Monstera deliciosa is one of more trending plants on social media this last year, and has become popular with interior designers, for both home & commercial spaces. This plant even has its own day and hashtag – #monsteramonday
eep your Monstera happy and thriving by following the few care tips below:
Growing your deliciosa indoors
First and foremost, ensure that the pot you’ve decided to use has good drainage. Improper drainage will cause water logging and root rot, which will kill your plant. Find a space with bright indirect light, in an west or north facing window, away from direct sunlight. Fill your pot with a peat based soil mix. If you’d like for your monstera to climb, fill the bottom 1/3 of your pot with soil, place the grow pole, add your plant, cover the roots, and fill the rest of the pot with soil . Use string or plant tape to secure the stems to the grow pole. You may find that after two or so years, your plant will have stunted growth, or has outgrown its pot. When you repot, find a pot that is 2 inches larger than the previous one, and use fresh soil.
Light
As mentioned above, place your monstera in a space with adequate lighting. The more light it receives, the quicker your plant should grow. Keep your plant in a room or space that maintains a temperature between 18 – 26 degrees. To help with humidity, mist the leaves weekly.
Water
When watering your plant, make sure to do so thoroughly. You will know you’ve watered correctly when water runs out the drainage holes. Only water when you feel that the top 2 inches of soil is dry. To test this, stick your finger in the soil – if it feels wet, wait. If it feels dry (no soil sticks to your finger), you can water. Watering frequency will depend on several factors – sunlight, wind, and soil type.
Soil
A peat based, perlite, potting mix is recommended. This light mix will retain moisture but also allow for proper drainage.
Fertiliser
A balanced liquid fertiliser every few weeks.
Pruning
There usually isn’t any need to prune your monstera. Should you find that the aerial roots are becoming unruly, tuck them back into the pot, or trim them off – this wont hurt the plant.
Pests
This plant is prone to several pests – aphids, scaly bugs, spider mites and mealybugs. Wipe down the leaves every week with a wet cloth & a drop of liquid dish soap. This will keep the leaves clean and repel any pesky pests. If infestation is bad, take your plant outside and spray down the leaves to remove the bugs. See my blog post on pest control for more methods of pest control.
Propagation
One of the most popular methods of propagation is in water or perlite.Your cutting should have at least one leaf and an aerial root or node. Place your cutting in clean, filtered water, changing out the water every week. When using the perlite method, clean/rinse the perlite before putting it in the container. Fill the bottom of the container with perlite, add the plant, and fill the rest of the way with perlite. If your perlite is dry, fill the container 1/3 of the way up with clean filtered water. Roots should start appearing within a couple of weeks.
The Houseplant Diaries 