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 Melissanmarley Apr 13, 2018 12:29 PM CST |
| Hello all, I bought a Monstera Deliciosa plant last summer which has struggled to survive over winter, the leaves began yellowing and dying so i trimmed them off, and the plants roots were showing which resulted in the plant constantly tipping over and snapping the delicate stems. I repotted it in to a bigger pot and realised it preferred to be watered in the shower so that water traveled all the way through and could be drained off. I've been doing this weekly and it seemed to be much happier. Earlier today i was carrying the plant in to the bathroom to be watered and accidentally got the light switch pull entangled around the biggest/healthiest leaf which took it clean off.  Is there anything i can do with the leaf, maybe as a cutting? Or can only a stem be used as a cutting?  The plant looks ridiculous now with bare stems pointing upwards. Will the leaves ever grow back? Is there anything i can do to quicken the process of growing new leaves? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you. Melissa    |
Name: Will Creed NYC Prof. plant consultant & educator  WillC Apr 13, 2018 12:55 PM CST |
| Melissa - I'm afraid that the broken leaf and leaf stems will not propagate. Seeing the photo of the plant, I think you have some larger issues that need to be addressed, notably leaf spots on most of the remaining leaves. I don't see a window anywhere it sight of your Monstera, so I suspect it is not getting enough light. It does not need direct sun falling on its leaves, but it does need to be within a couple of feet from a sunny window. The pot is much larger than necessary. The excess soil in the large pot will tend to retain moisture for too long and suffocate the roots. You will have to be very careful to allow the soil to dry about 2 inches deep into the pot before watering lightly. I believe a weekly dosing in the shower is too much for it. Will Creed Horticultural Help, NYC www.HorticulturalHelp.com Contact me directly at [email protected] I now have a book available on indoor plant care |
Melissanmarley Apr 13, 2018 4:14 PM CST |
WillC said:Melissa - I'm afraid that the broken leaf and leaf stems will not propagate. Thank you for your reply Will. Oh no, are those leaf spots really bad?  The room it's in now has 2 large south facing windows that provide sun most of the day, but i try to keep it out of direct light. If i remember correctly the leaves became soft and droopy around late autumn and i was worried my rather cold flat might harm it, so i moved it in to the kitchen for a while, this is when the spots appeared. The kitchen has no direct light at all so i guess that's what caused the spots.  There's been no new spots since i moved it back, but should i be worried that the spots are still there? I shall lay off watering it so often. It seems sturdier in the bigger pot, and it seems to stand up (if that makes sense) whereas in the smaller pot the leaves hung down past the bottom of the pot, but i don't want the bigger pot to cause more problems. As for the bare stems, am i supposed to trim them back or just leave them? Again, thank you so much for your advice, it's much appreciated. You can probably tell, i have no idea what i'm doing   |
Name: Will Creed NYC Prof. plant consultant & educator WillC Apr 13, 2018 4:52 PM CST |
| Melissa - The leafspots will not go away, but they are not symptoms of a disease and won't spread to other leaves as long as you improve the light and watering. A room may be bright, but as soon as you get more than a few feet from a window, the light intensity drops off dramatically. Monstera is a naturally vining plant that was not designed by nature to stand upright. It does grow upright initially, but then it naturally will trail over the side of the pot. If you prefer, you can prop up the stems with stakes, but a large pot does not help. The leafless leaf stems should be cut off entirely. Will Creed Horticultural Help, NYC www.HorticulturalHelp.com Contact me directly at [email protected] I now have a book available on indoor plant care |
Monstermummy1610 Jan 1, 2020 7:15 PM CST |
| I know this is an old post but I have a similar question! I bought a baby Monstera online about 2 weeks ago and unfortunately 3 of the bigger leaves were damaged and fell off (guess that's to be expected to when it's was delivering from the Netherlands to Scotland!). Should l cut off the bare stalks? If so, how far down should I cut because the stalks still have a healthy leaf attached? Hopefully the attached photos will help clarify what I mean.   |
Name: Will Creed NYC Prof. plant consultant & educator WillC Jan 4, 2020 9:35 AM CST |
| The leaf stems can be cut off back where they emerge from the main stem. Keep your plant close to a north or east window. Do your best to keep the soil damp but not wet. New growth will be slow as it puts most of its energy into filling the pot with roots first. Will Creed Horticultural Help, NYC www.HorticulturalHelp.com Contact me directly at [email protected] I now have a book available on indoor plant care |
Name: Jen Atlantic Canada  JenRose Jan 9, 2020 6:22 PM CST |
I broke off a leaf and part of its stem on mine. I left it and it grew a new stock and leaf out of the old one. That being said, I broke off a second leaf and stem and left it and it just turned yellow.. so.. it's a gamble.   |
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