Overview
What a monstera needs and whether it suits your home.
Monstera is a climbing vine from tropical forests, and it behaves like one: give it something to climb and bright, indirect light, and it grows fast into a statement plant with huge, split, holey leaves. Overwatering is the most common mistake. Let the compost nearly dry out between drinks and keep it warm.
Quick facts
- Botanical name
- Monstera deliciosa
- Soil pH
- 5.0 – 6.0
- Temperature
- 18 – 25 °C
- Hardiness
- USDA zone 10a and warmer
- Height
- Up to 240 cm (94 in)
- Propagation
- Cutting
Optimal growth
Survives −1 °C
Growing details
- Frost sensitivity
- Frost tender
Growing calendar
- Active growth: March, April, May, June, July, August, September
- Repot: March, April, May
- Propagate: April, May, June, July, August
Indoors: water and feed more in spring and summer, less from autumn to late winter. Every two to three years, or yearly for small plants. Stem cuttings from spring to late summer.
Is this plant right for you?
- Houseplant
- Bright, indirect light
- Fast growing
- Forgiving of neglect
- Needs a support
- Grows large
- Toxic to pets
Toxic to people and pets
All parts except the ripe fruit contain calcium oxalate crystals: toxic to dogs and cats (ASPCA) and to people if eaten; the sap can irritate skin.
Before You Grow
Choose a plant and a warm, bright spot out of direct sun.
All parts except the ripe fruit are poisonous: keep it away from pets and children, and wear gloves to handle it.
What you need
A healthy plant
Unblemished leaves, no pests. See choose your monstera.
A bright spot out of direct sun
Near an east- or west-facing window. See light.
Chunky, fast-draining mix
Monstera or houseplant compost, or your own. See compost.
A pot with drainage holes
Heavy enough not to topple. See repotting.
A moss pole or cane
For it to climb. See support and pruning.
Gloves
The sap irritates skin; the plant is poisonous if eaten.
Choose your monstera
Monstera deliciosa, the original Swiss cheese plant, is the most widely available (RHS): usually bought at 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 ft) and able to reach the ceiling (RHS). Indoors it stays around 1.8 to 2.4 m (6 to 8 ft) (NC State). Young leaves are heart-shaped and whole; holes and splits develop as the plant matures, over a few years.
Variegated forms, such as ‘Albo Variegata’ and ‘Thai Constellation’, have white- or cream-marked leaves. They are sought after and expensive, and need more light than green plants (NC State). ‘Thai Constellation’ is more compact (Penn State).
Monstera adansonii is smaller, growing 1 to 2.4 m (3 to 8 ft) as a houseplant, with holey leaves: a good choice for less space (Penn State, RHS).
Buying. Choose a healthy-looking plant with unblemished leaves, and keep it wrapped up in cold weather on the way home (RHS).
Warmth and humidity
Monstera comes from tropical forests: it likes warmth, humid air and shelter from draughts.
Temperature. Keep it at 18 to 25 °C (65 to 77 °F) all year, away from cold draughts and radiators (RHS). Gardeners’ World finds it copes with 12 to 30 °C (54 to 86 °F); it won’t survive frost, and is hardy outdoors only in USDA zones 10 to 12 (Missouri Botanical Garden).
Humidity. Moderate to high; Penn State prefers above 50%. Mist the leaves, stand the pot over a tray of moist gravel, or group tropical plants together (RHS). Gardeners’ World finds ordinary home humidity is fine.
Dry air browns the leaf edges, especially in centrally heated homes.
- Temperature
- 18 to 25 °C (65 to 77 °F)
- Humidity
- Moderate to high; 50% or more is ideal
- Keep away from
- Cold draughts and radiators
Light
Bright, indirect light: near an east- or west-facing window, or further back in a bright room (RHS). Gardeners’ World finds it survives almost any light level in a house, just growing more slowly in the dark.
Too little light. Growth slows and gets leggy (Penn State), and new leaves have few or no holes (RHS, UW-Madison).
Too much. Direct midday summer sun scorches the leaves. UW-Madison gives it direct sun only in winter.
Variegated plants need more light than green ones.
Outside in summer, move it into brighter light gradually or it sunburns (UW-Madison).
Compost
Monstera needs an open, well-drained, slightly acidic mix, pH 5 to 6: roots rot quickly in compost that drains poorly (RHS).
Ready-made. A peat-free ‘monstera’ or ‘houseplant’ compost; monstera mixes contain bark, perlite and worm castings (Gardeners’ World).
Home mix. The RHS uses one part ericaceous peat-free compost to two parts orchid compost.
Planting
Pot it in a chunky, fast-draining mix, one size up at a time.
Choose a pot only a few centimetres bigger: too much compost stays wet and rots the roots.
When to repot
A new monstera can usually stay in its nursery pot for a year or two (RHS).
Signs. Four or more roots growing out of the drainage holes (Gardeners’ World).
How often. Every year for small plants in pots under 12 cm (5 in); every two to three years after that (Gardeners’ World).
When. In spring, as growth starts.
- Roots through the base: time to repot.
- Only one pot size up.
- Spring or summer.
How to repot a monstera
Gently, into the next size up, with the rootball disturbed as little as possible.
-
Water first
3 to 12 hours before, to reduce transplant shock (Gardeners’ World).
-
Choose the pot
Only a few centimetres wider, with drainage holes, and heavy enough to stop a top-heavy plant toppling (RHS). Plastic pots suit monstera well (Gardeners’ World).
-
Check the roots
Healthy roots are plump and cream. Trim any brown, mushy ones with clean scissors.
-
Set it in
On a layer of fresh mix, then fill around it (Gardeners’ World).
-
Settle, don’t press
Tap the pot on the floor to settle the mix rather than pressing it down, which squeezes out air (Gardeners’ World).
-
Water the next day
If leaves wilt afterwards, don’t water again until the top quarter of the mix is dry.
Care
Water when nearly dry, feed in summer, and give it a pole to climb.
Let the compost become almost dry before watering thoroughly; water less in winter.
Care through the year
Spring
Feed: from spring
Repot if needed; start feeding; prune if too big. See repotting.
Summer
Humidity: mist or gravel tray
Water when nearly dry; keep out of midday sun. See watering.
Autumn
Feed: stop in autumn
Water and feed less as growth slows.
Winter
Temperature: 18 to 25 °C (65 to 77 °F)
Water sparingly; keep warm and away from radiators.
Any time
Clean: leaves with a damp cloth
Wipe dust off the leaves; tie new growth to the pole. See support and pruning.
Watering monstera
Waterlogged compost is the main danger: the roots rot and the plant collapses (RHS).
When. Let the compost become almost dry, then water thoroughly (RHS). NC State lets the top quarter to a third dry out.
How. Pour lukewarm water evenly over the compost until it runs from the drainage holes (Gardeners’ World), and never leave the pot standing in a saucer of water.
Winter. Water less from autumn to late winter (RHS, Missouri Botanical Garden).
Water type. Rainwater or filtered water at room temperature is best, especially in hard-water areas (RHS); tap water you’d drink is usually fine (Gardeners’ World).
Feeding monstera
Feed with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser through the growing season, spring to autumn (RHS, UW-Madison), at the rate on the label.
Winter. RHS and UW-Madison stop feeding while growth is slow; Penn State feeds monthly. Feed only while the plant is growing.
Support and pruning
Give it a pole. Monstera is a climber. Left alone, it sprawls across the floor towards the window (Gardeners’ World). Tie stems to a moss pole, cane or trellis; a moss pole kept moist lets the aerial roots root into it and supports the heavy plant (RHS, UW-Madison).
Aerial roots. The long, cord-like roots from the stem are natural. Tuck them into the pole or the pot, or trim them if they are in the way.
Tidy. Cut off yellow or brown leaves about 2.5 cm (1 in) from the stem with clean scissors, and wipe dust from the leaves.
Size. If it outgrows its space, prune it back in spring. New stems will have smaller, less holey leaves for a while (RHS). The top you remove makes a cutting: see propagating.
Problems
Overwatering, dry air, low light, cold and pests are the usual troubles.
Common monstera problems
Most problems come back to water, light or air.
Yellow leaves, collapsing plant
- Overwatering
- Root rot
Wet compost or a waterlogged pot. Let it dry, empty the saucer, and check the roots. See watering.
Brown, crisp leaf edges
- Dry air
Humidity too low, often in heated rooms. Mist, use a gravel tray, or group plants.
New leaves without holes
- Low light
- Young plant
Too little light, or a young plant: holes appear as it matures. Move it somewhere brighter. See light.
Long, leggy stems
- Low light
- No support
Reaching for light, or sprawling without a pole. Give more light and a support.
Scorched patches
- Direct sun
Hot, direct sun. Move it back from a south-facing window or filter the light.
Wilting after repotting
- Root disturbance
Roots disturbed. Don’t water again until the top quarter of the mix is dry.
More problems with monstera
Common pests
Monstera has few pests indoors (UW-Madison, NC State). Check under leaves and in leaf joints now and then.
Mealybugs
White, cottony insects in leaf joints. Wipe off with a damp cloth or cotton bud.
Spider mites and thrips
Fine speckling and webbing, worst in dry air. Raise humidity and wipe the leaves.
Aphids and fungus gnats
Aphids on soft new growth; fungus gnats around constantly wet compost. Let the compost dry between waterings.
Common diseases
Root rot
Roots turn brown and mushy in wet, poorly drained compost and the plant collapses (RHS). Repot into fresh, chunky mix, cutting away rotten roots; if more than half have rotted, use a smaller pot (Gardeners’ World).
Propagation
New plants from stem cuttings with a node, rooted in water.
Propagating monstera
Monstera roots well from stem cuttings, from spring to late summer (RHS).
Take a cutting. Cut 12 to 18 cm (5 to 7 in) of stem with at least one node, the bump where a leaf and aerial root grow, and ideally two leaves (Gardeners’ World). A cutting without a node won’t grow.
Root in water. Stand it in a glass of water, with the node under water and the leaves above, somewhere bright but out of direct sun. Change the water every few days. Roots appear in about three weeks.
Pot up. When the roots are about 10 cm (4 in) long, pot into a 12 cm (5 in) pot of monstera or houseplant compost.
Air layering works too: roots form on the stem before you cut it off (Penn State, UW-Madison).
More to Explore
Quick answers, related guides, and the sources behind this one.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn’t my monstera have holes in its leaves?
It is young, or needs more light. Holes develop as the plant matures in good light. See light.
How often should I water a monstera?
When the compost is almost dry, less often in winter. See watering.
Why are my monstera’s leaves turning yellow?
Usually overwatering. See common problems.
Does a monstera need a moss pole?
It needs some support to grow upright; a moist moss pole lets it root in and climb.
Should I cut off the aerial roots?
No need, but you can trim them if they are in the way, or tuck them into the pole or pot.
How do I propagate a monstera?
Root a stem cutting with a node in water. See propagating.
Can monstera grow outside?
Year-round only in USDA zone 10a and warmer. Elsewhere it can go out for summer if moved into the light gradually.
Is monstera toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes: it causes mouth irritation, drooling and vomiting (ASPCA). Keep it out of reach.
Related guides
Sources
- How to grow Swiss cheese plants (opens in a new tab) Royal Horticultural Society
- Cutleaf philodendron (opens in a new tab) ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Swiss-cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa (opens in a new tab) University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension
- Monstera as a houseplant (opens in a new tab) Penn State Extension
- Monstera deliciosa (opens in a new tab) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Monstera deliciosa (opens in a new tab) Missouri Botanical Garden
- How to care for a Swiss cheese plant (opens in a new tab) BBC Gardeners’ World