Last Updated on June 18, 2020
I enjoy collecting house plants, and Aldi rotates a variety of house plants into its stock throughout the year, ranging from mini succulents to pothos to venus flytraps to lucky bamboo.
One plant I’ve seen Aldi sell at least once over the past couple of years is the fiddle leaf fig. This house plant is extremely popular in home decor these days. You may have seen it in magazine photo spreads related to interior decorating. IKEA — the king of cheap, trendy decorating — even sells a fake one if you aren’t sure you can keep a real one alive, but it costs a lot more than the live Aldi version.
With Aldi’s low prices, these plants quickly flew off the shelves the last time I saw the discount grocer sell them a year or so ago. Aldi brought them back again this week, and I was lucky enough to score one.
Fiddle leaf figs at Aldi cost $7.99 each at the time of publication. They are a limited-time Aldi Find, which means Aldi only gets one shipment of the plants, and once they sell out, that’s it until the next time Aldi decides to sell them, which might be months or a year later.
These were sold in plastic pots about 6 inches in diameter. My plant was a good size, measuring more than 12 inches tall not including the height of the pot. The plant looked healthy, too, and it was not dried out or wilting when I purchased it. Because I know these plants can get much larger, I moved mine to a pot that is a little larger to give its roots some room to spread out.
The care tag states this is “a handsome floor specimen, great for providing coarse, indoor texture. Easy-care plants add a relaxed, natural touch to interiors.”
The tag says the plant requires medium light and average room temperature, and that you should allow the soil to dry thoroughly between waterings and apply a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly. The tag also says the plant will grow to six feet tall.
Background and Care for Fiddle Leaf Figs
Fiddle leaf fig plants, or ficus lyratra, is a rainforest plant in the fig and mulberry family and is native to western Africa, according to Wikipedia. It gets its name because its leaves resemble a lyre or fiddle. In their natural rainforest habitat, they can grow to be nearly 50 feet tall, but when it’s grown as a house plant it stays shorter (clearly) and does not flower or produce figs. It’s hardy down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can be set outdoors when the weather is warm.
If you want to make sure you’re taking proper care of your fiddle leaf fig, the Missouri Botanical Garden recommends placing it in bright indirect light or part shade and protecting it from afternoon sun. It should be watered regularly during the growing season, but avoid overwatering. Good Housekeeping suggests waiting until the top inch or so of the soil is dry, and then thoroughly water until you see water coming out of the bottom of the pot, and then let it dry out once more. The Missouri Botanical Garden also recommends reducing watering in the fall and winter.
My Aldi fiddle leaf fig in a new pot that is a little larger than what it came in.
I placed my fiddle leaf fig in a north-facing greenhouse window over my kitchen sink, alongside some other Aldi house plants, where it will receive bright indirect light and no direct sun. Time will tell whether my plant will be happy there.
The Verdict:
Aldi sometimes sells trendy fiddle leaf fig plants at bargain prices. They make a nice addition to any house plant collection, but they go quickly when Aldi stocks them, so don’t delay.
