I accidentally broke off a leaf on my sons cheese plant and I'm trying to grow it



Although after 3 weeks it still looks ok I'm a bit concerned that the leaf has turned over so the shiny part is underneath. I'd really like to get this growing if I can so any help/advise appreciated.

Is the leaf attached to part of the original vine, or is it just the leaf itself? In order to root, it'll need more than just the leaf, but part of the vine itself.

Hi futurenets,

With my old eyes, I can't tell from your photo whether or not there's any of the vine-stem in the soil or if it's just a single leaf. Did you remove the bottom leaves and pot the stem so that a few of the nodes (little bumpy areas along the stem) are below the soil? Although many plants like African Violets can be propagated by sticking a single leaf into the soil, I don't think that will work for Philodendron plants but hopefully if others have managed to propagate a vine in that manner they will chime in with advice.

I'm not certain what plant you have when you refer to "Cheese" Plant; can you possibly upload a photo here of your son's plant that your leaf came from? Both Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera obliqua 'Leichtlinii') and Split-Leaf Philodendron (Monstera deliciosa) have the common name of Swiss Cheese Plant. The holes and splits in the leaves don't occur until the plant ages. The leaves will form many slits, splits and or holes as they mature.

Another way I've grown philodendron cuttings is to lay the stem across the pot and cover the stem with soil; the stem will take root at each node. Some folks have good success at rooting stems in water but when using that method just be sure that no leaves remain below the surface of the water or they will rot.

I think this what it came from



not sure about the terms used but if the leaf is attached to a stem, the stem broke off where it was attached to the main plant and I put it in some soil. It doesn't look like its not surviving but as you probably have figured out I know very little about this? I read that cuttings were quite easy to grow.

Here's another image ...

If I understand correctly, it doesn't like it'll survive. You will need part of the vine to propagate it successfully. Just the leaf/stem where the leaf connects (minus the vine where the stem connects to), there will be nothing to root.

futurenets, The plant in your photo is the Split-Leaf Philodendron (Monstera deliciosa)

Excuse the not so great image below but I cut a stem from my Monstera deliciosa plant and tried to annotate the different parts. Do you recall if the leaf you planted had a thick piece of stem attached? It doesn't need to be a large piece, just a small portion may be all that's needed for roots to form but if all you planted was a single leaf with only the leafstalk (petiole) attached and not part of the plants stem, I don't think it will take root. Please keep us posted on the outcome!

thank you for all the great replies.

From the above image we have just the leaf and the (full) petiole. My wife has suggested simply putting the petiole is a glass of water so I'll keep you posted but I suspect we'll need to buy a new plant.

Your profile doesn't state the part of the country where you live but both Walmart and Home Depot here quite often carry the Monstera deliciosa at a reasonable price.

I gave up on the leaf & stem and bought a new plant and I have a few question ...

1. I took the plant out of the existing pot and all the roots looked like they didn't have enough room so I re-potted it but how do you decide on the size of the pot?

2. Red arrows (click to enlarge) are pointing to what look like roots, is this normal?


3. All the leaves are leaning heavily in one direction, does that mean it requires turning every so often so they spread out more?

4. How often should I water this and what about baby bio (plant food)?

5. What's the best position - not too much sun light?

Hi, @futurenets. Yes, this is completely normal. That is a young Monstera deliciosa and in nature it is a vining/climber type of plant. It has roots that anchor the base in the ground (or wherever the seed germinated), but the as it grows, it will send out what are called "air roots" from along the stem. As these air roots come in contact with something (such as a tree trunk), they will latch on to it by producing additional little fibrous-like rootlets, providing both stability for the Monstera as well as another source of nutrients. You can grow it like this for a little while, but eventually (and soon) it will need something to climb. These are beautiful plants, and once they get attached to something and start growing, you will see a major change in the leaves - not only do they begin to change shape by developing more holes and slits in each leaf, but they will start to increase in size. In the right conditions, Monstera deliciosa can get HUGE! It's amazing and one of my absolute favorite plants.

This is a pic of mine growing out in my back yard. For scale reference, the trunk of the tree it is growing on is at least 2 feet wide. The largest leaves are probably about 3 feet or more wide. Overall, this towers over my head - at least to about 7 feet high. Hard to believe this is the exact same kind plant that you have growing there, huh?

Oh, and to answer you other questions:

You can turn the plant periodically (such maybe a 1/4 turn once a week). There's no real *correct* schedule, just as long as you are somewhat consistent with what schedule you choose.

Watering: These guys are pretty tolerant plants as long as they aren't kept sitting in wet soil. The best is to keep the solid damp, but not wet. It is best to let the plant tell you when it needs water by checking the soil: when the top inch or so of soil is dry it is time to water. The is may be every 3 or 4 days, or it could be once a week - and it can vary throughout the year depending on the growth of the plant and size of the pot. Just don't keep the soil wet or the plant my rot. Basically, to understand a good level of soil moisture, take a handful of moist soil - if you can squeeze water out of it, it is too wet. If it is moist, but you can't squeeze any water out of it, that is perfect. It is best (and easiest to maintain) if you let the whole thing dry slightly before watering again. There are any number of types of fertilizers you can use, and for this type of plant, most are ok, just make sure to follow the instruction for whatever you purchase. You probably don't need to fertilize too often.

Light: Outdoors they can handle anything from full shade to nearly full sun, but indoors, you will want to give it as much light as you can. A bright sunny window will be perfect. You will want to mist the plant a couple times of day to simulate the humid environment this plant likes, but it is tolerant of dry indoor air. My big one in the previous pic is growing in nearly full (but bright) shade with almost no direct sun at all.

Thank you, great information. I live in a first floor apartment
and need to find something it can attach to.