Hi!
I'm relatively new to gardening.
I seem to have a similar problem as WKcai.
I already have an existing monstera deliciosa fir the past 3 months which seems to be growing very well so far. I usually keep it in my room by the window. In the photo, I was cleaning my room and just put it out for a while.
I was given a new smaller monstera deliciosa about 3 weeks ago. I noticed that the smaller one has those kind of brown powdery spots that can be easily wiped off. But they leave a yellow spot on the leaves where they have been. And the plant overall doesn't look as healthy.
The bigger one has some on one of the leaves as well.
I would wipe them off with a soft cloth dipped in light soapy water. But they will come back.
Are those some kind of insects or moulds or something?
I don't use any pesticipes. I haven't used any fertilizers yet on those 2 plants.
I have not repotted those 2 plants yet neither.
I was told I should repot the bigger one. I'm still hesitating.














The soil that it came with.


You need to click on the photo to open the image and see the details in the 2nd photo.

@Ipanna - I don't see any evidence of pests or pest damage. A photo that shows the dusty stuff you are wiping off would be helpful.

Your Monsteras may be getting a bit too much direct sunlight that close to the window. They may also be underwatered just a bit. Both are at a point where they could stay for a while longer in their pots are be up-potted one size.

Water them very thoroughly as soon as the surface of the soil is dry. If the soil dries again after a few days, then it is probably best to up-pot.

Hi,

I have some problems with my Monstera. Like you can see on the picture the plant is next to a window but behind curtains that never open (so no direct contact with sunlight). I give it once a week some water (+/- 300 ml), but also spray it twice a week with water. Every two weeks i give it some fertilizer (less than indicated on the package).
Can someone tell me what's possibly wrong with my plant?
thanks

@Henri29 - You are too worried about direct sunlight. Open up the blinds so your Monstera gets more light. I also suspect you are not giving it enough water. Wait for the top half-inch of soil to get dry before adding enough water so that bit trickles through the drain holes.

Stop fertilizing altogether as it is not helping and may be aggravating the problem.

@WillC Hi Will, it's amazing that you take the time to respond so thoroughly to all of this messages.

I bought my absolutely beautiful monstera a month ago (picture 1), and it was heavily discounted because it had grown too much, and had possibly been overwatered. Though there is no root rot (i "repotted it" to check without removing most of the soil it came in and just adding a bit of potting soil), there were several brown spots both in the middle and on the edges of leaves and I cut the most damaged ones. I kept some of them to track the changes to the brown spots, which have since dried out (pictures 3, 4 and 5), as they started out soft and flexible.

I water it every 10 days until water drains out and then dry the plate below it, and it gets some light during the day –the room it's in has northwest and southwest facing windows, and because it's winter and days are shorter and way darker I put it right by the balcony door (picture 2). It never receives direct sunlight (in summer that spot does, but I'm planning to move it to the corner next to where the photo was taken from), so there's no risk of burning, but it does get quite a bit of light during the day. I mist it at least once a day, because with the heater the environment gets pretty dry.

Here are the problems I've noticed:
1. I cut the damaged part of some leaves I thought could be salvaged, and now they're yellowing and dying. Is cutting parts of leaves useless? Should I just cut them off completely?
2. It's not growing, but I'm assuming that's because it's winter, but I think it may have developed some new brown spots. I'm willing to cut as many leaves as necessary in order for it to be as healthy and happy as possible, whatever the aesthetic results. Do you think it can be saved? Is it normal for it too look a little sad during winter? Would a growing light help?
3. Is one month enough to change the problems it had before I got it? If not, when should I begin to worry?
4. How often should I mist it? I panic a bit every time I notice the leaves are fully dry.

Thank you so much, again, and have a great day!

(1)


(2)


(3, 4, 5)




Some extra photos, taken at night.

@anavalencia - Hi Ana. Thank you for your kind words. Much appreciated. It is easy and a labor of love for me. I know my lengthy answers annoy some folks, but I find that brief answers often lead to misunderstandings so I try to be thorough. I apologize for my delayed reply, but I have been busy with my paid consultation work this week.

I don't have a good explanation for the leaf discoloration that you see. The small spots are natural blemishes. The larger patches of brown may, in part, be physical in nature from rough handling, pets or possibly exposure to a draft when the door is opened. It is also possible the damage was done before you purchased it. If none of those seem to apply, then there is some disturbance with the roots.

The key is how well the new growth does. It should be spot-free. Trimming portions of the older damaged leaves will not cause further deterioration of those leaves, but it may not prevent further discoloration either. If most of a leaf is discolored or otherwise unattractive, cut it off for aesthetic reasons. It will have no bearing on the health of the plant.

All you can control is light and water. Keeping it close to and in front of the window is fine. Unless you live very far north, the shorter days should not have a big impact on the plant' although the growth rate may be a bit slower. A grow light might help a bit, but it is not at all necessary.

Watering may be a bit more tricky. If you added soil to the top of the original rootball, remove it. Then allow the top half to one-inch to dry before watering thoroughly.

It often takes plants a few months to settle into their new environments. I suspect yours may be struggling a bit because of its apparent mishandling before it got to you. Be patient and I think it will do just fine.

Will, thank you for your answer, much appreciated. I'll follow your advice. This week i noticed small bugs on the plant (picture below). Can you tell me what these are and if i shoud do something about it?
Thanks

@Will C Thank you so much. I really appreciate it! Hopefully she'll be happy <3

@Henri29 - 'm sorry I can't id those white specks from the photo. Are there any other symptoms? Do they return soon after you wipe them away?

@WillC - yes, they do return and keep moving. At this moment i can only see them at the highest leaves of the plant.

My Monstera is dying.. and I don't know why. When I first got it for the first 6-8 months ago it was growing like crazy, and sprouted at least 8-12 new leaves. I have it next to big glass window door so it gets plenty of light during the day. Within the last 2 months however it started to grow brown/black spots, and over half of the leaves turned yellow/brown and died. I'm not sure what to do. Is it possible that the roots outgrew the small pot?

Dear Will,
Thank you so much for taking time to answer! I'll follow your advice and monitor them a bit more in their current pots.

Re light: I usually draw the white curtains, so it filters the sun a bit. It should be ok, no?

This is the photo with the brown dusty stuff. You need to click on the photo to open it up. The dust is found around the yellow spots.

Hi there,

I happened across this thread because I am of course having a similar problem with my Monstera. Similar to the original post, I repotted my Monstera and these brown spots started appearing shortly after, I do believe that it needed to be repotted, as it was extremely pot bound (it was a new plant but I noticed it was not doing well, and discovered how pot bound it was). It was in a 6inch container and I repotted to an 8 inch pot, using Ocean Forest Potting Mix and I mixed in perlite. Is there anything I can do?

Hi there
Could I please get some help with my Monstera plant?
I bought this plant 2 weeks ago and it seems that it is growing well (it is summer here). However, I have found brown spots on some of the lower leaves? Is the plant sick? What can I do to make it better?
Thanks for your assistance.

@ppp512 - Your Monstera is fine and healthy. The brown spots are not a cause for concern. Keep it within 5 feet of a sunny window. Allow the top inch of soil to dry before watering it thoroughly. That's all the basic care that it requires.

You will have to decide what you want to do with the stems that will grow very long. Some folks like to prop them up while others prefer to let them trail over the edge of the pot. A third option is to prune back any stems that get too long.

WillC said:@ppp512 - Your Monstera is fine and healthy. The brown spots are not a cause for concern. Keep it within 5 feet of a sunny window. Allow the top inch of soil to dry before watering it thoroughly. That's all the basic care that it requires.

You will have to decide what you want to do with the stems that will grow very long. Some folks like to prop them up while others prefer to let them trail over the edge of the pot. A third option is to prune back any stems that get too long.

Thanks so much for your advice. Much appreciated:)

Hi, I came across this thread while trying to find out what is wrong with my Monstera and was hoping someone would have some advice. The last two photos are of a leaf that I trimmed off the plant. When I first got the plant this leaf had a large brown spot and was yellowing with a few of the black tiny lines. I didn't worry too much because all of the other leaves appeared to be fine. Since then the leaf is now covered in these tiny black specks on both the top and bottom of the leaf. I have now noticed that the underside of the other leaves have also started getting the black spots (the first two photos). They are slightly raised bumps and look like tiny lines. I have googled lots of diseases and signs of not enough/too much light or water or root issues and so on or even possible insect eggs? but I can't seem to find anything that matches up.
I have another two Monstera's that both don't have this problem.
I would greatly appreciate any help. Thank you!
(the Monstera is kept indoors in filtered light but the photos were taken at night)

@emmm555 - Plant problems cannot be properly diagnosed from examining the leaf symptoms alone. Those symptoms are generic with possible causes including improper light, watering and repotting. Please post a photo that shows the entire plant, including its pot and provide information on its location and your watering routine.

After hours of searching for what the problem is with my monstera I'm sooo glad I found this thread as I may finally get some answers!

I first had my monstera positioned about 2 meters away from a west facing window and watered it about once every 2 weeks (I waited for the top 2-3 cm of the soil to become dry). It is also planted in a pot that allows the water to be drained.
But it now most of the leaves have big brown patches on it, even a on a new leaf! However, two leaves (including one newly developing leaf) do not show any signs of brown spots.

Just wondering where I've gone wrong and how I can improve it. I also just moved it to a different position to a north facing window seeing if this could help.

Thank you in advance !!

Hi, I also have a problem with my monstera, and was wondering if you know what is wrong and what may have caused it. My plant has some healthy new leaves, and there are more new leaves appearing, I have attached the images below and would be extremely grateful for any help you can give!!