Hello everyone, I would really appreciate any tips you all could give me on my monstera deliciosa. I received it from my mom after she had moved about 2-3 years ago (don't know how long she had it) but presumed she had it quite a while. It has always just done ok.. never thrived for me. I have tried moving it to different areas of the house for stronger lighting, tried watering more (bad idea) and tried watering less which helped a little but leaves are kinda droopy and dull looking as well as not really producing a lot of foliage. The foliage that does get produced is sometimes deformed or has brown crisp edges.I've also tried tying it up and that didn't seem to help much either. It is currently in the same potting soil and pot she got it in, it's currently receiving medium light and watered only when soil is dry to touch and is receiving fertilizer sticks to put in the soil. Thank you for your help me and my monstera appreciate any advice.
Sad looking monstera..
- Thread starter Vinny4395
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It doesn't look like it's struggling much. How close to a light source is it? They will tolerate medium to low light, but grow bigger and faster with more light. Have you ever leached the soil? After that much time there is a build-up of Calcium, Magnesium and Sodium from water and fertilizer. To leach them out, put it in a sink or bathtub, soak the soil , let it drain and then repeat 2 more times. You'll be amazed at what the excess water that comes out looks like. Do this when it would normally be watered. Then wait for it to dry to the point you would normally water.. If you want to really clean out the soil use filtered or distilled water.
Thank you, it does look a little better for this pic because I tied it up to cover the bald areas and also the leaves that are dull and wilted. Seriously considering your advice above but was wondering if I would get similar results with switching to new pot (ceramic instead of plastic) with new soil?
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The simple answer is, no, the pot type would have no effect and changing soil will damage roots and do more harm than good. More light and a good leaching will have a much better effect than either or both of those other options. Unless you have access to a greenhouse, changing the soil does major damage that the plant needs maximum environmental conditions to overcome.
Monstera can be the exotic Flowering Aroid vine. The dark-green oval elongated leaves seem beautiful with White-speckled variegation. It is Acceptable for both indoor and outside Surroundings. The Monstera standleyana Care Incorporates bright indirect lighting, High humidity, and frequent generous watering with slight drying intervals. This plant features numerous species that are parasitic. Additionally, It’s toxic in nature.
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Monstera is a pretty hardy plant. My recommendation is to repot it in the next size up pot. I had to repot mine 3 times in a year because it grew 10x its size.
You can also give it a fertilizer or some type of plant food to replenish what is lost in the soil that the monstera already took.
I actually just put 2 stakes in mine as it continues to grow out of control. See pic attached. When I bought it last year it was in a 4 inch pot with a few leaves, now its in a 10 inch pot constantly sprouting new ones. Wipe the leaves off to free it from dust as well. The monstera doesn't like that. Don't use leaf shiners.
Mine does well with bright direct light from inside the house. It used to get morning light and now it gets afternoon light.
You can also give it a fertilizer or some type of plant food to replenish what is lost in the soil that the monstera already took.
I actually just put 2 stakes in mine as it continues to grow out of control. See pic attached. When I bought it last year it was in a 4 inch pot with a few leaves, now its in a 10 inch pot constantly sprouting new ones. Wipe the leaves off to free it from dust as well. The monstera doesn't like that. Don't use leaf shiners.
Mine does well with bright direct light from inside the house. It used to get morning light and now it gets afternoon light.
