Okay folks, grab your gardening gloves because today I’m spilling the dirt—literally—on repotting my fiddle leaf fig. Felt like it needed a bigger home, and I figured why not document the whole messy process? Here’s how it went down.
Getting Everything Ready
First things first, I dug through my shed. Found a nice pot – bigger than the old one, but not crazy huge, maybe two inches wider. Rule of thumb? Don’t go nuts with size. Found some rocks too, for the bottom, you know, so water doesn’t just sit there and rot the roots. Then I lugged out my bag of potting mix. Just regular indoor plant stuff I had leftover. Oh, and my trusty watering can, obviously.
Went outside with the fig tree. Way less mess than doing it indoors, trust me. Found a spot with decent light but out of the wind.
The Main Event: Repotting Time
Alright, here’s where the fun started. Carefully tipped the old pot sideways. Gave the sides a few good squeezes to loosen everything up. Slide, wiggle, wiggle some more… and pop! Out came the whole rootball, dirt and all. Held it by the base, not the trunk. Important!
First glance? Yep, that rootbound mess. Roots were circling the bottom tight, like a ball of tangled string. Gently used my fingers to pry them loose a bit, just to break that circle pattern. Didn’t go crazy tearing them apart, just loosened them up so they’d spread out in the new dirt.
Dropped those rocks I mentioned into the bottom of the new pot. Just a layer, maybe an inch thick? For drainage. Then started scooping in some fresh potting mix. Filled it enough so that when I plopped the fig tree in, the top of the old rootball sat about an inch below the rim of the new pot. Wanted room to water without it spilling over.
Positioned the tree nice and straight in the center. Started filling in the gaps around the sides with more fresh mix. Pushed it down lightly with my fingers as I went to get rid of big air pockets. Didn’t pack it super hard though, just firm enough so the plant felt steady. Left about an inch of space from the soil to the pot rim.
The Watering & Cleanup
Time for the real test! Gave it a thorough drink of water. Watched it drain right through. Added a tiny bit more mix after watering because the soil settled a little. Good sign!
Wiped the pot clean, wiped off any stray dirt clinging to the big fig leaves. Carried it back inside to its usual sunny spot.
Final Thoughts & Crossed Fingers
Honestly? It wasn’t rocket science. Taking your time and being gentle makes a big difference. The fig looked kinda perky immediately, maybe just relieved? Whole process maybe took half an hour? Now it’s just a waiting game. Hoping this bigger space means less watering worries and more happy growing. Will keep you posted if it throws a fit or thrives!
Why I Even Bother (You Know Me)
Learned this the hard way years back? Total gardening newbie. Repotted a sad little money tree straight from its tiny nursery pot into a giant decorative bucket I thought looked cool. Yeah… genius move. Water pooled like crazy, roots went squishy, plant kicked the bucket faster than you can say root rot. Total facepalm moment. Ever since then, I’m all about that drainage and slowly sizing up, not super-sizing. Live and learn, right? Hopefully this fig fares better!
