plant.

Ideal humidity for the fiddle leaf fig

The fiddle leaf figs love humidity as they get a lot of it in their natural habitat. A higher humidity level supports faster growth in these plants.

A humidity level of 40-60% should be enough for the fiddle leaf fig. Anything below that will cause problems for the plant.

It can be challenging to naturally provide sufficient humidity to the fiddle leaf fig during the winter months. Hence, people opt for misting or using other methods of providing humidity to the plant.

How do I measure Humidity in my home?

You can check the humidity level with the help of a hygrometer. 

Hygrometers are devices that are designed to check the humidity.

The humidity of your house can depend on other factors. The region you live in, season, temperature, etc., can play a role in determining your home’s humidity.

The humidity of the house can also vary from one room to another.

For example, the bathroom, kitchen, and basement will have a higher level of humidity. And the bedroom or the living room will have lower humidity.

During the winter months, if the fiddle leaf fig is not getting enough humidity, you can relocate the plant to higher humidity rooms.

So, using a hygrometer would help you to check the humidity levels and act accordingly.

Signs that your fiddle leaf fig requires more humidity

Any of these signs in your fiddle leaf fig, you will know that your plant needs more humidity.

• Holes in the leaves
• Wilting of leaves
• Scars on leaves
• Dried and crispy leaves

Any of the signs mentioned above means that you have a fiddle leaf fig that does not get enough humidity.

If you can notice these signs at an early stage, you can mist the plant. But if the humidity levels are deficient in your area, you would need to choose a different alternative.

Using neem oil solution while misting the fiddle leaf fig will benefit the plant. 

If there is more damage, the plant will need more care. You should also make sure that the cause of the signs mentioned earlier is lack of humidity as there can be other reasons behind these.

How to maintain the ideal humidity level for the fiddle leaf fig?

If the fiddle leaf fig is not getting enough humidity and misting is not solving the problem for you, there are some other alternatives that you should consider.

Here are some of the popular methods with which people increase the humidity for the fiddle leaf fig.

Use a humidifier

Humidifiers are devices used to increase the humidity in houses. 

A humidifier helps you adjust the humidity level as per your requirements and increases the whole room’s humidity.

If you don’t know the humidity level, you can use a hygrometer to find that out. And if it is low, consider using a humidifier as this can also help your fiddle leaf fig.

Use a pebble tray

A Pebble tray is a great and easy way of providing humidity to the plant.

Pebble tray helps the indoor plants to get the moisture it needs.

To make a pebble tray, you need a tray and some pebbles or rocks. Take a tray and add some pebbles to it. Next, add water to the tray and fill it so that the pebbles are filled halfway with water.

Place the fiddle leaf on top of the stones or pebbles and make sure that the drainage holes are submerged in water. It will help to add humidity to the plant.

Keep adding water to the pebble tray whenever the water level drops down. As the water evaporates, the humidity around your fiddle leaf figs goes up, which boosts the plant’s growth.

Group it with other plants

Clubbing tropical plants and keeping them together can help increase the humidity.

During transpiration, the plants let out some moisture that adds to the humidity and increases it for the fiddle leaf fig.

Make sure that the plants are not pest-infested as that will spread the infection in all the plants. Keep a check on the plants from time to time.

An aquarium

Aquariums are a great addition to your house and also help increase the humidity in that area.

So if you keep your fiddle leaf fig near the aquarium, it will get a lot of humidity from it.

Note: The aquarium’s water is rich in nitrogen, so whenever you want to change the aquarium’s water, add the old water to the plants. This acts as a natural fertilizer and boosts the growth of the plant.

Final Words

The fiddle leaf fig loves humidity, so whenever you notice that the plant is showing low humidity symptoms, consider any of the above methods to increase the moisture.

The fiddle leaf figs have large leaves, so you should keep them clean by misting or using soap, water, and cloth.

But if increasing humidity is your goal, you should consider the alternatives and not just depend on misting as it can have adverse effects on the plant.

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Sources: CABI.ORG, New York Botanical garden, University of Florida.