How to Care For Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa care is quite easy! They are members of the Araceae family, and are aroids, meaning they tend to grow on other plants in the wild. These plants are native to Central America, but they can be found almost anywhere due to their popularity as a house plant. 

When properly cared for, Monstera deliciosa can grow very large, quite fast. This, combined with their unique fenestrated leaves make them great statement plants to use in home décor.

Quick Care Guide for Monstera Deliciosa

Light	Bright indirect light
Water	Let the top few inches dry out in between waterings
Potting	Chunky aroid mix
Humidity	Normal household humidity

Light 

In order to thrive, monsteras need bright indirect light. They will do well sitting in east or west facing windows where they will receive brief direct sun, and bright indirect light for the rest of the day. 

Monstera can tolerate lower levels of light, but they will grow slowly, and stretch towards the light source. Make sure they don’t get full direct sun either, as they will burn.

Water

Monsteras are fairly forgiving when it comes to watering. Ideally, monsteras should be watered when the top few inches of soil are, but they can typically go longer without being watered, just don’t let them dry out for too long, or too frequently! 

In general though, it is better to underwater monstera than to overwater them, as they are far more likely to die of overwatering.

Potting

Most plants come from the store in a soil mix that isn’t ideal for their growth. If your monstera looks like it is in straight peat moss, or peat moss with very little perlite, I would recommend repotting it.

Before repotting it, if you just brought it home, I would give it a week or so to acclimate to your home. While monsteras are more resilient than a lot of plants, too much change can shock your plants. So, it is best to wait.

Monstera deliciosa will do best in a chunky airy aroid mix. Aroid mixes can be hard to find at a fair price, so I like to make my own. To make mine at home, I mix equal parts potting soil, perlite, and orchid potting mix. 

If you are repotting into a different pot, make sure your new pot has drainage holes! Potting plants into pots without drainage is one of the fastest ways to kill them.

Humidity

Monsteras will thrive at higher humidity levels, but they aren’t necessary. Standard home humidity should be fine for monsteras. 

If your climate is especially arid, or you are just concerned, you can raise humidity with a humidifier for your monstera. Grouping plants together is another great way to increase humidity for your monstera.

Monstera Deliciosa Propagation Guide

Once your Monstera Deliciosa has grown and is happy in your, you may want to propagate it. Luckily, monstera are fairly easy to propagate, and you should be able to multiply your monstera in no time!

To propagate a monstera, cut just below a node. The node is the part of the stem where the aerial root and leaf emerged. This should be easy to identify on a monstera, as their aerial roots are easily visible, and tend to grow on their own.

Throw this cutting into water, put it in a bright spot, wait a few weeks, pot it up, give it a good watering, and you’re done!

Some people don’t know how to tell when a cutting is ready to be potted up. What I do is wait until the root has grown a few inches in length, and I like to wait until I see secondary roots coming off the main root before I will throw it in soil.

All you have to do is find a spot for your new plant, and care for it just like you cared for the mother plant.

Thank you so much for reading this my guide on how to care for monstera deliciosa. If you made it this far, and still have questions, or if you have any advice you’d like to add, please feel free to leave a comment!