Upon arrival, remove the plant from the box and bag or wrap that was used to reduce soil loss. Remove paper and packaging materials and cut out of bag or wrapping if they don’t come off easily and water thoroughly if the soil is dry. Your plant may be stressed from it’s journey. It may have yellowing leaves, especially at the bottom. But as a small plant, this is nothing to worry about. In optimal conditions the smaller leaves die as they are replaced by larger ones and this happens much faster on babies than on the adults that have strong stems and huge fat leaves. These are temporary as it makes it’s journey to bigger and bigger pots. When yours arrives, if this is the case, then allow to sit in a warm spot with bright indirect light, but do not water if the soil is already wet to prevent over watering
Monstera Deliciosa - (Swiss Cheese Plant, Mexican Breadfruit, Windowleaf, Split Leaf Philodendron) is a climbing tropical evergreen perennial vine in the Araceae family, native to Central America. They are toxic to fuzzy pets, but reptile safe in small amounts. All parts of the Monstera are toxic to humans except the fully ripened fruits. DO NOT EAT your monstera fruits if you do not know what you are doing.
Monstera produce large green leaves, growing up to two feet long or more, and will develop fenestrations (holes) in the leaves as they age. Mature Monstera bloom when you mimic their natural habitat with a white and yellow flower spike that grows to be up to 6 inches tall. Flower spikes will develop into fruits that are up to 10 inches long. Great plant for outdoor decorations in the proper zone and can grow indoors to fill corners. When trellised or staked, plants will climb up to 70 feet high, but can be pruned to keep them a manageable size and cuttings with a node will root for propagation.
Upon arrival, remove the plant from the box and bag or wrap that was used to reduce soil loss. Remove paper and packaging materials and cut out of bag or wrapping if they don’t come off easily and water thoroughly if the soil is dry. Your plant may be stressed from it’s journey. It may have yellowing leaves, especially at the bottom. But as a small plant, this is nothing to worry about. In optimal conditions the smaller leaves die as they are replaced by larger ones and this happens much faster on babies than on the adults that have strong stems and huge fat leaves. These are temporary as it makes it’s journey to bigger and bigger pots. When yours arrives, if this is the case, then allow to sit in a warm spot with bright indirect light, but do not water if the soil is already wet to prevent over watering.
Repot in a peat based, standard potting soil in a pot that is size 4” to 6” and no larger if you got a baby and in a pot only one size larger if you purchased a larger sized plant. Monstera like to be in a pot that is not too much bigger than their root system and when repotting, you should only ever repot in the next pot size up to prevent rot. When possible, repotting should be done in Spring. Remember when first repotting in the next size up you may need to water less often, as the new pot size will hold more water for a longer amount of time, but pay attention to plant growth and adjust your watering based on the moisture in the soil and the behavior of the plant, as it will need more frequent watering as the plant grows and needs more water to hydrate all of the new leaves unfurling and will suck the moisture out of the soil faster and faster as the plant gets bigger.
Generally, Monstera are an easy plant to grow. They like to be in medium to bright, indirect light and can handle direct sun if slowly acclimated to prevent leaf burn. Monstera enjoy humidity and being misted occasionally, but can handle normally humidity in homes if that is all that is available, and should be brought inside before temps dip below 60 degrees. Monstera prefer to be in temps between 65 and 85 degrees F.
Watering is where people have the most problems with Monstera. Over watering can cause large black patches in the leaves or make entire leaves rot off or come in rotting. To prevent this, only water when the top 2 inches of the soil is dry. This will be more frequently when the plant is small and in smaller pots and when the weather is warm and the water is evaporating more quickly. Monstera can be given plain tap water, but prefer filtered water or water that has been left out to sit overnight so that what chemicals that will evaporate have left. Up until this point, it has been given only clean, collected rain.
Remember: No care guide is going to be perfect for every situation. Care guides are simply a place to start when learning how to care for your new plants. But plants in rainy Seattle will have different needs than plants in hot and dry New Mexico. We recommend that all customers read their care guide thoroughly, follow the instructions, listen to what your plant is telling you about what it needs and adjust accordingly.