I’m kinda sick of my monstera- I’ve had it for 2.5 years and it’s still never put out a fenestrated leaf while I’ve had it. I’ve given her sunlight, fertilizer, support, idk what else to do! She just gets tall and skinny and that’s about it! All the fenestrated leaves are still from when I got it at the nursery. The bottom leaves are lifted a bit with some flexible wire and I just repotted her today so she’s a little flimsy, so keep that in mind. Someone please help me!
Has it been repotted yet
0 likes Yeah I’ve repotted it a few times, and I just repotted it today
0 likes They like to stay a little compacked with the roots
2 likesMake sure you’re not overwatering! I wait until mine gets pretty dried up before watering again. My monstera has also been moody, and I’ve had to switch up her location in my house a few times until she got just the right amount of light she likes lol they can be very moody/picky 😂
1 likeAnd she’s kind of a big girl so maybe a bigger pot down the line?
0 likes Maybe
1 likeCould also potentially be lack of humidity?
0 likes She was in a bigger pot but when I looked at her roots today it was just too large, so I went back to a smaller pot again
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Chop chop chop!😂
0 likes I’ve chopped her sooooo many times I have like 15 propagations going, not including the propagations that I’ve it back in the soil haha
1 like That may not be helping if you’re looking to grow big mature fenestrated leaves.. you could quite literally chop it in half and repot the “upper cut” (I could help you with the soil mix as it will need to retain a little more moisture until it establishes new root systems).. but taking the more mature top cut allows a much more mature version of the plant with the same genetics will continue to grow at that maturity (after a short bounce back after the prop-shock).. Cool project & I’d be interested in helping!
2 likes So all the chopping is keeping me from getting bigger leaves? I just repotted one of the latest cutting propagations, I’m hoping there’s some success! Do you usually prop in soil or in water?
0 likes You can also untie alll those leaves from eachother… you just need to secur the main “stalk” to the pole and let the leaves face the sky!
0 likes I untied them earlier and one of them literally snapped without being held up. And then at the base I used soft Velcro to secure each of the bases the stake. There’s like 5 plants in the pot now. I’ve tried potting them all separately and 1. They look sad and 2. They don’t grow as much for some reason
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Mine was doing well in the summer but was very sprawly - leaves strong, but growing out in every direction, but really slowed down when the days got shorter. I put her under a plant light and she loves it! Just got a bunch of new leaves and the whole plant is starting to stretch up instead of out. She has grown a lot since I got her just over a year ago and I have repotted her once. I’m sure there are 4 or 5 plants together in the pot though because that’s how many leaves she puts out at a time. Maybe try a grow light! (Good fenestration too)
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When you have done anything under the surface it has to spend energy on the roots again. I would not touch for a while. Let it completely dry out for the first couple of inches. Fertiliser in the water every 2 weeks. She’s poking leaves here there and everywhere so doesn’t that usually mean that the light isn’t strong enough from one direction?
0 likesJust buy a new one and start over lol
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Oh boy! I admire the tenacity to keep going with your troublesome plant after 2.5 years— that’s a long time! I have a few different tips for you that I hope help: 1.) It appears that you have many plants in one pot. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it can make it difficult to properly support to plant for positive growth. Every Monstera has petioles, which are the long part of the plant connected to the leaves that move to find the sun (they are solar plants so it’s best not to turn them). They also have stems at the base, which is where you want to tie supports to either a moss pole, coco coir pole or a trellis of sorts. It’s important to not support the plant higher than the stem, as it restricts its movement and causes leggy growth. If keeping all plants together in one pot, it’s best to space them out with the “back of the plant” all facing the support and tie them at the stem. The diagram has lines where I would tie the Monstera up at the base. 2.) Additionally, Monsteras thrive in a chunky tropical soil mix best. They don’t like to be overwatered (which simply refers to the frequency of watering, not the amount— you are fine to drench the plant when you DO water it.) I mix Fox Farm Ocean Forest, Perlite, and Black Gold Orchid Mix together and my Monsteras seem to love it. Make sure your pot is only 2 inches larger than the root ball otherwise the plant will put its energy into establishing a bigger root system rather than giving you new leaves. 3.) Lastly, Monsteras are a tropical plant which means they love lots of bright indirect light. It won’t fenestrate without lots of light. It’s best to place it in East or West facing windows; South is better than North facing but you need sheer curtains or some distance to avoid light burn. And again, do not turn the plant— let it face the light. Just place it in a corner with lots of light or spin it when guests come over to enjoy the front of the plant. Otherwise the plant is constantly fighting you to face the sun. If all else fails, Trader Joe’s often carries Monsteras for 12 dollars. There’s no shame in trying again. It took me three tries to get it right and learn how to grow them the way I wanted! Now my Trader Joe’s Monsteras are 2 years old and getting huge with time. Good luck!
