I have an otherwise healthy 2 year old Monstera. It's about 5 feet tall. Earlier this year I repotted. The current pot is 13". I don't think it could be root bound yet.

About a month ago I started having lower leaves turn yellow. It's possible that the room was extra hot and the plant got dry too fast. I usually water every 2-3 weeks. I trimmed those leaves and have tried to be extra diligent with watering. I've lost about 6 leaves so far and have now noticed two more. On the weekend I watered from the bottom too. The plant is not dripping from tbe leaves, so is it possible it is still dry? I have a moisture meter which says it's dry but it never budged even while the pot was soaking in an inch of water. The yellowing leaves are all the lowest level leaves. Plant is still producing new growth with striations.

Help I don't want to loose this one.


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How close to a window is it? Since it's the lower leaves that are yellowing it's probably just natural loss of unneeded leaves. You will lose more if the plant is getting less light than it likes and fewer if the light is sufficient. Dump the moisture meter, they are notoriously unreliable. Just make sure that the entire root-ball is wet when you water it. Put it in a sink, or bathtub in a pan, and pour water over the whole surface of the soil. Let it soak for 30 to 60 minutes then drain. That will make sure that the whole thing is soaked.

the room is fairly bright. It's a two-storey room with a huge window at about 10 feet high that lets in lots of light. the window is south-facing. The room gets very hot but the plant itself is about 18 feet from the wall.

I wasn't sure if "natural loss" was a thing, but that's what I'm hoping. I really gave it a good soak on the weekend, but the surface is dry again. I am worried about over-watering but I will give it a good water again this weekend, and hopefully that really saturates the soil.

How much leaf loss should you expect for natural loss?

I gave it a good and thorough water last weekend. I thought it was doing well. Just noticed 2 more low yellow leaves. Also noticed two new high leaves. They haven't opened yet but the growth is there. Should I worry as long as the plant is producing new growth?

As long as it keeps growing new leaves it's good. As warm and bright as it gets, you might want to check it more often. Light intensity and temperature affect the growth rate and water needs. The warmer and brighter it is, the more water they need. If it's that bright you probably can't overwater it unless you water it every day.

I think that your plant is gorgeous and beautiful! You are worrying for nothing.
First, you can not grow a 'perfect plant'! That ideal does not exist. Plants, even the most healthy, drop unneeded leaves.
I would rethink your light but honestly, it is so healthy looking now!! How could it be doing any better? And remember, if the room is bright enough for you, does not mean that it is bright enough for some plants.
And if I have one thing I could help you with it would be to get rid of the moisture meter. They are famous for being inaccurate!
Use you eyes to tell you it needs water. And one thing else, excessively warm rooms is not a good thing for many plants. Some do not respond well to large temperature swings.

Bill is correct. You are worrying about nothing. You have to understand something about trunking and vining aroids, which is what Monstera deliciosa is.
Aroids like Mickey D are epiphytes. A climbing vining aroid. In its natural setting it will climb over 30 feet up a tree. In captivity, it will still climb but always fall short.
ALL climbing aroids ditch the lowest leaves as they climb. They want to have less baggage to support, because they are looking for sunlight. Anyone who has grown any climber knows that the lower leaves will eventually fall off and leave a bare meristem.
That is what your plant is trying to do. Its a natural thing. In your house, you cannot give a Mickey D the room and height it needs to climb. SO it will ditch those lower leaves, because that is its natural history.

Thank you. I could understand the odd lead but it's lost about 20 leaves over the last month. I've nurtured this for two years now so I'd hate to lose it. Thank you for the advice, it's very reassuring.

I have a 56 year old pothos that I've managed to keep alive, other than that, most plants don't survive with me.

How often should it get a full water in the sink to really drench the soil?

In the house Its hard to know. I would say water it every 4-6 days, depending on the ambient humidity of your grow space and the air movement. I try not to offer advice to people who grow in the house beyond the actual description of how a plant grows naturally in the wild. Everyone's 'houseplant' conditions vary. My advice would be to research how Monstera grows in the wild, and adapt that knowledge to your individual household conditions.
People cannot expect to duplicate what a plant will do in the wild to that their house conditions are. That is just the way things are are.