Gold Leaf Botanicals

Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera Deliciosa

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Monstera Deliciosa Care

Monstera deliciosa is a species of tropical vines from the Araceae family, and they are native to Central America. They are known for the natural forming splits/fenestrations in their leaves, which has led to the popularity of its nickname as the Swiss Cheese Plant. Each hole/fenestration grows toward the leaf's edge, and opens up to form a complete fenestration when the leaf matures.

We hope our updated 2024 guide will help you grow a Monstera your plant friends can be jealous of.

In its home in the jungle, a Monstera can grow to be enormous, often dozens of feet tall with leaves that spread out almost two feet wide.

The rainforest is lush, and that lets the Monstera grow up the sides of trees. With its ability to climb, adding a small trellis or pole to the pot would help support it and let it reach higher.

Monstera Quick Facts

Monsteras are easy to care for:

  • Water them once every few weeks
  • Make sure the room gets decent sunlight
  • Great for: living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms with light
  • No direct bright sunlight

How to Take Care of a Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera Deliciosa is often called a "Swiss Cheese Plant,", and is a stunning addition to any home or office, with its unique leaves and easy care. Native to tropical forests in Central America, it lives comfortably and thrives in our Canadian homes.

We've put together some information to walk you through the essentials of Monstera care, helping you grow a beautiful plant you can love for years.

A Monstera's Natural Habitat

To provide good care for a Monstera, it helps to know how they grow in the wild and what you're trying to recreate at home.

These plants are used to receiving indirect bright light, living in the moist and rich soil of the rainforest floor. While sunlight may kiss their leaves from time-to-time, it is never for direct and prolonged periods.

They climb trees using their aerial roots to anchor themselves on the bark. If you can reproduce these conditions at home you will have a very happy and healthy Monstera.

Light: The Most Important Piece

Monsteras are quite easy to provide light for, growing best in bright to medium indirect light.

We recommend a spot a few feet away from a window being ideal. If your window gets direct sun during the day, a sheer can help. Direct sunlight can scorch their leaves if it is direct sun and left for extended periods.

On the other end of the spectrum, leaving a Monstera in a room with little light would lead to a slowdown of growth, and it may reduce leaf fenestration (those iconic holes and splits). Along the lines of darker hallways and rooms with small windows.

That's a very broad range of light, and Monstera's can tolerate a lot.

Watering a Monstera Deliciosa

The general rule for watering your Monstera is to wait until the top 1 to 2 inches of soil is dry, and the plant is light to pick up. I promise, when you pick up your plant throughout the months you can easily tell when it needs water.

  1. Give you plant a thorough soak. If it's a 4" or 6" plant, put it in the sink with 1" of water and let the soil drink up the liquid for an hour or so.
  2. Let it drain in the sink for 5 minutes or until it stops dripping.
  3. Place it back in its decorative pot and look at it for a moment.

In Canadian houses we have seen plants go 2 to 4 weeks before needing soaked again. We call it a wet-dry cycle. And remember, your plant BREATHES. It needs dry soil to get some air.

Watering your plant each week is a leading cause of why they aren't lasting. More on that later.

Humidity: Let's Get Tropical

Monsteras love humidity, given they grow naturally in rainforests where the humidity can be as high as 60%. 

The Monsteras you purchase from plant stores have been adapted to less humid environments and they can thrive in a Canadian household, where humidity ranges from 30% to 40% depending on the season.

If you can supply higher humidity levels it can give you a growth boost. Bathrooms and kitchens are popular areas where you find extra moisture in houses. A humidifier, pebble tray, or misting can help achieve this as well. 

Help For Common Issues

Here are a few common issues you may run into as you grow your plant. Plants require us to constantly learn and adjust. If you haven't had success in the past, you have the whole future to learn, so try again!

Browning leaves: This could be a sign you're under-watering your plant, or it's getting too much direct sunlight. If your plant is in the sun, try moving it further away from the window. If your soil is very crispy and you've been forgetting to water your plant, try putting it in your calendar to check if it needs water (see our tips above!).

Yellowing leaves: This could be a sign your overwatering you're plant, showing it a little too much love. If you water your plant every week, or every two weeks, stop watering all-together and let your plant dry up until the leaves start to droop slightly. Lifting the plant should feel like it weighs nothing, letting you know it's dry enough for a soak, and you can use our watering tips above. Watering too frequently suffocates the plant and will lead to "root rot".

Root rot: Caused by giving your plant too much water, and over time the roots cannot breathe and will die off. If the watering schedule is not corrected in time, the roots cannot be recovered and the plant will die.

Enjoy Your Monstera

Caring for a Monstera Deliciosa, or any other plant, brings a little bit of the tropics into our homes. With the right conditions, your Monstera will reward you with its stunning foliage and growth.

Remember, every plant is unique, so observe and adjust care as needed. Happy growing!

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