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hey so i am new to indoor plants as of last summer and i got my first… | Monstera Maniacs | Planta community

fuey

hey so i am new to indoor plants as of last summer and i got my first monstera from walmart a week ago and had to drive it home 4 hours and waited awhile after to repot (w normal soil and tall/skinny draining pot since i know they like to be snug). the monstera was obviously stressed so i have it under an east facing window and a bright grow light (2ft away) for 9 hours a day. I do spray it with water once a day to keep up humidity along with a constant humidifier maybe 6 ft away. she just got a dark blackish brown spot on a main leaf and i am wondering if i should be concerned for any pests or fungus. mainly if i should segregate it from my other plants nearby (i have pothos, snake plant, english ivy, and alocasia). some of those were rescues, so you may see a crispy leaf or 2 in the photos😅. please lmk if i am overreacting or not, thanks! any any tips would be appreciated.

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15 comments

  1. Bebe🌵🤍

    I’m not trying to freak anybody out here because I could be wrong—it could be a couple things, but my initial thought was spider mite damage. Did you check for any signs of pests?

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    • fuey

      I haven’t seen any signs of webbing on it or any of my other plants.. i really hope you’re wrong because i have been so lucky with no pests so far

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    • Bebe🌵🤍

      I hope I am too! Have you checked the roots? It could be fungal

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    • fuey

      tbh I was in a rush to repot because my s/o didn’t know about the new plant and he was otw home so i didn’t inspect aside from seeing that it was nice and snug in its grower pot. i didn’t smell anything off either. do you think it would cause too much stress to go back and look?

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    • Bebe🌵🤍

      It might be stress from repotting, low humidity, sunburn damage if it’s getting too much direct light for too long, watering issues. It could be fertilizer burns or lack of nutrients I don’t know you’re care schedule so it’s hard to tell, but repotting could part of it

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  2. Alondra 🌷📖

    I’m not completely sure, but maybe it might be root rot? It sounds like you are spraying it AND using the humidifier as well. The humidifier should be more than enough, no need for spraying or else it will cause it to root rot, yellowing leaves etc. Maybe check the roots? Don’t quote me on it though. It doesn’t seem like spider mites/pests because there aren’t any holes. Also Monsteras like wider pots, not tall slim pots. Whatever they’re doing at the top means they’re roots are growing the same at the bottom. A Fiddle Leaf Fig for example, would need a tall/slimmer pot since it’s slimmer/taller tree and their roots grow straight down/slimmer. A Monstera has more foliage at the top and the leaves grow outwards and everywhere (lol why it has its monster name), so the same goes for the roots, they grow wider and need room to grow outwards, so it needs a wider pot. 🤍

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    • Abbi

      I have a humidifier and mist my plants. Just misting the foliage won't cause root rot. If you were misting the soil it might.

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  3. Jcook

    From the photos it looks like the soil may be too water retentive. Add the environmental change from the store to your home, the blue self watering bulb, humidifier, and daily misting (if you’re misting the soil too), and it sounds like it’s getting more water than it can handle right now. It may be a good idea to pull her out and check her for brown/mushy roots. If they look good add some perlite or orchid bark to the mix, something to improve aeration to the roots and drainage and decrease water retention.

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    • fuey

      this is one of my first plants that needs constant humidity and i might’ve gotten too far ahead of myself. thanks!

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    • Jcook

      No worries! Monsteras are aroid plants like pothos, snake plants, alocasias, etc so it’s easy to overwater them, especially with dense soil. Others may disagree, but the non variegated monsteras don’t seem to be as humidity sensitive as their variegated siblings like the Thai constellation, aurea, albo, etc. Depending on where you live I would think the humidifier will be enough.

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    • Carolinagreenthumb

      Miracle Grow Cactus, Palm & Citrus potting mix works good for my house plants. It drains really well and my plants seem happy in it.

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  4. rita1inrat

    overwatered and possibly a bit sunburnt!

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  5. S.R

    The 4 hour drive home … how was the temperature in the vehicle? Looks like cold damage to me.

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    • fuey

      i had it at 72 with no air directly at it, it was in the passenger seat next to me so i could secure it easiest

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    • S.R

      That sounds like it should be ok 👍🏻

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