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Hi! I am a new Monstera lover and purchased this one from Lowe's a… | Monstera Maniacs | Planta community

Plantista

Hi! I am a new Monstera lover and purchased this one from Lowe's a week ago. It's in the same nursery pot it came in, and I sat it in the tall planter with a saucer under it (cat mom). The soil was really wet when I bought it, but I've been monitoring and seeing if it will dry out. I want to give it 2-3 weeks to get adjusted to its new environment and then repot to change the soil. I will be making a chunky soil mix to use when repotting. Also, it was exposed to cold during the brief transport home. There is a small dark spot on one of the new leaves. I can't tell if this is two plants or just one. I'm new to this plant owner thing but have been doing ALOT of reading and watching YouTube videos. I would love for her to grow big and wide, but I'm not sure about the following. Could you please offer your advice based on your experience? Lots of questions here! Thanks so much for helping! - would you repot now to change the soil to a more chunky medium, which is more dry than what it is currently in? - if this is two plants vs 1, do you recommend I separate them? If so, what's the best way to do this? - what do you think the dark spot is on the new leaf? - should I remove the smaller leaves on the bottom? I ask because I've read that sometimes that's taking away energy from the larger leaves -what's your suggestion on using poles to help growth upward?

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3 comments

  1. Wolfen 🐺

    Personally I live in the humid north, so the plants that come in peat or coconut coir usually get repotted fairly quickly. Otherwise the plants stay too wet and end up with root rotting here. A nice chunky mix of soil base, perlite, orchid bark, and pumice do nice with these. I also add charcoal, gypsum (for calcium). And then i sprinkle Mycorrhizal around the roots. This helps on transplant shock as well as root growth and nutrient uptake. It does vaguely look like 2 plants, but could also be branched. I wouldn't seperatw them, especially if you want a bustier look. The little black/brown part on the leaf looks like maybe damage. You can just clip the tip off. It's not necessary to remove the lower leaves, but obviously a personal preference, i think they look nekkid with no lower leaves. Id definitely look into a moss pole (NOT a coir coconut pole) if you want larger leaves and upward growth. TheMossPole has some nice ones, and you can fill them with a mix of moss and orchid bark and perlite. And keep it damp

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  2. Plantista

    Thanks so much for taking the time to share this! I appreciate it a lot!

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  3. JW

    -i use a mix of orchid and perlite, but monstera are not picky. -yes, looks like two plants, and they should be gently pulled apart during repotting. -dark spot looks like a brown tip, sign of under watering usually but not too big. -if they are yellow/very curled then yes but otherwise let the plant absorb the nutrients from the dying leaf as this gives it more energy. -poles are great, I like ones from TheMossPole. Just be sure not to get Coco coir, as the aerial roots cannot grow into them. Also if the plant is not binding to the pole like normal, you can use other supports such as wire. Just make sure to put cloth or a handful of moss between the stem and the metal ad it can dig in and hurt the plant. Hope this helps!

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