As I have written about many times, I purchased a fiddle leaf fig more than a year ago and named her Fiona. I found her at Walmart for the best price I had ever seen for a FLF. I was hesitant to purchase one for many years because of their notorious tricky maintenance, but it was time to up my plant lady game.

Lately, Fiona has been looking a bit dry. I broke my feet this summer, so I was unable to give her the care she deserves for months while I recovered. During that time, her leaves began to change into crunchy and brittle instead of smooth and plump. I’ve tried a bunch of different things, but the thing that has worked the best was something I hadn’t considered until I read an article about humidifiers and misting. It hadn’t occurred to me that Colorado doesn’t have the natural moisture in the air that’s necessary for tropical plants to thrive.

Since then, I’ve seen such a difference. Her relief is almost palpable as her dark green leaves transformed into plump, bright green foliage. Her branches have slowly expanded and extended, reaching for sunlight in a dance of gratitude.

To do this, I gathered Fiona and my new monstera that I got from Trader Joe’s (by the way, have you seen the prices for TJ’s plants? So low for such quality!). I also included some spider plants and my tradescantia as they would also benefit from more moisture in the air. I then placed my humidifier (this is the one I have) in the middle of the group and turned it on. I ran it for two days straight, and rotated the plants every few hours or so. When I turned it off and only ran it for a few hours every day, I gently misted their leaves with a spray bottle to help with the transition. And it’s made all the difference.

What tips do you have to revive an unhealthy plant?

xMae