I noticed at least two recent threads about leggy, top heavy, sprawling or just too big monstera

I suggested to both- cut it, root trimmings and don't worry about the rest. I've gotten that advice many times on other types of plants that hasn't worked out so great so I figured I'd put my money where my mouth is and show you.

THis monstera has a nice east window so I never bothered to put it outside this summer. This is a cutting I had to chop off 2 years ago in the fall to fit the mother plant (which is also probably 3rd or 4th generation from the original) in its inside winter space. As you can see from the photo - they don't branch- the vine grows toward the sun in a single straight line. Its so heavy at the end that the window is the only thing holding it up. If I move it, the whole thing topples over.




I'm not going to try to train it upright or mess with moss rods or any other nonsense. I'm just gonna cut it! Your hair grows from the root, so you trim the ends to keep it looking good, right? This plant grow from the tips. It still needs a haircut - you just keep the ends instead. When cutting, you must have at lease one leaf and a section of the vine. Don't worry about the air roots- they are irrelevant. Here I marked with white tape where I intend to cut. Look closely, you do not want to cut through the section where a leaf connects to the stem, see the light colored line where it attaches, looks like a light green thread? Don't cut through that.






I used a sheetrock knife- a retractable razor- I didn't bother sterilizing it (as I would with ANY other plant) but you do want something VERY VERY sharp so you don't crush the tiny tubes that cary water up to the leaf. I only ended up making two of the cuts, because the original plant looks good and now stays upright.





As you can see, the two leaves at the tip and their section of vine (again, you must have BOTH, leaf and section of vine) don't have any roots sprouting. Doesn't matter. THe second piece does have an air root- but you can see I cut about 2ft off of it- and only because these cuttings are going to live in a vase on my kitchen island for the next 6 months. I left that piece of root to give it the height I wanted in the vase so it looks good. You'll notice I shaved off some of the crusty brown edges on the side of the stem where it meets the vine. NOT all of it- I am careful to cut only NEAR the leaf stem leaving a small boundary of brown on the cutting. I remove it because that tissue is already dead and gets yucky in water fast. Don't peel it off with you fingers. It will pull off easy, but can take a skim of healthy tissue too leaving an open wound asking for rot. Its fine to pull it off for aesthetic reasons if its still on the plant (i.e. exposed only to air), but not if it will be submerged. The water level should cover any cut ends of the vine at a minimum. there is no maximum- you can put it in water right up to the base of the leaf. You don't have to rush from the cut to water. I wouldn't leave it a day, but if you want to stop for a lades room break or take a call or post on your favorite internet forum- go ahead. These aren't roses.
That's everything!
In short- Don't be scared. Go ahead and cut,
Not only does it root carefree, but cuttings make fabulous, impressive centerpieces while they root!




SO don't be afraid to cut your monstera. I'd have to be nuts to take a razor knife to anything else with such reckless abandon, especially at this time of year - especially for no other reason than a stranger's online question- but this plant will handle it beautifully!

A little more info-
The section of vine from which I took these cuttings will callous over at that cut and WILL NOT continue to grow from that spot. The vine will throw out one or more side shoots, but they will be skinny and floppy for the first 2-3 feet, the leaves will be small (think bread plate, not serving platter) and they will not have holes. By the time they do- you'll want to cut and repot them too. Eventually the growth will be so scraggly you won't bother any more, and compost the whole thing.

The section that was the tip will continue to grow at the same size- huge leaves from fat stems with beautiful hole patterns once its potted. The middle section, with a single leaf and a cut on each end, could go either way once its potted in soil. I find that its not like the rhizone of an iris- that is, the deeper you bury it in the pot the stronger and fatter the new growth will appear once it breaks the surface. If the vine section is potted at the soil level, the original leaf will last for years as it grows super fast multitudinous skinny growths with small leaves. If you bury it, the original leaf will rot and fall off, but it will send up strong fat vines that develop big elaborate leaves

Here's the second generation plant that came from the mother plant, that I cut to make the plant that I cut today..


This is 3 cuttings that went into one pot after they rooted

check it out- less than 2 weeks later- new roots

Leaves actually look better because they have relaxed and re-oriented toward the windows now that they aren't competing for light

This post was GREAT! My plant has grown and grown. One winter I had it out on porch and it froze. It lost a lot of its beautiful leafs and turned black. I just knew I had lost it. I brought it in and nursed it with plenty of water and Jobe spikes. To my amazement it came back. I have gotten several more plants from it. I love it. Thank you for sharing all the info.

Great tutorial! Lovely leaves! I have a lot of plants that I snip often so they don't get too tall for the available windows. A plant taller than about 5 ft. can't get light @ the top in my house. I need a window stretcher!

Terrific and helpful thread.

I have had the same experience.. as long as a freeze is not deep enough to freeze pot completely, it will grow back if you cut off dead growth.