Fortunately, trimming a monstera is not too difficult. Since they are a hardy plant, they don’t need to be meticulously pruned. In other words, even if you don’t perform a great job, your plant will probably be alright.
You’ll want to remember a few things, though:
1. Put on gloves. When pruning or propagating your monstera, be sure to use protective gloves because the sap is poisonous and can cause severe skin irritation.
2. Use a tidy, sharp instrument. You can avoid crushing or damaging the stem by using sharp pruning shears or a knife to make the cut. Your plant is also shielded from hazardous microorganisms by clean tools. Bacterial diseases are hard to treat and can even spread to your other plants! (Protect your monstera from insects, fungi, and bacteria with our Houseplant Leaf Armor!)
Instead of slicing the stem off, just give it a good snip or chop while cutting. The cleanest cut will be made as a result.
3. Prune in the spring if possible, especially if you wish to encourage growth. Growth spurts occur in the spring and summer for the majority of plants, including monstera. Pruning in the spring will yield the best benefits and hasten the recovery of your plant. You should prune in the spring because that is when your cuttings will grow the fastest if you intend to propagate them.
4. Arrange the slices. Starting at the base of the stem, remove any outdated or diseased leaves.
Cut where you want the plant to grow if you are pruning to promote growth. Make a top cut if you want it to grow higher.
When the time comes to actually trim your monstera, keep in mind that pruning promotes growth so choose where to make your cuts. You can safely reduce the plant’s size if you’re pruning to manage your monstera’s size. Just remember that it will eventually need to be done again because it will grow back.
5. Be sure to cut below a node if you’re propagating. Don’t be concerned if you’re only trimming to reduce the size of your plant or get rid of dead leaves. However, if you want to grow your cuttings from them, make sure that they have a node, which is a tiny knob that develops on the stem opposite a leaf. When your cutting begins to grow, these will subsequently develop into aerial roots!
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6. Prevent unintentional proliferation. When you’re done pruning, be careful to dispose of your cuttings in the trash if you’re not going to propagate them because if you place them in a compost pile or somewhere else where they can root in the earth, they’ll start to grow roots.
I’m done now! Don’t be afraid to prune your monstera; it’s an essential yet easy component of care for this plant. This plant develops rapidly and bounces back quickly from pruning. Good fortune!
How are damaged Monstera leaves cut?
DO NOT CUT OFF THE TOP LEAF OF YOUR MONSTERA AT THE BASE OF THE PETIOLLE IF IT HAS BLACK SPOTS (the stalk that holds the leaf up from the main stem). The top growth point, or terminal bud, is located on the top leaf petiole. The petiole’s side has a bump where the subsequent leaf will develop if you look attentively. Leave the stalk intact and only remove the leaf, allowing your Monstera’s new growth to continue to grow.
It has already generated a new leaf from its petiole for a lower leaf. A lower leaf’s connection to the main stem can be safely severed at the bottom of the leaf. The petiole may eventually die and fall off the stem if you leave some of it connected.
Monsteras with most leaves dead
Cutting off an excessive number of leaves at once can be harmful to a Monstera plant’s ability to recuperate if the bulk of the leaves are damaged. Keep any leaves with healthy green sections since plants require them to photosynthesize. To allow the plant to continue making energy from the remaining green leaves, first only remove the leaves that are the most severely injured or completely dead. If the remaining leaves continue to deteriorate, you can remove them later.
It’s still possible to rescue your plant even if all of its leaves are dead. An axillary bud, also known as a lateral bud, will activate and branch off to create a new leaf as long as the stem and roots stay in good condition. To activate several buds, you can also cut and propagate your Monstera as stem cuttings. This method should only be used as a last resort because it will be extremely slow without leaves.
Pruning Your Monstera
All year long, remove dry or dead leaves, but wait any significant trimming for the spring and summer. Use clean, precise shears to trim your Monstera, and remove any extra growth at the stem’s base.
How to Repot a Monstera
The growth of indoor plants is substantially slower than that of wild plants. This is a good thing to do every two to three years to offer new nutrients and promote new development, depending on the size of your plant and the density of the roots.
When to repot – Because of their aerial roots, Monsteras frequently grow outside of the soil. When the time is right, the plant will however let you know by practically starting to climb out of the pot with its larger branches and their roots.
Pot sizing: Choose a nursery pot with a diameter that is 2 larger than the existing pot if you want your plant to grow taller. You can reuse the same container and just swap out the soil if you want your plant to remain the same height.
Put newspaper on the floor, remove the plant from the pot, and shake off as much of the old soil as you can to ensure that the roots are clean. Get your hands messy. Put the plant in the pot’s center, fill the container with fresh soil, and compact it firmly. Place the plant in a location with bright indirect light after fully watering the soil. It will take your plant 2-4 weeks to recover from the shock and become used to its new surroundings.
Staking Monstera
Some Monstera growers want to stake their plants to support them and encourage more vertical growth in addition to aesthetic considerations. You may accomplish this by simply inserting a moss totem and using prongs to secure the plant stems to it. See here for a complete explanation of how to stake the Monstera.
Where do I cut a Monstera stem that is broken?
Unfortunately, you can’t keep the attached leaves on that stem with it. By making a cut one inch (2,5 cm) above the closest node, you can remove the damaged Monstera stem. At that node, a new growth point will develop, and a new stem with leaves will emerge after a few months.
Put the stem in a vase with water if you don’t want to discard the damaged leaf. This will ensure that you have at least a few months to appreciate the leaf. To keep the leaf fresh, remember to replace the water frequently.
Do I need to remove the damaged leaves?
A houseplant’s appearance can also be ruined by dead or poorly formed leaves. Both damaged leaves and missing plant branches can be removed. You can use sharp scissors to trim overly ambitious stems back to just above a leaf point when they start to spoil the plant’s form. Simply remove the dead leaves; do not leave any little snags that will die back. It is advisable to trim the stem back to its base with sharp scissors in order to eliminate any dead leaves that are at the top of the shoot.
The dead blooms on houseplants can be removed individually and thrown on a compost pile. Azaleas bloom profusely over several weeks. Pick off the initial ones as they pass away to make room for the next ones to emerge. It is known as deadheading. You may remove each dead blossom from a cyclamen by pulling it off with the stalk. It will just snap off at the desired location if you give it a little tug. The stem would steadily deteriorate if you merely removed the blossom, which would stimulate the deterioration of other blooms and stems as well. Moreover, it just looks horrible. Don’t leave the blooms and stems at the plant’s base; instead, add them to the compost pile.
Yellow monstera leaves can mean it’s either getting too much water, or not enough nutrients.
Yellow leaves can also signify a variety of things. You’re probably overwatering your monstera if the leaves are turning yellow. Make sure your plant receives lots of indirect sunshine so the top few inches of soil may dry out quickly before watering.
Considering that your monstera may also be lacking in nutrients, this is an excellent moment to start using a liquid fertilizer in your usual care. Because Monstera Plant Food is made to be used with every watering, you won’t need to keep track of a fertilization schedule, which is why we adore it!
Dark brown spots on monstera leaves is a good indication of the plant getting too much water.
If your monstera plant has dark brown stains on its leaves, it may be because of overwatering, which is rotting the roots. (Read 4 Signs Your Monstera Is Over-Watered for additional information.)
Trim off any roots that appear mushy or brown with clean, sharp pruning scissors after carefully removing the plant from the pot. Repot the plant into a clean container (either a new one or the old one that you’ve cleaned out) with fresh, dry soil after removing as much of the old, damp dirt from the root ball as you can.
Make sure your monstera receives enough of light, and reduce watering while the plant is healing. You can also remove the damaged leaves with pruning.
Make sure the soil feels dry before watering to prevent root rot, and think about obtaining a moisture meter like this one to check the moisture content of the root ball before watering.
Light brown spots and crispy edges on monstera leaves means the monstera needs more water.
Your monstera plant may be thirsty if the edges become a light brown color and become “crispy.” Give the earth a drink and think about watering a little more frequently if it feels dry. The dead edges can be removed because they won’t recover.
Additionally, avoid placing your monstera in direct sunlight as this might burn the leaves! Move your monstera a little further into the space or to a better location altogether if you observe the sunshine directly striking your leaves.
A drooping monstera can mean it needs more water or more light.
Another symptom that could imply a variety of things is drooping monstera leaves. Your monstera may be overwatered or underwatered in this situation.
Look at the earth to determine which it is! It’s likely that your plant needs water if the soil seems dry. Give your plant a chance to dry out if it feels moist before watering it once more. Make sure it receives plenty of indirect sunshine so it can successfully do this. Consider repotting into a pot with greater drainage and a faster-draining soil if you notice your soil remains wet for an extended period of time.
Your monstera might need additional light if the soil looks to be healthy and watering doesn’t seem to be the problem. (Read 4 Signs Your Monstera Needs More Light for more information.)
Read our instructions on watering your monstera here. Watering is typically the most challenging aspect of taking care of any plant.
How can a dying Monstera be revived?
Watering should be your first line of defense when trying to resuscitate your monstera if you have been neglecting it. However, be sure it genuinely needs watering before you overwater it—surprisingly, too much affection can sometimes kill plants suddenly! It’s likely that your Monstera needs watering if the leaves have grown to be dry and brown and the soil is light and dry. Use a moisture meter to determine whether the soil around your Monstera has too much or not enough moisture.
Hold out for a moment before rapidly giving your dying plant a bucket of water; there are some unique methods that can make your Monstera look and feel healthier.
Before putting your monstera back in its pot and saucer, soak it for 20 to 30 minutes in a bucket of room-temperature water. After that, continue to water it sparingly but frequently over the following week or two before returning to your regular maintenance schedule. If you believe the root system is still fairly dry, you can soak for 30 minutes several times throughout the first week to ensure that the soil’s moisture level is rising.
When restoring a dying and neglected Monstera, soaking is crucial. It functions much better than simply giving it a lot of water, as the water will immediately run into the saucer and leaving the root system equally dry. Therefore, you need ensure that the soil is evenly hydrated throughout.
There are a few steps you can do to prevent wet or dry soil in the future in order to prevent overwatering or underwatering your Monstera. First off, purchasing a self-watering container enables you to be certain that your Monstera is receiving only the water it need. This self-watering pot from Amazon is something we advise.
Additionally, we advise using terracotta containers rather than plastic ones because they let some water to escape out of the sides while plastic containers trap in all the moisture, which can make the effects of overwatering on your Monstera much more pronounced.