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If you’ve ever brough a plant home from a garden centre, then like me, you will have found that it is potted in a cheap, nasty, plastic pot. Not only is the plastic thin, but it has more drainage holes than you need. The reason for the excess draining holes is to let water drain away quickly, keep the rots dry and thus reduce root rot. Having brought your new fiddle-leaf fig home in a plastic pot from the garden centre, you may now be faced with the question of what to do with it. Fiddle-leaf figs (Ficus lyrate) which stay in the plastic pots can soon dry out. They may even suffer permanent damage if not re-potted right away in a better pot. If you simply cannot re-pot for fiddle-leaf fig as soon as you get it home, then make sure that you give it water in the middle well so that it has water to use and does not stay thirsty. Get Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Here! What is the Best Pot for Fiddle Leaf Fig? It is important to know that your fiddle-leaf fig prefers to be snug in its pot. If you re-pot it as soon as you bring it home into a huge pot, it will grow to fill it, but while doing so will expend energy developing the root system and less energy on the plant above ground. Pots are a personal choice, and you will want to choose a pot which goes with the décor of the room you are placing it in. Think First About Drainage Don’t forget about drainage! This is especially important for the fiddle-leaf fig. Without adequate drainage the soil will become waterlogged and the roots will rot. This will more than likely mean the end of your new plant. It’s a good idea to get a pot which has a saucer underneath it to catch water which has drained through. This will mean that excess water is available, should your plant need it. It also means that excess water does not drain out onto your patio floor - or worse, your carpet! Plastic or Clay? My dad always told me to stick to clay pots because in plastic the plant cannot breathe well. In excessive temperatures plastic will sweat and make life difficult for your fiddle-leaf so you may want to head for the ceramic and earthenware section for the new pot. Most earthenware pots have a hole at the bottom for drainage. If the pot does not have this, find one that does. The plant must have drainage to survive. Here are a few ideas of great pots for your fiddle-leaf fig. 1) LA JOLIE MUSE Ceramic Plant Pot with Wood Stand This hand-painted ripple design comes with a wooden stand, making it beautiful and minimalistic to look at – decidedly chic! The planter is made from premium ceramic, hand crafted and delicately painted. The stand is easy to assemble and stable once put together. Get It From Amazon Here! 2) POTEY 050303 Plant Pot with Drainage Hole & Saucer This pot comes with its own matching saucer, as well as a hole at the bottom for drainage. It is made from light coloured clay and then glazed. The pot is nice and sturdy, and will look great in any room at home, or even in an office. It will also make a great present for a plant lover. Get It From Amazon Here! 3. Torre & Tagus Brava Textured Drop Pot This pot will give a look of sophistication to any office. It is made with a metallic silver finish with a smooth white inside. The outside is slightly textured. What is nice about this pot is that the neck opening is wider at 6.5” in diameter. It is an elegant pot, suitable for either home or office. Get It From Amazon Here! What Drainage Does your Fiddle Leaf Fig Need? If you want your fiddle-leaf fig to not only survive but also thrive you need to know about drainage. Understanding this issue will keep your fiddle-leaf in tip-top condition. Fiddle-leaf figs are susceptible to root rot and they simply do not like their feet to be in water for longer than is absolutely necessary. The ideal pot for a fiddle-leaf must have a hole at the bottom. If not, chose another pot – its as simple as that. As well as a drainage hole, you need to look at the potting mix for your fiddle-leaf. The best mixes to use are similar to those you use for cacti. I have several cacti (I love them!) and the potting mix is suitable for your fiddle-leaf because it provides such good drainage. This helps to keep the root ball dry, which is what your fiddle-leaf needs. If you have a painted pot with no drainage holes and are determined to use it, then you should place your plant in a pot with a hole and set it inside the painted pot so that the excess water can drain out. This means that you may need to empty the painted pot every so often, but your plant will have good drainage. If you are enjoying this article, check out our article on why does your fiddle leaf fig have multiple stems. What Size Pot do you Need for a Fiddle Leaf Fig? As soon as you bring your fiddle-leaf home you should plan on re-potting it. This is because the pot it comes in is really not suitable to keep it healthy. However, you should take the measurement as this is an indication of the size of the new pot you need. Placing your fiddle-leaf in a huge new pot can send it into shock and not may not recover. So, if the diameter of the pot it arrived in is 6” your new pot should not be more than 8-10” in diameter. A pot that is more than 6” in diameter larger than the one your plant is in will be too big to use. Additionally, the new pot should be no more than 2” higher than the existing pot. So, if you have a fiddle-leaf that does not seem to be growing new foliage, it may be because the pot is too large and the plant is spending all its energy forming new roots rather than leaves. Getting a new pot which is more than 6 inches bigger in diameter than what your plant is in will result in an unhappy fiddle-leaf fig. How to Tell if your Fiddle Leaf Fig Pot is Too Big? The simplest way to tell if the pot your fiddle-leaf is in is too big is because there are no new leaves forming. If your plant is generally healthy, apart from no new growth you can either down-size the pot or simply leave it alone. Because fiddle-leaf figs do not appreciate being manhandled, you may prefer the second method and simply leave it alone for a season. It will grow into the large pot and start to produce leaves again. You should then leave your fiddle-leaf for 2-3 years when it will be ready for a larger pot. How do you Know it Needs Repotting? One way to check if your fiddle-leaf is ready for a larger pot is to look at the roots which are growing around the edges of the pot. You will notice many thin roots appearing to grow all around the pot. They will be thin roots looking for nutrients. You will also, if you look at the base of the pot, see roots around the drainage hole or even growing out the hole. These are good indications that it is time to repot your fiddle-leaf. We call this being pot-bound. As you gently wiggle the plant loose from the old pot you should be able to lift the entire plant out of the pot with all the roots intact. This will also show you that the plant is ready for a larger pot. Although it may be several years before your fiddle-leaf is large enough for a bigger pot, it is a good idea to repot every 2-3 years as a matter of routine. This is because your plant will have exhausted the supply of nutrients in the potting mix. A new dose of fresh potting mix will contain a mountain of essential nutrients which will give your plant a boost. In this case you should gently tease away the old potting mix with your fingers, shake as much as you can from the roots and repot with fresh mix. What Material Should my Fiddle Leaf Fig Pot Be? My dad had a huge aversion to plastic pots – he really did not like them, because he believed that only clay/terracotta could allow the plant to breathe properly. Additionally, some plastic pots do not come with drainage holes, which is particularly bad for a fiddle-leaf fig. Whatever pot you choose – and this is a personal choice, I think, the most important thing is the drainage hole. If you find plastic pots that look good, make sure there is a hole at the bottom. Ceramic and terracotta pots normally come with holes. It is a good idea to get a matching saucer to catch excess water, but again, that is your choice. Be aware that the potting mix of the fiddle-leaf should also have good drainage so you may end up with a puddle of water on the floor. Can you Plant Multiple Fiddle Leaf Figs in One Pot? Yes, you can do this. In fact, you may even find this has happened when you bring your fiddle-leaf home from the garden centre. Often more than one plant is grown in a pot, to fill out the appearance. Bear in mind that if you do plant more than one plant in the same pot you may need to repot sooner. Final Thoughts: What is the Best Pot for a Fiddle Leaf Fig? There are literally hundreds of attractive and colourful pots on the market, so there is no reason why your fiddle-leaf fig does not look its best wherever you place it. If the pot you choose has good drainage and your plant is in a spot where it is happy, you should have many years of enjoyment from your fiddle-leaf fig. Before you go, here are some more related articles I encourage you to read below to help solve more of your gardening issues: How to Care for a Fiddle Leaf Fig Outside How to Get Rid of Spider Mites on a Fiddle Leaf Fig