I have a Chicago Fig I picked up off Amazon from Hirt's. It started out as a little stick in a little cup last spring. It didn't do much except grow a few leaves through the summer outside (I repotted it in an 8" pot). I brought it in early to mid November when it started getting cold.

Since I've brought it in, it has shot up close to 3 feet tall with lots of leaves with no sunlight, just a ceiling light in the room.

In the last couple of weeks, the upper leaves started curling up while the lower ones started to droop. I had been tossing a glass of water in the pot every week or two when it was dry. But now, I guess the pot wasn't draining correctly or there just wasn't much evaporation in the room (it is between 60-75F) and the soil was more than damp.

I repotted it today with Miracle Grow potting mix. I was able to get the mud off the roots and thankfully, they didn't seem rotted. Though, the stagnant mud at the bottom stank.

Should I water it today or let it settle in for a few days before I do so? Should I keep it in the light or let it rest in a dark place?

I really want to save this little bugger. Thanks!

   

It is in desperate need of light, that's part of why it shot up so fast, the leaves are doing poorly, and it's getting that crook in the stem. It should go under some grow lights, start with them far away and slowly bring them closer so the leave don't burn up. If you can't get lights, put it in the sunniest window possible.

I personally normally just tell by weight if it needs watered. A little water won't hurt now, but henceforth water as it actually needs it. Hopefully when in better light it'll use more water. Make sure you have a drainage hole in the pot, though.

Hope it lives, good luck!

yeah.. it definitely needs light.  It's got that tall lanky look that happens when there's not enough light.  With more light, it will produce nodes closer together.  It may also be suffering from lack of humidity in the air.  House air is much dryer, than outside..  even more so in the winter.  On top of that, it may now have some root shock due to repotting and messing with roots.

Keep the soil just damp and get it in some light.  The current leaves may continue to wilt and drop off, but if the roots are still in good shape, it'll put out new leaves.

MG potting soil hold water. do not water unless you are sure it needs it. stick a long wooden stick down the soil. if it comes back up with wetness, don't water. learning to feel weight for watering will benefit you greatly.

Thanks!

I put it in my workshop where I have full spectrum UV flourescent lights. Not directly under them yet, just to the side. I figure in a few days I'll get it up onto my workbench where it will be a few feet under the light. The windows there get good sunlight so I'll let the shades up on those during the day too.

The MG mix I bought is supposed to be for moisture control. It apparantly has some magical properties that helps from overwatering or underwatering.

it likely wants to sleep. you should cut some of the leaves in half. and slowly put in a colder place where it can rest a bit. Then, when it is fully asleep, I would trim some of that long weak stem.  I got a HC from hirts also, it was my first fig since I got my fever.  It died to the ground and last spring it shot 2 shoots, they grew at most 5 inches, and went to sleep.  their tips are green, but I kept them outside all winter, under a semi covered shelter to prevent snow and cold wind on them. it is cold out there.  gosh, I hope yours recover, it is sad to see a tree with so much potential in such a sad shape.

Hi,
Give it a higher support to avoid the stem to break.
Put the pot in good light conditions - growth light or sun ... Have you been on holidays ? :P
Fig cutting need light while growing .
In the fall you should have let it go dormant until spring - and with no light it would have been ok in a fresh place .
I wouldn't let it go dormant now, as it needs light to make some use of its leaves and get back some energy .
If you haven't done it already, you should give it some fertilizer as for a growing fig tree.

I had all intentions of letting it go dormant last fall but my father had been in the hospital and nearly died twice. So I kinda forgot about the fig on the kitchen island for a few days and that's all it took for new leaves and growth to start up after it had already lost its leaves nearly a week before.

As of this morning, all of the leaves had wilted down and the green stalks were on their way too. I cut down the stalks to about an inch or two above the old growth.

my HC from hirts did poorly in MG  kind forum members explained this was from poor drainage. there was ''perched water'' that roots couldn't penitrate.
i switched to 5-1-1 and my fig was happy.

if you don't want it to go dormant, i put mine in an east window and it didn't get all leggy like yours.

good luck.

@Perlheartgtr, I use that same MG moisture control version for newly rooted cuttings. In your case it has overgrown because of lack of light (just like most noticed, it's no secret). What you should do, in my opinion, is that you should leave only two nodes of the new growths and cut the rest. You don't need a weak start for your new tree.
Good luck and keep us posted... ;)

Like I had mentioned, I didn't intend for the fig to come out of dormancy. It wasn't the first thing on my mind for a few weeks.

The Miracle Grow was pretty much my local Home Depot had on hand other than Orchid mix and something else. It's too late for me to leave any nodes as I had snipped it down to about an inch or two above the old brown growth.

I'll keep updated on the progress.

U'll be fine;)