I received a Monstera adansonii as an early birthday present today (I guess the word must be out that I've been going houseplant crazy as of late) -- I was just wondering if there's anything in particular that I should know about their care? Especially vis-a-vis watering because some sources I found say to keep the soil moist at all times while others suggest letting the soil dry out.

I have placed it on a side table in my living room that's about 6 ft away from a full height East window and 8 ft from a big all-glass Northeastern wall, so I think it will have adequate light even tho there is no direct sun.

It's a very nice plant. Congratulations!

Keep it in that pot for the foreseeable future. It can be double-potted if you don't like the look of the plastic pot.

The light there is fine, but more on the low end of ideal.

Water it thoroughly as soon as the top half-inch of soil feels dry. The soil below that will stay moist. That explains the apparent contradiction of what you read.

This is a vining plant that will send out long runners that can become too long and unruly after a while. The best way to control them is to prune back each vine as much or as little as you prefer to keep them at the length you prefer. New growth on a pruned vine will resume right where you make the pruning cut. Pruned off tip cuttings will root easily in plain water or in small pots filled with damp potting mix.

Fertilize sparingly. Increased humidity and misting are not necessary.

Enjoy!

I believe this species, like it's very popular cousin - called split leaf, has a handy habit. I mean the number of holes in a new leaf is indicative of how much light it is getting. If a new leaf has less holes, it needs more light. It is nice when plants can give you feedback on how it is doing. Gene

Thank you for your advice Will and Gene. I'm starting to think that perhaps the plant does, in fact, need more light because of the new growth that's come in does indeed have fewer holes. I am also seeing some brown tips on a couple of the leaves and I don't know why this would happen?

So I actually measured the distance from the plant to the windows, and it is 12.5 ft from a North (NE) window and 11ft from an East window, my East window is sort of semi blocked with tall plants. I took some pictures so you can see (sorry about the dog photobombing, he was very interested in what I'm doing!).

What do you think? Shall I move it?


New Leaf


Brown spots



Plant's position and Light intake

IMO, one foot from a NE window might not be enough light. Gene

Moving it closer to the window would definitely improve its growth rate. Optimal light for this plant is close to a window, but just beyond the reach of the sun's direct rays. It will do fine with less, but not more than 6-8 feet from the nearest window.

Some unsolicited advice: Your Fiddle Fig is healthy and growing well, but like all such Figs, it is reaching a point (height) where it needs to be pruned soon.

Yes, the fiddle will definitely need to get pruned back this summer, I purposefully let the plants in that window get a bit unruly because a high rise hotel opened across the street and I wanted some privacy, but it's getting tall enough that the top won't get light at this point.

Hi there, I've had my Monstera for about five months now and just over this past week his leaves have started to turn yellow. Where I live the humidity just dropped since autumn has hit, could that be the reason behind this and if so how would you suggest treating him. I have no experience with houseplants so any advice or help is much appreciated! Thanks!

You are underwatering.

Hi, Im a new houseplant owner and would really appreciate any help and advice!
I just received a monstera adansonii and most of it's leaves have been turning brown in different spots and one particular leaf is very yellow. Im not sure what to do.

@Aranxadelmar - We need more information. How long ago did you receive it?

How was it transported? Was there any cold exposure?

Is it still in the pot it came in?

How do you decide when to water and how much do you provide?

How far is it from the nearest window?

Thank you for replying!
I got it as a christmas present.

I live in Puerto Rico so its never that cold here. I do have it in my room and at night i do use an air conditioner and i always have it at 70 degrees or so.

It is still in its nursery pot.

I water it whenever the top soil is dry and i mist it frequently like 3 times a week.

It is placed right next to a west facing window which light comes in very bright at 3-4 pm. It will not stay there forever but since its so new i like to five them a few weeks of good light to get used to my mostly moody room.

In winter the humidity isn't what it normally is but after febuary it's very high.

I hope this helped. Im not really an expert obviously and i really love all my plants. I appreciate your help.

Temperature is not a problem nor is humidity. The light should be okay as long as the window is completely uncovered (no sheers) throughout the day.

That leaves watering as the prime suspect. I suggest allowing the top inch of soil to get very dry before adding enough water all over the surface of the soil until a bit trickles through the drain holes. It is important to water thoroughly. Misting is not a substitute for or a good way to water.

I suspect it may not have been treated properly before your getting it a few weeks ago. The discolored leaves will not recover so they can be trimmed off. Look for the emergence of healthy new leaves as an indication that it is recovering.

Thank you for the advice on watering, i have been really nervous of under watering since an incident with my ivy plant but i will take your recommendation to hold back until it's very necessary.

I have noticed some new growth which has me quite excited i really want this plant to survive and be happy.

Healthy new growth is good news!

Its been a couple days and im getting two new leaves but one of them i can already see is coming in with a brown spot the other is perfect tho. I hope that its the last damaged one. I am considering moving the plant into a terracota pot because the bottom soil doesn't seem to dry. And I haven't watered it in almost a week.

The soil in the bottom three-quarters of the pot should never dry out. Allow no more than the top quarter of the soil to dry before watering. No need to repot.

Will you seem to be the monstera adonsii master. I got this baby in the fall (bad idea) and it has struggled since. I live in Manitoba, Canada and the -30 winter seems to have caught up with it. I moved it from another drafty spot to this East facing window. Any idea why the yellow and brown leaves? I use a moisture meter regularly but maybe I have let it dry out too much? I worry about over watering. Disregard some of my dormant outdoor plants in the corner that are inside for the winter. Any advice is appreciated.

@Jbirdsplants - I suspect two issues - inadequate light and improper watering, not the outside temps.

Keep your Monstera very close to the east window and make sure the window is completely uncovered - no sheers.

Watering can be a problem if that pot does not have a drain hole. If so, then allow the top inch of soil to dry before slowly adding just enough water for the top inch to dry out again in about a week. Experiment a bit to determine what the right amount of water is.

You may want to trim off the discolored leaves as they will not recover.

I hope this information will give you sufficient mastery of it.

Thanks so much Will I'm going to try your advice and hope that it recovers!