HOW MUCH LIGHT DOES A FICUS LYRATA NEED? |The Garden of Eaden

How much light does a Ficus lyrata need?

As a houseplant, Ficus lyrata has been on sale in our garden centres for a least forty years now yet they have recently been the subject of a huge surge in interest from house plant growers. Considered by many as the 'King of Houseplants', Ficus lyrata - commonly known s the fiddle-leafed fig, is undoubtedly an impressive, architectural specimen. While it indeed has exotic characteristics, does it then mean that it requires exotic environmental conditions? If so, how much light does a Ficus lyrata need?

Ficus lyrata is in fact a large tree native to western Africa, where it grows in lowland tropical rainforests. This would dictate that it will flourish best in conditions of high, direct light levels, high rainfall and high temperatures. However if you provided such favourable conditions then you would end up with a fully grown tree of up to 40 feet in height! This is certainly not the dimensions that would keep as a suitable houseplant.

How much light does a Ficus lyrata need?

That being said, Ficus lyrata is an incredibly robust plant and as such will tolerate the lower light levels and temperatures of a northern European home. As you would expect, if the plant is not growing at its optimum capacity, it will not require the same amount of water and light as you would expect it too in its native habitat. Of course there are minimums of environmental conditions below which your Ficus lyrata will deteriorate and lighting is one of them.

When sitting your Ficus lyrata you need to consider its requirements and as such it is recommended positioning in as bright a room as possible but preferably out of direct sun. Be aware that the top growth of your Ficus lyrata will bend towards the sun so remember to periodically turn your plant unless you are happy for it to have a bend as it reached towards the light.

If you want to increase the growth rate of your Ficus lyrata then you can harden off your specimen over a couple of week to outside conditions until it can be placed in full sun for the summer. Just be aware that if you try to move it out into direct sun the leaves will easily scorch, also you will nee to increase your watering in order to maintain a constantly moist root environment, but of course avoid water logging as this can easily damage the root hairs.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Main image image credit - Ficus lyrata in Parque Botánico de Maspalomas (Gran Canaria) Date 1 April 2014, 14:31:35 Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz

In text image credit - By Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6115788

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