Plant Guide
How To Care For a Monstera
Monstera Deliciosa
Nickname : Swiss Cheese Plant
One of the trendiest tropical plants in recent years, with its large, glossy, dark green leaves, Monstera Deliciosa, also known by its common name “Swiss cheese plant,” is a beautiful add-on to any room.
It’s a vine that grows in the tropics of North and South America, where it can reach up to 60-70 feet tall.
Its gorgeous leaves, which develop holes that give it its quirky nickname, may grow up to 3 feet wide.
This is a plant parent favorite for either a beginner or a plant veteran.
How to take care of Monsteras
Temperature wise, a Monstera love being kept around 60-85 degrees Farenheit. Since it is a tropical plant, it does like its humidity but will be fine if the indoors is a bit drier than normal.
If you really want it to thrive, try putting a bed of lava rocks in a tray below it and set some water on the rocks, so that the water will evaporate upwards and increase the humidity for its spot. You can also mist the leaves regularly to keep humidity up.
Let the soil dry 2-3 inches deep before watering again. Avoid overwatering for this plant as it is a common mistake. Don't overwater—that's a common mistake with this plant. Monstera deliciosa likes its soil a little on the dry side. If you like, feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer in the summer, then stop over the winter when it’s not actively growing.
If taking it outside, place it in an area with filtered shade, never direct sunlight, so the leaves won’t fry. Bring it back indoors before temperatures drop into the 40s.
Humidity
50-70%
These plants will do fine in an average humidity setting but will thrive especially if you increase it a little bit with regular spraying of warm water
Light
Bright Without Direct Sun
Water
Between watering times allow the soil to become dry to the touch within the top couple of inches or so of soil.
Temperature
60-85°F
Plant Food
During spring and summer when monstera is growing, fertilize plants monthly with a general purpose water-soluble fertilizer such as 20-20-20 applied at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 gallon of water for outdoor plants and 1/2 teaspoon of water per 2 quarts of water for indoor plants.
Pests
Your Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa) has a chance of being infested with sucking pests that are most probably scale insects. Use a soft toothbrush to remove them, then spray an organic pesticide solution made from summer oil or neem oil on the plant.
Pet Toxicity
Non-Toxic
Repotting
Re-pot once every two years approximately, during spring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bright Without Direct Sun
Unlike a lot of houseplants, Montersa actually prefer growing indoors and not in heavy direct sun. They like the room to be lit bright but not under direct sunlight.
No
Monsteras are not toxic! you pets are good to go.
The best thing to do when you've overwatered a Montera to stop watering and relocate it to a place with a lot of sun so that you can dry out the soil. After that, you probably will want to inspect the roots for root rot and repot the plant.
Yes
Since Monsteras are tropical plants, they love to be misted and they love humidity.