Monstera, noted for its foliage

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Monstera is among the favorite plants chosen to decorate houses.

Monstera essential facts

Name: Monstera deliciosa
Common: Monstera, false philodendron
Family: Araceae

Type: indoor plant
Height: 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 m)

Exposure: veiled light  –  Soil: soil mix  –  Foliage: evergreen

Care, repotting, watering and exposure, are items to focus your attention to make your monstera even nicer.

It brings joy to all with its high ornamental impact and unique foliage.

Follow our advice on caring for monstera below:

Planting and re-potting monstera

Upon purchasing, if the pot is too small, proceed to repot the Monstera so that it may grow adequately.

After that, every year or every 2 years and preferably preferably in spring, repot your monstera plant in a pot of a very slightly larger size.

• Monstera roots hate having too much water.
  Double-check that the pot has a hole in the bottom.
  Increase drainage with a layer of gravel or clay pebbles along the bottom of the pot, to make water flow through more easily.
• Good soil mix is needed. The plant, when it lives indoors, needs soil mix because that is the only source for the nutrients it feeds on.

Pruning, and caring for Monstera

If ever your monstera grows too tall, it’s perfectly possible to cut the head off; you can even use this part to produce a cutting.

This plant generally copes quite well with pruning, so you can prune it to your heart’s desire. Trimming will actually rejuvenate your monstera.

You can cut stem trimmings into short portions and rest these on a bed of hydroton. From leaf nodes, both roots and new leaves will sprout. It’s an excellent way to prepare cuttings from your favorite ones!

Where to place your monstera

The best place to set up your monstera is near a window but not direct sunlight. In the wild, it latches on to tree trunks and thrives in their shade.

You can even set it away from any light source because Monstera manages indirect, reduced light well.

• What it fears most is excess sun. That tends to dry the plant up.
  The more light a monstera receives, the more its foliage suffers.
• Absolutely avoid heat sources such as radiators. Moisture is critical to this tropical plant.
• Ideal temperatures are around 70°F (20°C).

Watering monstera

Regular but moderate watering is called for.

All year long, and especially during summer, spray water on the leaves to recreate the moisture levels of its natural habitat.

In spring and summer:

Keep the soil mix a bit moist and check that water drains properly.

Add leaf plant liquid fertilizer every 3 to 4 weeks during the growing phase.

• Spray the leaves on a regular basis, preferably with calcium-free water (distilled or rainwater is great).

In fall and winter:

From November to March, reduce watering and wait for the soil to be thoroughly dry in the surface before watering again.
Stop adding fertilizer.

• Mist the leaves as often as you can, ideally, every day. Always use soft water.

Common disease on Monstera

Most diseases targeting the plant are common houseplant pests: red spider mite and scale insects.

Learn more about Monstera

A fabulous indoor plant, Monstera is one of the most sold indoor plants, which shows how resilient and easy to care for it is.

Read also:

• Did you know that indoor plants can cleanse the air of pollutants?