Hello!

I have been gifted this lovely Swiss cheese plant and I love them and the 70's vibe!

However please look at the pictures it's grow over and out of its pot in a weird way!

Can I just get a big pot and plant it in soil upto it's 'U' bend?

What would you do!? Many thanks from a novice house planter - Jo

Hi jolsand,
Yes indeed, you can definitely put your Split-Leaf Philodendron (Monstera deliciosa) into a larger pot and just twist that u-shaped stem around and cover those roots with soil.

Swiss Cheese Plant or Split Leaf Philodendron are common names for Monstera deliciosa, native to Central America. If you have ever seen these plants growing in the wild, they are climbing trees. Back in the 70's, they came with a fern stake that they attached themselves to with those air roots growing from the stem of your plant.

You could bury the entire stem but your pot would have to be awfully big. The better option might be to grow new plants from cuttings of your old plant.

Yes and yes !!! Butt i side a little more with Dasiyl. Theres a potential for many babies from rooy cuttings. Ohh!!!😜 One in each room.a forest of them.and of course ! Christmas gifts ! Tis the season 😎😎😎

I agree with Lin, what you have is a Split-leaf Philodendron. It's not really the same as Swiss Cheese Philo which has smaller leaves with holes. Here's mine:


I also agree that you can pot it up, turn that long stem around into the pot again, and have it carry on. But you probably already know, these plants get huge. The name "Monstera" is a clue here. It will keep on creeping along like that and trying to climb out of the pot. Turning the pot regularly to keep it growing towards the light will help it make a curve and stay in a pot for a while, but eventually you're going to want a big, sturdy stake in the pot with burlap fastened to it, so the thing can climb.

Mine is in a 20 inch pot and the roots are now starting to grow long OUTSIDE of the pot. I suppose I should get a pic. LOL I don't know what I'm going to do with it in another year or 2 or 3.

Elaine,

Swiss Cheese Plant, Swiss Cheese Philodendron, Split Leaf Philodendron are all Monstera deliciosa.

Daisy

The Split-Leaf is sometimes called Swiss Cheese but this one is the original.

Swiss Cheese Vine (Monstera obliqua)

And this is the one I have:

Monstera deliciosa has a lot bigger leaves, makes immensely bigger plants and also makes large delicious fruit (that the raccoons always eat up here).

There's also an actual Philodendron called split-leaf philodendron, Philodendron bipinnatifidum.

How about air-layering as an option for jolsand's plant?

Well, here is my "monstera"....................I better watch out or the roots will reach out and strangle me some day when I walk into the greenhouse.

@AnnaZ, you should add your photo to the database! Your plant is the Tree Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) and they really can grow big like the Monstera deliciosa! Their aerial roots will sometimes reach out and encircle anything nearby but they will also grow as a stand alone plant with the aerial roots growing down and taking root to anchor the stem/base into the ground. The Tree Philo's seem to be popular landscape plants here in Florida. We had them in the yard at our house in Daytona Beach where we lived for 43 years and we have a few growing along the side of our house here in Sebastian and also on one side of the fence as a screen.


One has roots beginning to encircle a small oak tree:


I brought two potted Monstera deliciosa plants with me when we moved here 7 months ago and to show what a bad plant caretaker I can be at times ... they both were stuck out in a shady area of our yard; one is root-bound and I really need to put it in the ground or find a larger pot for it. The other one got dumped out of it's pot and it's still laying there after all these months with bare roots and only 2 leaves on a stem. It may have taken root into the ground but I haven't checked ... it's still alive though!

I think I need to build a "dome" where I can plant stuff in the ground like the philo, and not have to dig it up.

check out this Monstera at Longwood Gardens (indoor)
https://plantexplorer.longwood...

Oh, now..........that just makes me ill.

Oh my goodness ... that is Awesome!

@annaz. Wow !! Pic of roots !!!
Looks like little shop of horrors.
With rick morranis.
FEED ME !! FEED ME !!
Feed me semoure feed me all day long.....so ill grow big and strong!!!
👺😜😬
😎😎😎

Philip, if you went up there and looked at that mess of roots after you'd been on a bender, you'd think it was an undulating mass of snakes.

Hi all - I've not checked back here since posting and wow! What kind, informative and lovely advice you have all given me - and some inspiration !!!

I've decided to keep the plant as it is in the pot for now as it fits well in the space I've got on this shelf:

I really want this plant to thrive - I've researched - I'm letting it dry out inbetween watering and its in a 'sunny but not direct sun' position - (not that we get much sun here in Sheffield uk!)

Even so one leaf has a this brown spotting? - it's been in the same home for 5+ Years before coming to me - wondering if it's the change in conditions? What do you think I can do? Shall I chop this leaf off?



Will into getting the thing a stake so it can climb!

Thanks again for all help and advice and any more is greatly appreciated -

Jo

OMG, Sally! I just had to look. They sure don't call it monstera for nothing.

Hay !!!😁😁😁
You should name it WILD THING #

😎😎😎

@AnnaZ
It sure is a bender !!!
😎😎😎