Hi averyone,

I've been learning a lot for this forum and I've decided to contribute a bit with my new plant propagation while I keep learning.
A month ago I got a not so great highly variegated monstera albo cutting, which included an aerial root. See pictures below (from seller).





The seller had it in water, which I continued doing, although I've started using distilled water and General Hydroponics Rapidstart root enhancer. Then, the aerial root started showing a small root! Unfortunately, the node end was experiencing some root rot (not sure if it was rotting yet). Using a clean knife I removed the rotten part.
After reading Gina1960 which recommended using either LECA or Perlite for propagation, I've decided to move it to perlite. So far it has been less than a week in that medium and everything seems to look the same. I will take pictures when it gets to a full week since I would like to inspect the node for root rot.
I am looking forward to hearing any ideas or recommendations!
Thanks

Update: I think I failed this project… I was hoping to check tomorrow for any root rot, but this morning I've noticed that the light colored baby root turned dark… took it out of the perlite and I saw this:





There is any way to salvage this?
I am super bummed about it.

Personally, I'd root it in soil. Kept damp, as it likes, but not in water - as it's not a water plant (hydroponics is different, because the method doesn't have them sitting in water.) That's how I've done mine; I just stick them in watered soil in a brightly shaded humid place, and let them form roots which they do very well. Maybe it's not too late to do just this with your alba cutting.

As it happens, a piece of thick stem with roots on a solid green Monstera was left behind in a very shady humid unwatered location when I cleared everything else out last year sometime... and this last month has seen a new little leaf growing out of the stem that's been sitting there unwatered all this time! I get the sense these are pretty resilient plants if you can offer something akin to their natural habitat.

Don't know if this will help, but I'm hoping for you.

Its my considered opinion, whether its popular or not, that water should NEVER bet used to 'root' Monstera. Your cutting had a big fat adventitious root that could have been placed in either damp moss or just planted in chunky soil mix and probably been fine. Leaving it soaking in water is the misstep.
I have actually stopped posting on all these Monstera cutting rooting threads, because, well, most are the same.
Just because a seller tells you what they are doing, or advises you to do something...you do not have to follow that advice. Its not like they are extending you a 'plant warranty' and saying, if you don;t do what I suggest, if bad things happen, I won;t give you your money back....most of us know that once you buy something its your responsibility. And just because they were doing that, you don;t have to.

Also, WHY were THEY keeping it in water? Is it because they actually did cut it off their own growing large plant, and were temporarily holding it over until they sold it, or...is it because they themselves got it AS A CUTTING via importing or somewhere else so have not gone the extra step to already root it?

This may sound mean but...its my opinion after watching all this Monstera drama play out for the past 2 years +/- that no one should EVER buy a cutting of Monstera whether variegated or non-variegated ever again. If you can;t get a real rooted growing plant, PASS

Thank you for your comments! I will try that, SkirtGardener. Crossing my fingers.
I am a noobie about the propagation and growth of green leaf plants. I am most familiar with cacti and succulents.
My obsession with plants started when walking back from work at night in downtown LA and I saw a chunk of a cactus in the street, near the curb.
I got it in my truck and planted it at home. Fast forward a couple of years later and many more rescued plants, the cactus is a beautiful 6ft tall green stick!
I was scared about taking care of green leaf plants, but so far I've been lucky with my regular monstera (discarded by a friend because it lost the only fenestrated leaf) and fiddle leaf fig (I got it from a cutting, with one leaf and no roots- it has 5 now and it's planted in soil).
I was hoping to have another success story, but I might have killed this plant... I am trying to not lose hope, so thank you for the kind words.

paps if you would just WAIT you could snag an entire rooted growing plant of variegated Monstera for a definite discount over what a cutting is going for...Costa Farms has already started test marketing their TC Monstera Thai Constellations in various markets and is supposed to me releasing it on a widespread basis in 2022.

They have already busted out Caladium lindenii recently, which was a plant that had long gone out of the public eye but which everyone had decided they wanted

Pabs, I've gone through a lot of trial and error figuring out how things can propagate well on a wide scale in my climate. Especially with leafy trees and shrubs outdoors. What I do now is cut a white (or yellow, not frosted) milk jug almost in half (4th side acts as a hinge), poked for drainage and filled with a well-draining but water-retaining sandy loam, and place my little cuttings in that... in the full sun, lid off (but maybe replaced with a shadier venting option, like a disposable glove), watered as often as my container plants in the same area. A twist tie holds the top closed, INSIDE the bottom half, and I end up with a very mobile (and free!) mini greenhouse suitable for providing the bright shade and humidity that cuttings need, still vented enough not to harbor disease issues. (Only if located in mostly shade, is a frosted or clear dome advisable.) The jug doesn't offer a lot of room for real growth, but it works for small cuttings long enough to get some decent roots. In case the idea helps.

In my experience, whether a leaf is fenestrated has everything to do with the quality of light it's getting to grow by. (Maybe also, whether it is allowed to grow up or trail; I don't really know.) I put my big solid Monstera outside every summer, in the shade, and it grows big and happy. My little Albo, which I received as a single-node cutting and has since grown big enough to take 2 more from, is not large enough yet to show much fenestration... though it does have some. Over the winter I'll have it under lights... so hopefully it will continue to grow very nicely.

You're welcome, and thank you.

I think I posted in the wrong thread. Can an experienced eye tell me if my cutting has stem rot? I'm worried sick since I discovered minor root rot on my cutting. I have it sitting in half perlite/spagnum moss with a scattering of charcoal to play it safe. I also sprayed the potting mixture with fungicide. I have the option of returning it but I want to know if this is salvageable.



I cut the slight root rot off already, so far it seems alright. Though, I cannot say the same for the stem!