After “why are my leaves dropping off”, the most common problems with fiddle leaf fig are browning leaves and leaf spots.
I find there’s a lot of confusion online, as most of the time the advice is “it’s either underwatering or overwatering”, which isn’t exactly helpful or specific enough.
To actually save your fiddle leaf fig, you need to know exactly what is wrong with it. I have grown fiddle leaf figs for years and revived many a plant (as they are notoriously fickle about the stability of their environment). I have learned that fiddle leaf figs give you clues via their foliage.
My Fiddle Leaf Fig Diagnostic Cheat Sheet
Before we jump into the firsthand diagnostics of fiddle leaf figs, I have created a reference table for what the leaves are trying to tell you, as I always think these are handy.
| Dry, brittle, and crumbly | Texture & Feel | Location on Plant | Primary Root Cause |
| Tiny red or light brown “freckles” | Smooth, flush with the leaf | Exclusively on brand-new growth | Moisture Edema (Cell bursting) |
| Dark brown to black patches with a yellow ring | Mushy, soft, or damp | Lower leaves first, moving upward | Root Rot (Oversaturated soil) |
| Crispy, tan, or paper-white patches | Dry, brittle, crumbles | Upper leaves facing the light source | Sunburn / Phototoxicity |
| Crispy brown outer rims | Dry and papery | Leaf margins and tips across the plant | Dry, brittle, and crumbly |
Case 1: The Brown Spot Problem! (Moisture Oedema)
This is a very common problem and easily done.
The Mistake I Made was to Spray what I thought was a Disease
Around 4 summers ago, my largest fiddle leaf fig grew a massive new set of leaves, which I was very pleased about. However, within a matter of days, I noticed the glorious new growth had some very small reddish-brown spots, which I thought initially were a fungal blight (I saw similar ones in other houseplants).
I treated the leaves with a copper fungicide, thinking this was the best course of action; however, this was the wrong approach
I should have been looking at my specific pattern of watering…The problem was a moisture oedema.
Essentially, I left it slightly too long between bouts of watering, and what happens is that when fiddle leaf figs go through a dry spell followed by a really good soak, the roots draw up moisture faster than the delicate, unhardened, immature cells of the new leaf can handle.
The little dots are the cells bursting from the internal pressure.
However, all was not lost! As the leaf matured, it sort of expanded and filled out with chlorophyll over the course of 6 or so weeks, and you couldn’t really see any spots anymore.
So if your spots are small, reddish, or brown on new leaves, then do not fear. It is just a sign to be more consistent with watering. My advice is to keep a watering journal or, perhaps, next time you water your fiddle leaf fig, give it a soak and pick it up. As the soil dries, the pot should get lighter and lighter, and when it’s noticeably lighter, you should water it!
Case 2: Softer bottom-up browning could be root rot
If your spots are larger, darker, and appear on the leaves at the bottom of the plant, then I am afraid it may be caused by root rot (due to overwatering or poor drainage).
If the soil around the roots is consistently boggy, then it stresses the roots and allows opportunistic pathogens like Pythium or Phytophthora to take hold and harm the roots.
You can often smell root rot as a way of diagnosing it
I once rescued a fiddle leaf fig from a friend that had its lower leaves dropping off, with very dark patches starting from the base of the leaf and spreading outwards.
The Diagnosis
I took the fiddle leaf fig out of its decorative outer pot and sniffed the soil at the base! Healthy soil smells earthy and fresh, whereas this soil smelled sour and a bit swampy, and the texture of the roots felt a bit slimy (they should feel firm).
What to do
If you in any way think your fiddle leaf fig has root rot, then it isn’t going to revive on its own, and you need to intervene.
It can be tricky to revive plants with severe root rot, so if you see a fiddle leaf fig with black mushy roots without any healthy tissue, then I’d recommend getting rid of it.
However, if you rinse away the soil and see some pale, firm, healthy roots, then there’s a chance of survival. You need to use a pair of pruners to snip off any black mush roots back to healthy growth. I recommend using a cloth soaked in disinfectant to wipe the blades after each snip to prevent the spread of disease.
Then I’d use a mix of one part 3% hydrogen peroxide to two parts water, which is really effective at targeting the fungal spores and bacteria that cause root rot. Repot the fiddle leaf fig into new aerated potting mix of 70% houseplant potting soil and 30% perlite or orchid bark, which creates the porous structure to allow oxygen to reach the roots and prevent overwatering.
I would also recommend reassessing your watering schedule to prevent overwatering and make sure excess water can drain from the base of the pot.
In my friend’s case, they had their fiddle leaf fig in a normal pot and a bigger decorative outer pot, which was trapping the water and causing the root rot.
3: Are Your Leaves Sunburned?
Fiddle leaf figs do love bright light; however, there is a considerable difference between high-intensity ambient light and direct, harsh afternoon sunlight.
The Mistake I Made with My Fiddle Leaf Fig was Sudden Relocation
In a misguided effort to increase the growth of my fiddle leaf fig during the summer, I once moved one of my figs from a bright, indirect corner to an area of my house that has direct sunlight in the afternoon. It took 48 hours for a large, tan brown colored patch to appear on the leaves closest to the window!
The Insight
I knew it wasn’t a fungal problem, as the leaves affected were oriented to the strongest source of light and sun spots like this happen relatively quickly, such as the 48-hour time frame that I had.
This is where solar radiation harms the leaf tissue, and they turn lightish brown, or even white. The damage is irreversible; however, it is contained and does not spread to the rest of the fig. You can simply move the fiddle leaf fig away from direct light or use a sheer curtain to diffuse the light instead.
The green parts of the leaf can carry on living and photosynthesising to contribute to the plant’s energy. However, you can of also prne thhe leaves off, but I would do this one or two leaves at a time because if your pune lots of leaves in one go, the plant can go into shock, which can cause further harm to your fiddle leaf fig.
Step-by-Step Fiddle Leaf Fig Revival Protocol
So if your fiddle leaf fig is suffering from watering or soil issues (the most common), then follow this sequence to save your plant.
- Look at the soil. Use a skewer and push it into the soil all the way down to the bottom, and leave it for 10 seconds or so. If the skewer comes back wet and dark and muddy, then you are overwatering; however, if it comes back completely dry, then the soil has become hydrophobic (so dry that it repels water).
- Prune away the damaged, brown leaves for cosmetic reasons. If a leaf has more than 50% damage, I often prune it off; however, you can trim your leaves with scissors following the natural curve of the leaf. As I said, do this bit by bit rather than all at once if multiple leaves are sunburned, for example.
- How to refresh the root system. For really dry hydrophobic soil, what you need to do is place the pot in a basin of lukewarm water and leave it for 20 minutes to allow the soil to draw up water through the drainage hole in the base in order to get the soil evenly moist. The pot should feel reassuringly heavy afterwards. Allow excess water to drain away to prevent root rot. However, for overwatered soil showing signs of fungal disease, remove the roots with sterile pruners and repot into a porous potting mix of houseplant soil (70%) and perlite or orchid bark mix (30%).
- Make adjustments to the microclimate by placing the fiddle leaf fig in a location that has 4 to 6 hours of bright, indirect light and ideally ensure the room temperature between 18°C and 24°C (64.4°F and 75.2°F) and avoid any fluctuations of temperature from blasts of cold air from open doors or windows. If you live in a dry climate, I recommend using a little houseplant humidifier to keep the humidity up and counteract dry air.
If you treat your fiddle leaf fig as an ecosystem rather than just decoration, then you can diagnose your brown leaves and ensure the right care to revive the fig back to health.