Debate: Did my fiddle leaf fig really need 14 hours of light a day?

Honestly, I spent like 3 months thinking my fiddle leaf fig was dying because it kept dropping leaves. Turns out, I was giving it too much direct afternoon sun from my south-facing window in Austin. I moved it to a north-facing room and it perked up in just 2 weeks. So which side are you on - do these plants actually thrive on crazy long light cycles, or is less direct sun the real trick?

3 comments

3 Comments

young.ryan9d ago

Less direct sun is the real trick" for sure. A buddy of mine had a fiddle leaf in his sunroom in Phoenix, baked it with like 12 hours of light everyday, and the thing looked sad and droopy no matter what he tried. He finally moved it to a corner that only gets morning sun and it GREW like crazy, putting out new leaves within a month. Just goes to show these plants want bright indirect light, not a full day of harsh sun.

the_viola9d ago

Haven't we all killed a plant by loving it too much with sunlight? I once put a snake plant right in a south window because I thought "they're tough" and it turned into a crispy brown mess within two weeks. My friends now call that corner "the plant oven" and I've learned that bright indirect really is the magic phrase.

emmaking8d ago

Learned that lesson the hard way with a peace lily a few years back. I had it in a bright east window thinking it would be happy, but the leaves started getting these brown crispy edges and looking pretty sad. Moved it to a spot about four feet from a north-facing window and it perked right up, now it flowers for me every spring. Funny how we think more light means more growth when really these plants just want some filtered rays. I keep telling my sister the same thing about her orchids but she insists on putting them right in the window sill. They never last more than a month for her but mine are doing fine in a bright bathroom with no direct sun at all.