hi there! i’m a mega newbie to houseplants, i got this monstera on tuesday and its looking a bit sad. i’m planning on buying it some orchid bark or perlite soil to reduce the risk of root rot, watered a little earlier today and it’s since got some odd spots on a leaf that’s been droopy since i got it. does anyone know what this might be and how i can fix it? i love this plant and really dont want it to die :(
Grats on your new plant! The adansonii is a fairly easy one to care for. - I’d give it a few weeks to acclimate to the new environment before doing any repotting (unless there’s rot then that should be addressed asap). I bought mine about a month ago and still have it in the substrate it came in since it’s doing fine in it. No need to unnecessarily stress the plant with a repot. - Check the roots to make sure they’re pale and firm, not brown and squishy as this could possibly mean root rot. I would recommend getting clear nursery pots just so you can check on the roots without disturbing the plant. I’ve gotten mine off amazon. Most of my plants have been transferred soil ball and all into equal sized clear pots with some even getting moved into a size down where necessary. - Water when the substrate is dry. You can stick a finger in the soil to test, get a moisture meter, use a wooden chopstick or skewer to see if any soil sticks to it (think like using a toothpick to test the doneness of baked goods. Same concept), or all of the above. It’s better to err on the side of underwatering than overwatering. - give it a good amount of light All in all, don’t panic! It could just be adjusting from the store/greenhouse environment to your home. And in the absolutely worst case scenario, these are crazy easy to propagate but I don’t think it’s that dire at all.
1 likethank you so much for your reply! i did actually repot it the same day i got it, but it was purely because the original pot was about two inches tall and the roots were growing over the rim. i’m definitely not planning on repotting for a while now, but am going to buy something like perlite or orchid bark to airate the soil too. the clear pots are a great idea and definitely something i’m going to look into. as for the leaf… i solved the mystery 🤦 i accidentally placed them too close together and it was impaled by a ton of barbs from my bunny ear cactus (aptly named “evil bastard.”) i think the leaf might be a lost cause, but im learning more everyday! so hopefully things can only go up from here. i really appreciate your advice and will definitely be coming back to this in the future.
1 like I’m glad the mystery is solved! It’s up to you if you want to remove the leaf or keep it. I’d personally leave it until it looks like the plant is trying to remove it (yellowing etc) before I take it off. As for potting mix, I tend to do the below for my aroids: 1 part potting soil 1 part orchid bark (I use fine) 1 part perlite (wear a mask! The dust gets everywhere) 1 part horticultural charcoal It’s a pretty standard mix honestly. There’s also some pre-mixed bags you could buy if you don’t want to or don’t have the space for the components. But the mix drains really well and my plants seem to love it.
1 likethank you so much once again! 😭🙏 i think ill be buying a premixed bag for now, im a university student so a little bit limited on space and money as of the present day, with the goal of mixing my own in the future. sorry if this is a silly question, but when i get the potting mix is it better for me to wait for the plant to settle before swapping out the soil? it’s just been repotted so i don’t want to stress it out, but i’m also concerned about root rot if i leave it in the current one for too long. does swapping the soil even count as repotting? sorry for the additional questions, you’ve been so helpful already
0 likes I would consider it a repotting if you exposed the roots and changed out most if not all the substrate. The generally accepted rule for most plants is having a pot that is about 1-2in bigger than the root ball. And some plants are a bit more tolerant of being on the more snug side than others. If the plant is in just straight potting soil but the pot is an appropriate size, it’s likely fine. Just be very careful with your watering as the substrate will likely retain water a bit longer than a chunky mix depending on what you used. I do not recommend following the app’s watering schedule when you get notifications for it. If you water every time it tells you to without checking the soil first, you’ll likely rot the plant. Use it more as a guideline for when to start checking if it needs water. Once you determine that it is indeed dry, then you can go ahead and water thoroughly.
0 likes Using an aroid mix isn’t like a strict requirement but it does make it easier for sure to have an airier mix. But I have a monstera esqueleto vine that I put in just straight potting mix in a pot that was definitely far too big for the size of the plant in it, but ultimately ignored the plant for the most part and it was thriving for months. Only recently put it in a much more appropriate sized pot for the (very long) root system with a chunky mix but it’s still very much alive and making its way up a trellis. So I wouldn’t worry too much in all honesty. These guys are pretty resilient.
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Ditto Liz! This is one of my favorite plants 🤩
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