Home	Strange Wonderful Things Rare and exotic plants & seeds

Variegated Monstera

Pot size -- A good size for a permanent container would be about 10 gallons, although that can be larger or smaller depending on how large you let your plant grow.  If you wish, you may grow your plant in a 3-5 gallon pot for several months before moving it to a larger container.  The pot needs drainage holes at the bottom, and it shouldn't be allowed to sit in a tray of water.

Soil -- Monstera likes well-draining soil that's fairly high in organic matter.  Most quality potting soils should work, along with perlite.  Use about 1 part perlite for each 2 parts of soil.  If you can't get perlite, you may use coarse horticultural sand.  If you tend to over-water your plants, use more perlite.

Transplanting -- The plant may be hard to slide out, since the roots are "sticky" and tend to glue themselves to the inside of the pot.  First, give the soil a thorough watering and wait 15 minutes for it to soak in well.  This will help keep the soil ball from breaking apart.  If the roots stick to the pot, try squeezing the sides and bottom of the container while gently pulling on the stem.  If that doesn't work, you may need to cut the pot apart.  Be careful doing this, so you don't cut yourself or the plant!

After transplanting, do not pack the soil down - simply water it in.  Give no fertilizer the first week after transplanting.

Watering -- Monstera likes soil that is moist, but not soggy.   It may help to use a moisture meter probe, which you can buy for about $5 at garden and hardware stores.  You just stick the probe deep into the soil and read the dial.  The needle should be about halfway across the dial most of the time.  One sign that you may be over-watering is that the plant will "sweat," meaning little droplets of water will form on the leaves.

If your tap water is very "hard" (high in minerals), you may want to use bottled water or rain water, or water that's filtered through a distiller or reverse-osmosis filter.  Avoid water filters that add sodium to the water.

Growing indoors -- Unless it doesn't get below freezing in your area, you'll want to grow your Monstera indoors.  The ideal temperature range is about 65-85 degrees, although it can handle outside that range too.  If the humidity drops below 40%, consider using an ultrasonic room humidifier, which you can buy at home improvement stores and thrift shops.

Training your plant -- Your plant will want something to climb on, like a wall/ceiling, a trellis, etc.  The plant holds on by means of its aerial roots, which adhere very strongly.  It may be hard to pull the aerial roots away from its support, so keep this in mind when choosing a spot for it.  I've pulled the paint off my walls trying to remove this plant!  You can cut off the aerial roots if you wish, and tie the plant to its support.  Your Monstera can grow 15+ feet vertically and horizontally if left unpruned, however you may cut it back to any size that you wish.

Light -- Monstera does best with bright light, but not much direct sun, unless it's early-morning or late-afternoon sun.  The leaves may burn if they're exposed to too much sun, so its best to filter it through a curtain, shade cloth, etc.  This plant does not need a lot of light to be happy.

Fertilizing --  Monstera likes moderate amounts of fertilizer.  Feed about every 6 weeks during periods of active growth using a general-purpose fertilizer at 1/4 the recommended dose. 

If an older leaf turns yellow, the plant may need more fertilizer, particularly nitrogen.  It also may be a sign of under-watering.  Keep in mind that it's normal for the plant to shed an old leaf occasionally.

Pests to watch for -- Look for any bugs that can affect your other houseplants, such as Scale (little brown disks on the stem or leaves), aphids, spider mites (tiny "dots" under the leaves), mealybugs, and fungus gnats.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me. 

Enjoy your plant!

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