How to care for the latest potted Monstera deliciosa?

Monstera deliciosa is a famous large indoor potted foliage plant, also known as Penglai banana, iron wire orchid, perforated Philodendron, etc. It is a climbing shrub plant of the genus Monstera in the Araceae family, native to Mexico, and widely introduced and cultivated for ornamental purposes in various tropical regions. In Europe, America, and Japan, it is quite common to use potted plants to decorate living rooms and windowsills. Let us take a look below at how to care for potted Monstera deliciosa!

Growth habits of Monstera deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa is native to Mexico, and is cultivated in the open field in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places in China, while in Beijing, Hubei and other places it is mostly cultivated in greenhouses. It likes warm and humid environments, and must absolutely avoid strong light exposure and dryness. It is shade-tolerant and easily grows in fertile, loose, slightly acidic loam with high water absorption and good water retention, with leaf mold or peat soil being the best. The suitable growth temperature is 20-25°C. Below 5°C it is prone to frost damage, and when the temperature rises above 32°C, growth stops.

Propagation methods of Monstera deliciosa

1. Sowing: Before sowing Monstera deliciosa, first soak the seeds in warm water at 40°C for 10 hours, and the sowing soil should be sterilized at high temperature. The seeds are relatively large, so spot sowing can be used. After sowing, keep the room temperature at 20-25°C, cover the box opening with plastic film, and maintain humidity above 80%. After sowing, they generally germinate in 20-25 days. During the sowing process, if the room temperature is too low, it will not only affect seedling emergence, but the seeds may even develop water-soaked rot.

2. Cuttings: For Monstera deliciosa, cuttings taken in spring from April to May and in autumn from September to October have the best results. For the cuttings, select current-year side branches with substantial stem tissue and robust growth. The cuttings should be 20-25 cm long. Remove the leaves at the base, keep the small leaves at the upper end, cut off the long aerial roots, and keep the short aerial roots to absorb water and help rooting. The cutting bed uses a mixed substrate of coarse sand and peat or leaf mold. After cutting, maintain 25-27°C and relatively high air humidity. Rooting only begins about 1 month after cutting.

3. Division: Division of Monstera deliciosa is carried out in summer and autumn. Cut off an entire section of a side branch from a large Monstera deliciosa, with some aerial roots attached, and plant it directly in a wooden tub or pot. This not only has a high survival rate, but also takes shape quickly.

How to care for potted Monstera deliciosa?

1. Light: Monstera deliciosa likes warm and humid environments, fears drought, and is afraid of direct sunlight, otherwise it very easily causes withered leaves. In summer, Monstera deliciosa should be placed indoors or under a shade shed, and must not be placed on a balcony with overly strong sunlight for exposure, as this can very easily cause it to wither and die. When the winter temperature drops to 6°C, Monstera deliciosa should be moved indoors to keep warm.

2. Watering: Monstera deliciosa needs sufficient water, and the culture soil must often be kept moist. During the summer growth period, water once in the morning and once in the evening, and also spray water on the leaf surface frequently to keep the leaves bright and the air humid. In winter, water evaporates slowly, so water once every 3-4 days. For routine watering, once a day is enough.

3. Fertilizing: Monstera deliciosa is a plant that relatively likes fertilizer, so attention should be paid to fertilizing it appropriately. During the growth period of Monstera deliciosa, apply dilute cake fertilizer water once every half month. With sufficient and appropriate fertilization, Monstera deliciosa will grow with pleasant leaf color.

4. Pests and diseases: Monstera deliciosa is extremely susceptible to scale insect damage, and the stems and leaves are most easily attacked by scale insects. They can be cleaned with an old toothbrush and then sprayed with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate. Common diseases of Monstera deliciosa include leaf spot, gray spot, and stem blight, and timely prevention and control should be noted.

5. Repotting: Potted Monstera deliciosa needs to be repotted once a year, and the best time for repotting is between March and April. When repotting, remove the old soil, cut off the dead roots of Monstera deliciosa, and then add decomposed organic fertilizer or phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to the pot as base fertilizer.

Precautions for Monstera deliciosa

1. Afraid of strong light exposure: Monstera deliciosa is a typical shade-tolerant plant. Large-scale production must include shade facilities, and 50% shade netting can be used. In particular, sown seedlings and newly rooted cuttings must absolutely avoid direct sunlight to prevent leaf scorch. Mature plants should also be shaded during midsummer, otherwise the leaves will age, lack natural luster, and their ornamental value will be affected.

2. Fearful of dry air: Monstera deliciosa naturally grows in tropical rainforests and likes humidity, but water accumulation in potted soil will also cause root rot, causing the plant to stop growing, the leaves to droop, lose luster, and become uneven. Watering should follow the principle of preferring wet over dry, keeping the pot soil moist often but not waterlogged. In spring and autumn, water once every 2-3 days. In midsummer, in addition to watering every day, spray water multiple times to keep the leaf surface fresh. For hanging cultivation, spray water even more frequently. In winter, leaf transpiration weakens, so the amount of watering should be reduced.

3. Thin fertilizer applied frequently is good: Monstera deliciosa is a relatively fertilizer-tolerant foliage plant. To promote more new leaves and make the leaf color emerald green with natural luster, apply fertilizer once every half month during the growth period. When fertilizing, be careful not to let the fertilizer liquid stain the leaf surface. At the same time, the roots of Monstera deliciosa are relatively tender, and raw fertilizer and concentrated fertilizer should be avoided to prevent root burn. It is best to use “Huiyou” 20-8-20 four-season high potassium nitrate fertilizer and 20-20-20 general-purpose fertilizer, which are more beneficial to the growth of Monstera deliciosa.

4. Needs tying and shaping: Monstera deliciosa is a large foliage plant with thick stems and large leaves. Especially when dividing adult plants, a frame should be set up and tied to prevent lodging and deformation. After the shape is set, remove the support frame. At the same time, after the shape is set, when the stem node leaves grow too densely and the branches and vines grow too long, pay attention to trimming the whole plant, striving for a natural and beautiful appearance.