Monstera not splitting? Here's a trick: leaves split three fingers wide and grow fast with a dark glossy shine

Young Monstera seedlings don't split

Monstera in the seedling stage doesn't have a strong enough root system, and its leaves are mainly complete heart shapes, but as the Monstera grows, starting from about the fifth leaf, holes will gradually appear.

Measures to encourage splitting:

1. Increase light

Young Monstera seedlings need to receive fairly plenty of light to promote faster leaf growth. If the seedling stays in a dark, lightless environment for a long time, the plant will grow very slowly and the holes that form in the leaves will be on the small side.

2. Water less

Young Monstera seedlings have very small water needs; a small amount of water can promote leaf splitting. Heavy watering will instead cause the leaves to only grow bigger without splitting.

Adult Monstera doesn't split

Some friends will find that their Monstera has been home for one or two years and still doesn't split. This calls for looking for the reason in the Monstera's day-to-day care.

Light too strong or too little

In late spring and summer, when temperatures are on the high side, avoid letting the Monstera come into contact with direct sunlight. But you also can't keep the Monstera in a dark room with no sunlight at all the whole time. It's best to put it in a bright, indirect-light environment, such as the living room, to receive soft, bright light.

Not enough water

Unlike young Monstera seedlings, adult Monstera has fairly large water needs; in summer, water generally once every 1-2 days, and usually also spray the leaves often to raise the humidity of the surrounding environment and promote leaf growth and splitting.

Improper fertilizing

Once mature, Monstera has relatively large fertilizer needs; it's best to apply fully rotted cake fertilizer water 1-2 times a month. When fertilizing, combine it with watering, dig open the potting soil at the edge of the pot, bury the fertilizer in, then cover it back up with soil.

You bought a fake "Monstera"

If none of the above matches your Monstera's situation, then it's very likely that you bought a fake Monstera - Alocasia macrorrhizos (giant taro).

Alocasia macrorrhizos looks very similar to a Monstera that hasn't split yet during the seedling stage. So if your Monstera never splits, chances are very high that what you bought is Alocasia macrorrhizos.

Repotting and division

Some gardening friends also report that their Monstera used to split, but the newly grown leaves suddenly don't split anymore. This is a reminder that it's time to repot and divide your Monstera!

1. Taking it out of the pot

Pat the outside of the pot, take the Monstera out of its original pot, break apart the root ball and remove the potting soil.

2. Division

Rinse the roots of the de-soiled Monstera clean with water, and divide it into several separate plants.

3. Trimming the roots

Cut away all the rotted parts, dead roots and weak roots on the roots, cut off the bottom rhizome, and keep one growth bud.

4. Potting up

Repot the divided and trimmed Monstera; first lay a layer of leaf mold soil on the bottom of the pot, then put the Monstera in the middle of the pot, and finally fix it in place with soil.

5. Watering thoroughly

The first watering must be thorough; afterwards you can water once every 1-2 days, but be careful there's no standing water.

Monstera rhizome cuttings

When dividing, don't throw away the rhizome that Huahua had you cut off - use it for cuttings and you can harvest another Monstera!

1. Mixing the soil

Mix leaf mold soil and garden soil in a 1:1 ratio to make humus soil.

2. Burying the rhizome

Lay the rhizome flat into the soil; the roots must all be buried, but the cut ends on both sides should be left exposed. After burying, water thoroughly, then place it in a cool, ventilated spot for care.

That's all for sharing the know-how on making Monstera split.

Did you learn it?

If you still have questions, you can leave a message for Huahua~