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The best way to care for a monstera deliciosa indoors is to replicate the conditions it would normally need outdoors. This includes medium to bright, indirect light, humidity, and allowing the soil to dry a few inches down before watering it again.
Also, this plant likes to have plenty of space. On a mature monstera, each fan-like leaf can grow to over two feet long! My monstera deliciosa currently has a few leaves that are about a foot and a half wide.
Those are the absolute basics, but there’s a bit more to it than that, so be sure to check out the rest of the post or watch the video tutorial I’ve included where I talk about my own plant.
How much light does a monstera need?
Monstera deliciosa prefers bright to medium indirect light. Keep in mind where it grows naturally—in rainforests. It won’t ever receive direct sunlight growing underneath the canopy, so it doesn’t want to be sitting in direct sun in your home, either.
While monsteras can survive in low light, they won’t thrive. Brighter light will cause more leaf fenestration (the holes in the leaves), and come on—isn’t that why we all LOVE monsteras?
If you don’t have enough light in your home and want more fenestration, grow lights are an excellent solution (one, I myself, employ!). These LED clip-on grow lights are my absolute favorite.
Below is a picture of how I’m using two sets of them right now. (Check out the cuttings I’m propagating in the upper right corner!)
Do Monsteras need to be misted?
Being native to tropical regions and rainforests, monsteras definitely appreciate humidity. But based on my experience, misting isn’t the most effective way to provide humidity.
Instead, consider using a humidifier, such as this one, or if you have many plants, grouping them close together in one area can help. If you live in a humid area, you can even keep your monstera outside—that’s what I do in the warm seasons.
In my opinion, misting mostly just gets everything wet and it doesn’t create lasting humidity.
How often should you water a Monstera?
First, you should never water your plant on a set schedule. Water it when the soil is dry about an inch or two down for a smaller plant, and a few inches down for a large plant.
How OFTEN you water your monstera is whenever it needs to be watered! You’ll need to get used to feeling the soil to determine how dry it is.
And remember what I said earlier—think about the conditions in a rainforest. It’s not always sopping wet, more like humid and moist. So, while you don’t want to let the soil get bone dry, you don’t want to create a swamp in the pot either.
Pruning
You can prune your monstera to control its size and shape and encourage new growth. For a plant this huge you will no doubt end up needing to prune it at some point!
Choose an area where you want to encourage new growth, and cut off a stem ABOVE a node (you’ll need strong pruning shears for a large monstera). This means the node will remain on the plant, while the stem above the node gets cut off.
Nodes are growth points on the plant, anywhere you see something growing out of the stem—soil roots, leaves, new stems, aerial roots—that’s a node. Cutting above it will activate that growth point and cause the plant to eventually put out new growth in that area.
This process is similar if you’re propagating the plant, but there’s ONE crucial difference. Check out my post on how to propagate monstera deliciosa for an explanation and a video demonstration.
Potting Mix
Monstera deliciosa likes a well-draining potting mix that holds some moisture. A mix of indoor plant potting mix, perlite, and sphagnum moss will work well. However, just using a regular, well-draining indoor plant potting mix is fine, too.
Repotting
Young plants generally need to be repotted once a year, while large, mature plants only need to be repotted every few years. Monstera deliciosa doesn’t mind being somewhat rootbound.
You often can simply go off how your plant looks—if it’s growing without issue in its current pot then it doesn’t need a new one (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). When it’s time to repot it, do so using a pot the next size up and make sure it has a drainage hole.
Fertilizing
Fertilize monsteras using a balanced, indoor plant fertilizer. “Balanced” refers to the NPK ratio on the container, which stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Each number is the same in a balanced fertilizer.
Fertilize twice a month during the growing season (spring and summer). This is the balanced fertilizer that I use for all my plants. One container lasts forever!
Where can I buy a monstera deliciosa?
Monsteras have become relatively common and you can find them at many garden centers and big box stores. You can also order one online right here. I get so many of my plants from Etsy—there are virtually endless options!
Is Monstera deliciosa toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes, monstera deliciosa is toxic to cats and dogs, so keep it out of your furry friends’ reach. Mine sits on top of my greenhouse cabinet—one of the few places my cat can’t get to that can support this large plant.
Do I need to support my monstera?
Large monstera deliciosa like to have support, otherwise, they’ll be weighed down by their own huge branches and can end up snapping. In the wild, monsteras use their giant aerial roots to climb up trees, so they would have a form of support anyway.
Why not allow your plant to do in your home what it does in the wild? Replicating its natural growing conditions will help grow a stronger, healthier plant.
You can use something like a tomato cage, trellis, or moss poles to help support your plant depending on its size and shape.
Why does Monstera deliciosa have fenestrations?
Monstera deliciosa’s famous splits and holes, known as fenestrations, will appear on mature plants, so don’t worry if yours doesn’t have them yet!
While there is currently not enough scientific evidence to point to an exact reason, researchers believe the fenestration of monsteras helps the plant spread its leaf surface area out further to catch flecks of sunlight that make it through to the forest understory.
Some other possible theories are that it allows the plant to withstand strong winds and that it helps more water come through to the plant’s roots.
Even more monstera posts:
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