Fiddle Leaf Tree: does radical pruning make sense?

Question

Last year our Fiddle Leaf Tree lost many of its leaves due to overwatering. You can see that the three top branches only have leaves on their ends:

To give the tree a nicer shape, we want to cut all the three top branches (marked on the image). Do you think it's a good idea? Won't it be too big of a stress for a tree?

Also, do you have any suggestion about watering/fertilizing? We did it a couple of days ago, and there is still some water in the pot. Is it appropriate to prune now or shall we wait while it's dry?

Thanks!

Answer 1

The answer is probably do what you want. I would not prune as the leaves do not seem to be in the way.I have a large fiddle leaf, 10 ft tall, but the lowest leaves are about 5 ft from the soil surface. Each summer it goes on the deck ,then in fall I need to cut off a few feet to fit under a 10 ft ceiling. Mine never grows leaves lower than 5 ft , so I would say yours also, will not grow lower leaves. Mine proportionately looses as many leaves each year as you indicate and it does not affect it( other than to make it shorter).

Answer 2

Yes you can cut away the three top branches, to create a more compact form. New shoots will come just under the cuts, and in time they will become new branches. Hopefully with all leaves still on them (if you don't over water them). The Fiddle Fig is a nice house plant, keeping it compact is nice for esthetics reasons.

Try to have good drainage (loose soil, holes in the container), so you'll prevent future over watering. Good luck.

PS. You can even try to use the cuttings for propagation.