My fiddle leaf fig lost half its leaves before I found the real issue

Tbh I spent 5 months thinking my fiddle leaf fig had a fungus or pest problem. I tried neem oil, repotting, even a grow light in my Portland apartment. Nothing worked and it kept dropping leaves every week. Finally a friend who works at a nursery asked about my watering routine and pointed out the pot had no drainage holes. I was drowning the roots the whole time. Swapped to a terracotta pot with a saucer and it bounced back in 6 weeks. Has anyone else dealt with a simple fix that took way too long to notice?

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patricia_chen671mo ago

Wait, no drainage holes? For five whole months? I had to read that twice because I cannot believe you went through all that spraying and repotting before checking the pot itself. I have killed more plants than I care to count with that exact same mistake, so I feel your pain. My snake plant was sitting in a decorative pot with no holes for almost a year, and it only survived because I barely watered it. The second I drilled holes in the bottom, it started putting out new growth like crazy.

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