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Is my monstera a lost cause? I was gifted a water propagation almost… | Monstera Maniacs | Comunidad de Planta

Jessie Stratton Zhou

Is my monstera a lost cause? I was gifted a water propagation almost 3 years ago and in that time I’ve only had two new leaves, and I’ve had to chop off one leaf. Now about to have to chop off another. I accidentally dropped my pot recently and lost soil so I know I need to repot it, but one of the leaves is now super yellow. Some of these roots look/feel brittle and dry. 1) Should I chop the yellow leaf completely? 2) Should I repot in the same container/size? Any other advice appreciated! Sadly the leaves have never developed fenestration, nor grown that large. I fear I must be doing something wrong?

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12 comentarios

  1. Jessie Stratton Zhou

    Also, when I chopped off the first leaf, an aerial root grew in its place. It’s kind of annoying, can I take that off or should I leave it? You can it’s a couple feet long, dangling to the side.

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  2. Nunyabzwx

    Yes take the yellow leaf off and put some soil in the pot or repot it in the same pot. I'm not sure it is going to make it but lets hope so. Also if you don't like the aerial roots you can cut them off. They are there to latch on to something like a tree or moss pole but since yours is small you don't really need a pole or trellis yet. Water it when its almost all the way dry.

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    • Jessie Stratton Zhou

      Thank you! I had a moss pole in here but it fell out when I dropped the pot, lol. It’s probably too big for the size of this monstera (you can click on the tagged plant here to see prior photos). I planned to put it back in though. If I do, do you recommend I try and wrap it around the pole? I think it would snap…

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    • Jessie Stratton Zhou

      Here’s what the roots look like! I think this pot size is okay so I’m going to clean it up and just repot in a ceramic pot… wish me luck!

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  3. plantgeek

    monsteras need high humidity and something to climb on. offer it a pole and water more frequently. get a humidifier. move it further away from the window, it will absolutely get sunburnt touching the glass like that. and yes, repot. use a well draining mix, not normal potting soil.

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    • Jessie Stratton Zhou

      Thank you! I had a moss pole in the pot but it came out when I dropped it. I’m planning to put it back in when I repot. I don’t keep it in front of the window and I do water usually every 5 days in the shower, but since the leaves are no longer dark green, I feel like maybe I’m watering too much? I do have a humidifier near it as well.

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    • plantgeek

      may be overwatered then. should max be watered every two weeks.

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  4. PNWPlantJourney

    When was your last repot? What’s the lighting conditions? Do you keep up on watering? Do you fertilize your plant? I ask all these because each question plays a role in the growth of your plant. 1st question - If your plant is root bound, you will need to upsize your pot 1-2 inches. If it can’t produce anymore roots due to being root bound, it won’t be able to sustain any new growth. 2nd question - This plant needs a lot of light. Place it in a room that have the brightest indirect light. If not, consider getting a grow light. Light is used to pull water and nutrients from the soil-to the roots-to the leaves. 3rd question- Water when the soil is almost dry. I asked if you keep up on watering because I see that your plant is in a terracotta pot. This pot will dry out your plant a lot quicker than other pots so you will need to stay on top of watering it. I’d recommend potting into a plastic pot to retain moisture for a bit longer if you can’t keep up with its watering needs. 4th question- If it’s been in one pot for a long time, it will eventually run out of nutrients. There is nowhere for the roots to look for nutrients if it’s contained in a pot. Usually, the oldest leaf ( OLDEST leaf is usually the SMALLEST leaf) will start dying off as it is pulling nutrients from that leaf to sustain the rest of the plant. Then it will start pulling nutrients from the next oldest leaf after that. Hence why I asked about fertilizing. You will need to do so from time to time. If you see ONE leaf starting to yellow, it’s likely a lack of nutrients. Hope that helps. Explained it the best I could. GOOD LUCK! You got this.

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    • Jessie Stratton Zhou

      Thank you for this detailed reply! 1) Noted! I havent repotted since I got this, so it’s probably time. I will check the roots when I repot. I know monsteras don’t need a large pot so I doubt I will need to size up. 2) I keep it in the only room that gets sunlight, facing southwest. It’s great bright light, and I’ve usually kept it not in direct sunlight. I’ll plan to put it back in the same position it’s been in. I also have grow lights. 3) I water every 5-6 days or so, in the shower for 10 min. I usually give it such a good water bc of the terracotta pot. Since the leaves have always been wobbly/yellow, I fear it’s too much water. But when I water for less time or less infrequently, they droop so much. 4) I use SuperThrive but haven’t used fertilizer. I thought most yellow leaves came from too much water. Happy to try a fertilizer though. Do you have a recommendation?

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    • PNWPlantJourney

      1. Pot size should be 1 to 2 inches larger than the root ball. 2. That seems to be an ideal location 3. Do not water on a schedule. As temperatures rise, you will need to water more often due to the soil drying much quicker. Like I stated above as well, the terracotta pot will also add to the rapid moisture loss. Water when the soil is close to dry but not completely dry. Also, when watering, water the pot until it seeps out the bottom. Personally, I like to let my plants sit in water that is on the saucer for an extra 15-20 minutes. It gives it more time to soak up water before I discard whatever is lefter in the saucer. 4. Yes, over watering is the number 1 killer in houseplants. Yellowing leaves can be caused from both over and under watering. It is better to under water though. Your plant would be less likely to have root rot. For multiple leaves turning yellow at once it could be caused by one of those 2 watering conditions. As stated above, for the oldest leaf to turn yellow first, it’s likely a lack of nutrients. This also brings me back to the topic of repotting. If there is no room for the roots, then it’s likely there is no room to keep the soil moist enough with water or nutrients to sustain that plant for a good amount of time. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, there is more root mass than there is water retention. Yes, monstera like to be root bound but the pot size should be 1-2 inches bigger than the root ball. As for the fertilizer I use, it’s just heavily diluted miracle gro with a shot of silica for house plants. Oh , I also forgot to talk about humidity. This plant loves humidity. Normal household humidity should be fine. That should be about 55 percent ish humidity. But if you could get near the 70-75 percent ish range, it will thank you for that. Personally I don’t use a humidifier until winter when my heater is on and causing dry air. I also don’t want to cause any molding in my home so I keep it at 60-65 ish. Unless I place it in my indoor pop up greenhouse , then I’ll raise it up.

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    • Jessie Stratton Zhou

      Thank you so much! Here’s what the roots look like! I think this pot size is okay and perhaps not too big after all? I’m going to clean it up and just repot in a ceramic pot… wish me luck!

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  5. Nunyabzwx

    Yes as long as if doesn't snap! I use a trellis which makes it easier but whichever you choose it fine.

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