My fiddle leaf fig is about to hit the ceiling. What would you do?

1 November 2026 3 answers
Asked by Yardarm

My fiddle leaf fig has grown much taller than expected and is nearly touching the ceiling. I’m considering pruning it, but I’d like to know what to expect and how much to cut.

Answers

mica Lane

If you want to keep it shorter, topping it is a reasonable option. Pick the height you want and make the cut just above a leaf node. New growth may appear below the cut, sometimes with more than one branch, so it can fill out rather than stay as a bare trunk.

You can try rooting the removed top as a cutting too, though it’s a separate project. The plant can grow upward again from a new shoot, so topping controls its height for now rather than setting a permanent limit.

Yardarm:

That helps. So I should expect a new shoot to keep growing upward eventually, just from lower down?

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ux-41

I’d decide how tall you actually want it, then prune back to that point rather than taking off a huge amount just because it’s near the ceiling. If it’s healthy and actively growing, it may respond with new branches, but the shape afterward can be a little unpredictable. Keep a stake in place if the new growth makes it lean.

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Overcast!

Honestly, you don’t have to cut it unless the height is a problem for you. But if it’s going to press into the ceiling, I’d top it. A big leafy top is also worth trying to propagate, so the pruning doesn’t have to feel like a total loss.

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